Staying safer in a Wheelchair through COVID-19
Cleaning your Chair
Everytime someone different touches your chair, or you leave home or come back, you’ll want to have these bits cleaned with a proper disinfectant (baby wipes DO NOT CUT IT and will NOT kill the virus).
Cleaning Other Assistive Equipment and stuff
Don’t forget other equipment you might use, like:
Staying Safe When You’re Out
You could think about:
Don’t forget that these tips are all ON TOP OF all the precautions that everyone should be considering – like disinfecting doorknobs, keyboards, remotes, computer tablets/ipads, phones, fridge handles, cupboard handles, light switches, taps etc etc – this is NOT an exhaustive list by any stretch.
Maybe now is a good time to get some voice controlled stuff set up in your home – lights etc can all be run without having to touch anything and if you are a wheelchair user looking for more independence and light switches are hard for you, I reckon you could claim those light bulbs (available at hardware and office supply places and even BigW etc.) from your core NDIS funds if you are self or plan managed.
To download the poster, visit www.thegrowingspace.com.au/covid19
HUGE thanks to Yellow Submarine for the poster and info – they share some cool stuff, so worth a follow!
Pis desc: A meme in light blue with the following words and a checklist:
Crip the Coronavirus
Keeping safe from the Coronavirus
These parts of my wheelchair should be disinfected any time a new person comes
into contact with my chair or when I leave and return from my home
Joystick
Head controls
Mouth controls
Head rest
Arm rests
Side guards
Back of the wheelchair
Push handles
Other
Remember – disinfect with a 70% alcohol based solution, wipe down
anything you touch, including in the car, medications, equipment and purses,
backpacks
Support workers, wear gloves during personal care
Yellow Sub Down Under logo and an image of Professor X from the X men, a white man sitting in a wheelchair with x shaped wheels
For some participants, personal care, lifting and other physical support needs means you can’t avoid having direct contact with support workers.
But there are many people in the NDIS, who don’t need that physical support but still need support! If you are one of those people, you can ask your support workers to help support you while wearing a mask if possible, but to work to not touch you or get close to you. Here are a stack of ideas. Please feel free to add your own to share!
The most important thing is to always make sure they wash their hands, really well, as soon as they arrive or meet you.
So, depending on your support needs, your worker could maybe:
I’ve not included links for all of these – a quick google will probably get you a bunch of good answers!
This list was compiled, in part, with some ideas from the (awesome) people in the “NDIS Self-Managing Participants And Their Families” Facebook Group. Thank you for their brilliant ideas.
Feel free to share this list, with credit, but add your own ideas, too!
22 March 2020
For disabled people and families – Practical strategies and ideas, led by Sam Paior – The Growing Space
1 hour on Wednesday March 25th
WA: 8:00AMNT: 9:30AMQLD: 10:00AMSA: 10:30AMVIC/ACT/NSW/TAS: 11:00AM
Book here now: thegrowingspace.com.au/covid19/ (Auslan Interpreter AND live captioning now booked!)
In this one hour Zoom webinar, we are not going to just tell you to wash your hands – you already know about that.
But we ARE going to go through ways to manage service providers and day options and ADE closures and talk about the big issues – and what happens if someone in my group home tests positive?
As well as ways to creatively utilise your support workers now that many recreation options are also closed.
We’ll also talk about related NDIS issues and options and ideas for looking after yourself and those you love.
We expect this to be the first in a series as everything is changing so quickly!
Many thanks to Disability Services Consulting for sharing their zoom webinar service with us to use.
pic desc: a blue confused looking icon of a virus with two sharp white teeth and googly eyes
Updated November 2021: Feel free to download and use one of these on your front door – at home and your workplace to remind people to stay away if they’re sick, to wash their hands as they come in and that you request visitors to be vaccinated.
You’re welcome to share these freely
Here is a .pdf version: https://www.thegrowingspace.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Nov-2021-home-covid-check-sign-TGS.pdf
And here is an image version: https://www.thegrowingspace.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Nov-2021-do-not-enter-sign.png
