I'm not that heavy, but after a decade in a wheelchair, I have
insufficient muscles to pad the ischial protuberances - to sit on a
firm chair is intolerable after just a few minutes. Yet, I sit all
day, every day.
The key is a cushion. Included below is a note I wrote last February.
Alton, a geezer of 73 who has lost muscle mass with age
From: Alton Ryder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: February 27, 2008 8:30:35 AM EST
To: TMIC List <tmic-list@eskimo.com>
Subject: Re: [TMIC] gel cushion
I have used gel cushions from Jay for a decade. The primary use is
in my wheelchairs, but I have used them in restaurants. Being in a
chair leads to atrophy of the butt muscles, and these muscles pad
the ischial protuberances.
The first came with the manual chair in the summer of '92, model,
J2. This had the gel in less than a dozen large, shaped
compartments. After three years the gel had hardened; the cushion
discarded, the cover, still in good shape, retained.
The second, a JAY Gel, is under me now. I have two chairs, the old,
manual chair for traveling, the power chair for use at home,
highway travel, cemetery work, cross-lawn travel, and bull-dozing
furniture and the toilet bowl. The cushion that came with the
chair is junk, a stiff cushion on a rigid steel plate, a butt
killer - the supplier was saving pennies at my expense. So I use
the new Jay on top of it. That isn't quite sufficient, so I
frequently put a third cushion on top of the other two.
When I travel, the Jay Gel is the only cushion on the fabric sling
of the folding chair. Ahh, pure comfort, like a hand in an old
glove. I can sit all day in that chair and often do.
All three cushions are rather heavy, and the covers have a loop
handle in the front. The handle is used to move the cushion and to
serve as an anchor for my night bag. Couldn't do without the handle.
I shall solve the comfort problem, either with a new base cushion
or with a home-made sling. Medicare reimburses me for cushions.
Alton
