If you are paralyzed performing normal everyday tasks can be difficult or impossible. Thanks to equipment and technologies such as the Amazon Alexa, a person who is limited in mobility can easily speak to a lot of household appliances, furniture and devices. What’s even better is that this kind of equipment is now affordable.
I remember back in 1991, when I first became paralyzed, I tried out a voice activated environmental control unit at the rehab hospital. The total cost of the unit was over $10,000. And that didn’t even include the cost of the specialized plugs and switches needed for the unit to communicate with your household devices. It took an electrical engineer to customize household furniture, like a bed.
Recently we had the opportunity to purchase a Tempur-pedic adjustable bedframe for a man who is paralyzed from the shoulders down. It works with the Amazon Alexa so that he is able to speak to the bed and perform the functions on the remote. For example, he can tell Alexa to raise the head of his bed up, raise the feet up, and lower both parts independently. Something this simple is a game changer for a quadriplegic. For years this man has had to ask his parents or caregiver to wake up in the middle of the night and adjust him in bed, or just wait for them to wake up in the morning. Not only does this give him some independence, but it also helps with circulation and pressure relief.
Thank you to everyone who has donated to our organization. Without you we would not have been able to help my friend Kurt. It appears he’s hanging out with some rough characters from the picture I found on his Facebook page. However, we are happy he has found a way to serve young men at NCCC as a mentor to their baseball players.
Sincerely, Kevin Olson
