With Christmas just around the corner, we thought it would be a good idea to put together some ideas of stylish presents, that people can give to their less able friends and family. Here’s our list of the best stylish Christmas presents for the less able:
Wheelchairs and Attachments
FreeWheel is a wheelchair attachment that makes travelling over longer and rougher distances easier and more comfortable. It’s an additional wheel which clamps onto the footrest at the front of a normal wheelchair. It distributes the user’s weight onto the front wheel allowing you to push over surfaces and terrain that would otherwise be difficult or impossible. It costs £350.
If you know someone who is looking to get into disabled sports, then what better present than a sports wheelchair? With the success of the Paralympics disabled sports are more popular than ever. There are a whole range of specific wheelchairs for different sports. RDK Mobility stock a range of them for £500-1000 including wheelchairs for basketball, tennis and archery. There is also a racing wheelchair which costs rather more (£1,794). Or, for more experienced basketballers, there is this really stylish and hi-tech chair which costs £2,690 (Exc. VAT) from Gerald Simonds.
The WHILL is an add-on, we featured in our ‘Wheelchairs of the Future’ post, which turns normal wheelchairs into electric ones. The device clamps onto the wheels of manual wheelchairs, allowing the user to travel over long distances at speeds of up to 12 miles an hour.
The device has two “hubs” that strap onto the wheels and a bar that joins them together which goes over the user. Once it is attached it works on the same sort of principle as a Segway. You simply press down on the bar in the direction you want to go and the WHILL does all the work.
It isn’t on sale yet, but they are supposed to be taking pre-orders from December 2012, so there is a slight chance it may be ready for Christmas. It is likely to cost around 500,000 Yen (about £3,800).
Crutches and Walking Aids
There are lots of great ‘designer crutches’ out there with a range of prices. We’ve found some of the best ones:
Ossenberg Crutches describe themselves as “The Ferrari of Crutches”. They are sleek, stylish and comfortable walking aids from Germany. They cost £62.99 for a top of the range Black Carbon Fibre crutch or £39.95 for pair of more basic crutches which come in a variety of colours (£21.95 for a single).
Another company looking to make a more fashionable walking aid is Arbin with it’s Quickstep crutches. They are very sleek and look great, but their unique selling point is their compactness. The crutches can fold up into a length of only 67cm which makes them easier to store than their competitors. They come in a variety of stylish metallic colours.
One crutch will set you back €169 (almost £140) so they are certainly on the more expensive end of the scale.
A cheaper alternative can be found at Glamsticks. They sell a range of jazzy walking sticks, crutches and canes with lots of colour and sparkly diamantes. If you’re looking for a mobility aid for someone who likes their bling, then this is definitely the place to go. Most Glamsticks products cost around or under the £50 mark. For instance, this ‘white’ cane is £44.99.
The Flo is a new standing and walking aid with a completely different aesthetic to traditional designs. It’s stylish image has seen it dubbed the ‘Salvador Dali Stick’.
The Flo’s innovative approach and trendy look made it a winning product on the BBC programme “Design for Life with Philippe Starck”. The stick wraps around the lower leg, locking it in position and acts as a lever employing the users upper body strength to assist with dignified and unassisted elevation from seated to standing. It’s made from Carbon Fibre and weighs only 300g but is capable of supporting up to 25 stone. It comes in a selection of five colours.
It’s more stylish and advanced than most other sticks but this comes at a cost as the Flo is a pricey £358.
Accessories
DUO is an innovative ergonomic handle that attaches to everyday mugs, glasses and bottles, increasing grip and stability when drinking. It clips on to and grips cups of all different sizes, protecting you from burning your fingers on hot surfaces. (£14.99 each)
These under seat wheelchair bags (£23.49) help hide away your things underneath you. They’re not hugely stylish objects themselves, but they are practical and they help conceal your things, avoiding clutter.
The Coolture Cooling Vest offers relief for people with Multiple Sclerosis and other Autoimmune Related Diseases who suffer in hot conditions. It’s made from hi-tech fabrics which absorb excess body heat and help to keep you cool and comfortable. It can also help improve physical endurance in physical therapy.
Whilst doing all this is also allows the wearer to remain stylish. The vest was created by a fashion designer with MS and combines comfort with style. It is lightweight and simple and it comes in three sizes to fit all body shapes.
Costing $249 (roughly £155), plus shipping costs, it isn’t cheap. But it combines practicality and style making it a great product.
Global Leather Blue Badge Wallet Holder is a nice way to keep your parking disc safe. It allows you to set the time easily, without the fuss of removing the timer disc from wallet. It’s made of the highest quality board stiffener which stops your wallet warping in the sun. Global Leather even guarantee that it will remain intact and if it doesn’t they will replace it free of charge. It’s a simple, plain, leather wallet which is practical and stylish and costs £14.20.
Global Leather also do a good range of wheelchair gloves. Their standard pair of wheelchair gloves are made of plain black leather and cost £22 but there are many others to choose from. They protect your one’s hands from blisters and look good at the same time.
Spoke Guards can be used to simply cover the spokes of your wheelchair or to decorate them. Spokz sell a variety of different designs from plain white or black (from £35), to more vibrant patterns and pictures. For £75 you can even have your own design printed onto your covers.
- You can pick a patriotic spoke guard
If you’re buying a phone for someone who is less able bodied then smartphones are ideal. Of all of them, the Samsung Galaxy Note II may be the best phone to go for. As well as being a top of the range mobile t’s got all sorts of useful functions like voice calling, adjustable font size and audio playback. On top of this it has an absolutely massive touchscreen which makes it easier to use. If it’s a bit too expensive then you can get the original Samsung Galaxy Note which is similarly large. Either way, make sure you download the Blue Badge Style App to find out all the best places to go for the less able!
If you know someone who wants to give to charity instead of getting presents themselves this year then Motivation is an ideal charity. They work, across the world, to support people with mobility disabilities. It’s a really good cause that helps improve the lives of some of the world’s most vulnerable people.
Obviously you can donate any amount of money, or nothing at all, but it’s nice to have some context: a donation of £140 can provide someone a Motivation wheelchair, £25 could buy a set of wheels or £12 could buy a pressure relieving cushion. They provide help to people who really need it and it’s a great charity to help.