I love finding bonus uses for ALS equipment

This afternoon, I loaded our household trash into the back of my husband’s accessible van. After opening the rear hatch and lowering the ramp, I simply dragged our three 33-gallon trash cans up the ramp to where Todd would normally park his power wheelchair, then I drove to the transfer station. We live in a rural area, and although we could pay for private pickup of our trash, it’s easy enough and much more affordable to haul it myself. Once at the transfer station, employees help me dump the contents of my cans into a concrete pit for it to be transported elsewhere.

“You’ll want to hold on to this van,” one of the transfer station employees told me as he helped unload the cans.

He wasn’t wrong: It’s far easier to haul and dump three full trash cans this way than to wrestle with individual bags in the trunk of a car or a pickup bed.

The accessible van also benefits our old dog, Comet. Instead of struggling to jump into my car, he simply walks up the ramp and settles onto his dog bed in the back. And when I need to transport long boards or oversized items for a project, the van functions as a small truck.

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Todd Neva drives his wheelchair into the back of his van for the first time after purchasing it in 2014. (Courtesy of Kristin Neva)

Over our decade-plus of living with Todd’s ALS, we’ve acquired a lot of equipment to manage his progressive disability, and I’ve found a few bonus uses for some of it.

We purchased overhead lifts and installed ceiling tracks in Todd’s bathroom, bedroom, and office. Every day, we transfer Todd into and out of bed with his overhead lift, and on occasion — particularly if his wheelchair is being serviced — we transfer him into a recliner in his office. When our kids were younger, they enjoyed swinging from the lift. A few years ago, we gave our daughter a swing hammock for Christmas, and she attaches the hammock to the lift and dangles from it to read a book or just relax. I purchased fitness rings so I can hang from the lift to stretch my back. We’ve also used it to hang a piñata for a birthday party.

Comet uses the overhead lift. (Photo by Kristin Neva)

Even Comet gets to use the lift and ceiling track. Sometimes, between his professional grooming appointments, we need to trim his fur and clip his nails. Since Comet doesn’t like to stay still and cooperate with us, we purchased a pet sling, and we hoist him up just off the ground.

Another bonus item is Todd’s suction machine. Several times per week, his sinuses fill with mucus, and since he can no longer blow his nose himself, I use the suction machine to clear him out. I hold the hose up to a nostril and place a finger around the same nostril to create a seal. I never block his other nostril, otherwise it’s painful for him. It works well, but it doesn’t look pleasant.

A couple weeks ago, I had a cold, and Todd kept suggesting that I use his suction machine.

“Just get a clean tube for yourself,” he said.

“I’m fine,” I protested. “I can blow my nose.”

“The machine does it better,” he insisted.

Todd kept encouraging me to try it, and finally I did. He was right. It entirely cleared out my sinuses, and for a little while it felt like my cold had gone away. Everyone should have a suction machine.

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