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Does your claimant need disability ramping installed to access their home? Having ramping or other home modifications installed for injured workers is a big responsibility. And costly. The next time you need to purchase or install ramping for a claimant, Cara Barde, President of Total Medical Solutions, encourages you to consider the benefits of aluminum over wood:

Aluminum Ramping:

1. Maintenace Free
2. Does not rust or decay (aluminum lasts for 100+ years)
3. Easy assembly with minimum tools
4. No building permit required
5. Can easily be expanded, reconfigured or moved
6. Aluminum ramping is an asset that can be reused, resold or rented
7. Installed in less than an hour!
8. No environmental impact

Wood Ramping:

1. Requires regular maintenance
2. Will rot or decay over time
3. Must be installed by a contractor or carpenter (increases costs)
4. Requires a building permit (increases costs and time)
5. Reconfiguration must be made by demolition and reconstruction
6. No resale value; could actually lower the value of the home
7. Typical installation takes 2 to 3 days
8. Could include dangerous chemicals or applied treatments

As you can see, there are many benifits to using aluminum vs. wood disability ramping. In addition to the benefits of using aluminum ramping as outlined above, when you purchase your ramping through Total Medical Solutions, you can:

• "Bank" your aluminum ramping - when it is no longer being used by your claimant, the insurance carrier can reuse the ramping for future claimants for a substantial cost savings
• Rent aluminum ramping for temporary needs
• Reconfigure aluminum ramping sections to fit any home
• Easily move aluminum ramping to a new home if your claimant moves
• Rest assured that the aluminum ramping we sell is dependable, durable and American made

For more information about aluminum disability ramping, anytime, anywhere you need access, please contact Total Medical Solutions at 1-800-700-9393 or visit www.NewTMS.com

Zack Craft,  vice president of rehabilitation technology and complex care for Total Medical Solutions, encourages a standing feature integrated into a wheelchair base whenever possible for injured workers confined to a wheelchair. While these types of wheelchairs are more expensive on the front end, they provide for greatly improved mobility and enhanced wellness of the patient. Thus, they provide for much better outcomes over the life of the claim. 

Wheelchair Standing Defined.

Wheelchairs with built in standing features allow the patient to obtain a standing position without transferring from the wheelchair. Such wheelchairs incorporate a mechanical or electromechanical system manipulated with levers or controls that move the seat from horizontal to a vertical or anteriorly sloping position while maintaining verticality of the legrests and backrest, thus extending the hips and knee joints. A full vertical standing position is achieved directly from sitting, or through gradual angle changes from a laying position, or a combination of either of these positions. Most wheelchair standers allow for full or partial extension of the hip and knee joints, and full upright or partially tilted positions.

Benefits of standing include:

• Improved functional reach to enable participation in ADLs (Activities of Daily Living)
• Enhanced independence and productivity
• Vital organ capacity is greatly improved
• Reduced occurrence of urinary tract infections
• Bone mineral density loss reduced or eliminated
• Improved circulation; reduced swelling in extremeties
• Reduced abnormal muscle tone and spasticity
• Occurrence of pressure sores reduced
• Diminished occurrence of skeletal deformities
• Enhanced physiological well being

Additional benefits of standing wheelchairs include: reduced fatigue, ability for some male patients to use public urinals, a reduction in the need for attendant care, reduced transfers and reduced home modifications.

One of the chairs Zack recommends to patients is the Permobil C500 VS.

For more information on standing wheelchairs, or other assitive technology devices, please contact Total Medical Solutions.

How will your organization handle the next emergency? Everyone shares concern over the spread of the H1N1 Flu virus. How will it impact your organization and community? Will you be ready? What do you do? What special considerations do you need to make if you are caring for individuals who are wounded or disabled?

Whether you are a business owner, hospital administrator, executive, city planner, manager, or a first responder, you need to be ready to handle such a situation. In order to minimize the consequences on your organization and community, the best bet is to be prepared and do some pro-active planning. The first step: familiarize yourself with your organization's emergency or disaster preparedness plan. Need to develop one? Here is a collection of tools and resources to help you get started.

Swine Flu Preparedness Tools for Professionals

CDC's Latest Update on H1N1

Preparedness Tools & Resources by Disability.gov

Ready.gov - Tips for putting together an emergency kit

Business.gov - Emergency Preparedness Resources