Hobbies and Pastimes
Hobbies and Pastimes
Raised beds or planters supported on blocks can bring the garden up to a wheelchair friendly height.
Gardening can be aided by using a length of plastic tubing as a conduit for planting seeds when seated in a wheelchair.
The dimples on a rubber thimble provide friction to help turn the pages of a book or magazine.
Where possible get books in electronic/digital form, or have someone scan them in pdf format so they can be read from a screen.
Consult on-line versions of newspapers if trying to handle a broadsheet on your own is proving difficult.
Check with your local library for information on how they can supply books to those who are housebound and also ask about what alternative formats they have.
For fishermen who have difficulty retrieving a line, several devices are available, including a vest with a lightweight harness which holds the fishing rod in an aluminum tube with a locking feature. Also obtainable is an electronic fishing reel featuring a four‑speed control with two manual and two electronic settings.
A spring‑loaded billiard cue is available for billiards or pool players who lack strength enough to handle the standard cue.
If you want to play a stringed instrument (guitar, banjo, ukulele, etc.) but have weak hands and wrists, a soft glove can be modified by gluing individual plastic picks onto the fingers, adding a Velcro strap (for quick sizing) at the wrist and opening the thumb area for easy removal. The glove facilitates plucking and strumming stringed instruments by moving the fingers in a clawing manner, either separately or together.
For those who sew, a small magnet glued to the end of a garden cane makes an effective "retriever" for dropped pins and needles.
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