The American Lieutenant and Amanda the Commanda were delegated to visit Naidex – the “leading disability, homecare and rehabilitation event” – at the NEC Birmingham. There are a number of Naidex exhibitions in the year and the next is in Glasgow in September 2013. I’m always wary of events like these as I’ve grown allergic to companies offering me a 70’s Lifestyle with their outmoded/vintage equipment. But my Lieutenants did find some interesting items that fit the ethos of Blue Badge Style. Here’s their report:
We arrived at the Naidex Exhibition on the last day and of course all the big names in the manufacture of less able/assistive equipment were there but I would like to concentrate on a few of the lesser known items on offer at the exhibition.
The first interesting stand I saw was OWNFONE , this is a small mobile phone which is only 8.5cm long and 5.2cm wide weighing in at only 40gr. It is an easy to use phone with just your emergency/friends & family numbers. It’s the smallest and lightest mobile phone I’ve ever seen. When you visit the website you can choose different colours and patterns plus how many call buttons you want. They even do the call buttons in Braille or with photos of your friends or realitives. This phone is ideal for the elderly or less able. The cost of the phone is £55 plus the call plan of your choice. Well worth a look.
The next stand I liked was called Able Journeys, it’s a travel company specifically set up to offer trips to India for the less able, partially sighted or blind. They have divided their brochure into various trips such as cultural, adventurous or meditative. TJ Chaudhry, a director of the company, told me that they have even had scale models made of important buildings and temples so partially sighted and blind patrons can touch the models as they are described to them. They are also finalising plans to offer trips to South Africa. Another holiday company to note is Holidays for All who have collated a number of less able holiday providers and can meet most needs.
The new Aquatilt bath/shower from Essential Bathing was the next product to catch my eye, I like this product because it’s an easy way to bath or shower someone who is less able. The unit is on wheels so it could be used for a temporary situation, indeed the company offer a rental option and fitting service. Amanda also liked Pressalit bathrooms as they look stylish and the bathrooms have some ‘funky’ colour ways. They also supply ‘lifting mechanisms’ for kitchens and they can be fitted to your choice of kitchen cabinet, so you’re not restricted to their ideas of kitchen design.
- Naidex is huge so I had get some food to keep me going. So I reviewed Wiltshire Farm Foods. I must admit I did not fancy tasting pre-cooked food that was heated up in a microwave or oven but I would do almost anything for BBS so I took the plunge and tried the chicken curry with rice, yummy. Then the lamb roast dinner caught my eye, very tasty. I finished with the spaghetti bolognese, buono. Obviously I would not like to eat this food every day, as I do enjoy cooking dishes from scratch but as an alternative on the odd occasion, when you just want a quick meal with minimum fuss I would recommend this company. A similar offering is Oakhouse foods and their Roasted Vegetable Lasagne won an FT Taste Test!. Unfortunately they don’t tend to deliver in Central London but they told us they cover most of the rest of the UK.
Amanda found a great furniture company hitch/mylius, who produce furniture with design at the forefront. They have a great alternative to the horrible chairs normally associated with care-homes, see this link. here’s what they say about the chair:
The Edith Chair
“Designed specifically for healthcare use, addressing the particular requirements of care homes and the needs of the elderly, Kenneth Grange’s Edith collection comprises ergonomically designed high-backed and low-backed chairs with or without arms. Designated hm82 in the Hitch Mylius product range, the Edith collection, is an exciting departure from the traditional and dated furniture currently available for this growing and increasingly sophisticated market.
Moulded in high density cmhr polyurethane foam on a steel frame, base options include turned ash legs or a polished chrome steel skid base. The chair can be specified in a wide range of fabrics, including vinyls and coverings with antimicrobial finishes.”
There’s also the SmartSeat from Careflex which sounds good but we haven’t tried it yet, but here’s what they say about it:
“We have many new patents pending on the chair which we believe help make it one of the most practical chairs on the market of its type. We strongly believe that specialist items can be highly practical and make peoples lives a lot easier, whilst at the same time having beautiful lines and being something that the owner can be proud of.”
Ergolet also attended and have a new hoist, the Luna that can be fitted anywhere (not just on the ceiling) and was used in this state of the art Disabled Toilet at the Eden Project.
I would certainly recommend going to the Naidex Exhibition next year if you or a loved one is less able. I’ve not even scratched the surface of what was on offer. I will be going next year, you never know Blue Badge Style might have a stand there!!!
Some interesting things, great to see designers realising we’re a ‘sophisticated market’. However, I’m still not convinced the disabled equipment world has changed that much. I guess it’s work in progress and Blue Badge Stylers must keep sending out the message – ‘Style and Disability are not Mutually Exclusve!’ Editor.
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