Adaptation to a kitchen trolley
The Community Physiotherapist referred our client, Olwyn, to REMAP. Olwyn uses a kitchen trolley and needs to rest her forearms on its handlebars for support. The Community Physiotherapist thought she would benefit from gutter arm supports being fitted, which are not currently available in the NHS. This adaptation, if possible, would also enable her to adopt a more upright posture.
The Challenge
The original handlebars were discarded as they were no longer fit for purpose. Bespoke gutter arm boards seemed to be the way forward, adjusted to Olywyn’s height for maximum comfort.
The solution
The original handlebars were discarded and each replaced with an assembly of three 22mm o/d steel tubes joined by welding using a tee junction. The longer tube fitted into the trolley’s framework and was drilled at its lower end to give height adjustment for the handlebars. The shorter horizontal tubes were used to mount the gutter supports. These gutter shapes were cut from 100mm dia. uPVC plastic pipe and screwed to curved oak supports, which were drilled to enable them to be sleeved onto the horizontal steel handlebar tube and fixed using screws. For comfort, the gutters were lined with foam rubber glued to their inside faces.
Finally, the brakes and rubber hand grips were fixed onto the short vertical tubes.
The benefit
Olwyn was delighted with her bespoke kitchen trolley. The new design has improved her posture and she is ready to put her new trolley to good use.
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