● She can make little movement in her fingers.
● She cannot move elbows on own.
○ Her elbows can bend 90º with full assistance.
● Elsa does not experience pain when bending her joints, but they are either stuck or
restricted by her weak muscles.
● Elsa can roll from side to side on the floor independently.
● Meghan suggested taping yardsticks to our arms to replicate Elsa’s constricted
joints.
Power wheelchair
Our client discussed in the best detail as possible the wheelchair in which the user, Elsa, spends
most of her day:
● The wheelchair has a large turn radius.
● The wheelchair has no wiggle room.
● The wheelchair cannot tilt.
● The armrests can be removed (by Mary).
● Elsa can lift her body in chair.
● The backrest goes up to her head.
● There may or may not be a head rest.
Current system
The current system described by our client involves two hooks that hang from a door as seen in
Figure 16. The user’s shirt rests on the hooks and the user manipulates his or her arms and body
into the shirt as it hangs stationary on the hooks. Our client discussed the issues that the family
has encountered while using a current “hook” system:
● Elsa’s arm get stuck in the shirt and she is unable to get her arms high enough.
● Elsa has more trouble taking off her shirt than putting it on.
● Elsa has a minimal ability to lift due to general weakness.
● After her head is out of the shirt through the neck hole with assistance, Elsa can
get the shirt down her body independently.
○ Elsa encounters trouble getting her head through the neck hole
independently.
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