This year’s Naidex event was a wellspring of innovations designed to help disabled people with every aspect of their lives. Here is a selection of the products that were considered for our Able Magazine, Naidex Best In Show Award 2018.
Liberation Range
by Brook Miller Mobility Ltd
Product rating: 5/5 stars
Brook Miller have poured their years of experience and expertise into the Liberation range which includes a motorhome, caravan and van conversion. When they say ‘custom made’ they really mean it – starting with wheels and a base, they will design the entire build around exactly what the customer requires.
Clever adaptions to space and style, ensure that the Liberation range includes plenty of room to move about with ease. Adaptions can include entry equipment, under floor and inboard lifts. Meanwhile users will enjoy premium bathroom facilities (including choices such as luxury wetroom fittings) with wide door access.
Of course, there are adaptations available for disabled drivers.
The Liberation range starts and finishes with the requirements of individual disabled people and their family. It’s a worthy winner of this year’s Best In Show Award.
From: www.brookmiller.co.uk
Price: Caravans start from around £20,000
LeisureLift
by Brook Miller Mobility Ltd
Product rating: 4/5 stars
Lots of caravans and motorhomes feature entrances with a high step. The LeisureLift rises from floor level to the height of the door entrance, making it the perfect accessory to ensure that trips away in the motorhome or caravan are accessible to all. It’s ideal for people with limited mobility that struggle with steps or find a deep step diffi cult to navigate.
From: www.brookmiller.co.uk
Price: £1,500
ADAPTS Disabled Passenger Transfer Sling
by ADAPTS LLC
Product rating: 5/5 stars
ADAPTS is a sling that will help with evacuation in the event of an emergency; this might be from an aircraft, cruise ship, hotel or offi ce. It’s very simple to use and in its folded state very easy to store or take with you. (This is the sort of product that should be stocked by hotel chains and airlines.)
From: www.adapts.org
Price: £99
Emfit Quantified Sleep (QS)
by Emfit Ltd
Product rating: 4/5 stars
The sensor is a simple looking telecare device placed under a bed mattress. It can monitor heartrate, breathing and overall sleep quality as well as bed occupancy – and can be set to notify carers if a person has not gone to bed or failed to return to bed within a given timeframe. (Detection of changes in heartrate for example, can be very useful in spotting exacerbation of symptoms etc.)
From: www.emfitqs.com
Price: £388 for 3G version or £276 for WiFi, plus £4.79 per month
Ford Link
by Sirus Automotive
Product rating: 5/5 stars
The Sirus Ford Link is available in two models: Zetec & Titanium with WAV features including side access via a remote operated automatic sliding door and ramp with custom lowering air suspension system. The original rear seats and boot space are untouched and there’s class-leading 57” headroom to enjoy as well as handy
recessed LED floor lighting.
From: www.sirusautomotive.co.uk
Price: starting at £39,995
Handiscover
Product rating: 4/5 stars
Handiscover is an accommodation website that allows disabled people to search by location cross-referenced with their level of mobility. Through careful review of accessibility, they have classifi ed each accommodation provider to ensure that you find a suitable place for you to stay. Handiscover currently lists over 23,000 properties in more than 52 countries, with the main focus being in the UK, Spain, France and Croatia.
From: www.handiscover.com
Magic Mirror
by Sensory Guru Ltd
Product rating: 4/5 stars
The magic mirror takes disabled people ‘through the looking glass’ with hundreds of different applications. It’s an interactive projection unit that can be engaged equally by large gestures such as waving, down to the smallest wink of an eye. The Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability have helped to design much of the content which can be used for play, learning or therapy.
From: www.sensoryguru.com
Price: £7,995
Navina Smart
by Wellspect HealthCare
Product rating: 5/5 stars
Navina Smart is designed to enable patients – or with the help of their carer – perform effective, individually tailored transanal irrigation (TAI). The electronic pump and control unit means that less physical effort or coordination are needed. Touch buttons enable easy and accurate control of balloon inflation, water flow rate and volume. The unit automatically saves treatment information.
From: www.wellspect.co.uk
Price: £300 plus £130 per month for catheters (available on prescription)
Eyesynth
by Eyesynth
Product rating: 4/5 stars
Eyesynth is an audiovisual aid for blind people. The headset scans the surrounding environment, turning the data into audio that with practice, can help blind people to navigate and ‘understand’ the nature of objects around them by describing them in different tones and volume. Eyesynth aim to have units available later this year and are taking pre-orders.
From: www.eyesynth.com
Price: £2,500
WheelAIR
Product rating: 4/5 stars
Lots of wheelchair users experience overheating as the result of their exertions. WheelAIR is a cooling backrest cushion that also offers extra support – and can be retro-fitted to manual wheelchairs. Radial fan technology can be set to four levels of intensity to suit your needs.
From: www.wheelair.co.uk
Price: £650
Bristan Inclusive Living Taps
by Bristan
Product rating: 3/5 stars
Bristan have produced two versions of what look like every ordinary taps. In other words, they really understand inclusivity, since they could sit happily in anybody’s home. The difference is that they only open and close by a quarter turn and are the lightest taps to use that you’re likely to find.
From: www.bristan.com
Home Virtual Care Service
by VideoVisit Ltd
Product rating: 3/5 stars
Systems like this Nordic telehealth package are certainly going to become more popular in the future and could take enormous pressure off the NHS. VideoVisit have been working with Scandinavian health authorities where they’ve calculated that the cost of a nurses home visit is 45 Euros. With the virtual care service this drops to around 5 Euros – and enables a nurse to complete around 60 visits per shift.
From: www.videovisitglobal.com