Catching air...

So yesterday I received my replacement ROHO Mosaic air cushion. I wrote about my ROHO last February so basically I got about seven months out of mine - only due to my own fault, which I'll write about.

Over the years I've used (i.e. sat on) foam, gel, honeycomb and air cushions. The foam cushions are okay but over the years did not prove to be comfortable. I then tried a Jay extreme gel cushion. This was an expensive and disappointing experience for me as it bottomed out quickly. One of my wheelchair tennis friends also experienced this.

I purchased a Stimulite cushion with a honeycomb design. I use that one currently and find it to be lightweight and comfortable. I can move it from chair to chair and it's durable, easy to wash and basically was worth the cost.

One of my tennis friends had a high end ROHO cushion that's divided into quadrants and after I tried hers out I decided to go with the ROHO Mosaic, the low end one. (I found it for $69 online as opposed to her cushion which cost over 300 dollars.) There is a slight difference in the feel to the cushions, but both are comfortable and durable.

The Mosaic is a series of cells, as you can see in the photo above. You get a pump with the cushion and a cover. This cover is upgraded from the last one I ordered, which is nice since the cover on my last one seemed thin and wore badly.

Basically the pump is like a bike pump and easy to use. If you're a quad, it's safe to even have a kid help you with this since you simply put the air pump on the valve and pump until the cushion starts to bend - just make sure they don't overinflate it! I find that I have to repump the cushion every 10 days or so which is low maintenance considering how much more comfortable air has been for me than other types of cushions. My two biggest concerns with air cushions were the maintenance since I'm a quad and the fact that I have a very large cat who thinks he's Tigger and likes to jump rambunctiously on anything that bounces. The Mosaic is durable and my fears were unfounded. Mine was ruined when a sharp object was left on it by a visitor and I didn't notice in time. My fault, not Tigger's.

Which is why I go with the low end Mosaic personally. I recommend this air cushion. If you have the extra money, I recommend the higher end air cushions. But for the rest of us, the Mosaic is comfy, durable and reasonably priced.

Need more cushion advice? Visit USA Tech Guide, where folks leave reviews on the medical equipment they use.

Segway Wheelchair

A European designer adapts a Segway for wheelchair use .

Riding on Air - I made the Switch...

It's similar to a Mac versus Windows decision for wheelchair users- what kind of wheelchair cushion should I use? They make cushions in many types - gel, air, foam and honeycomb materials.

I've tried them all over the past dozen years. The gel one bottomed out too quickly and, as one of my tennis friends said, "It's like sitting in a pit then." The foam ones were okay at first, but then the issue of pressure sores reared its ugly head. The honeycomb is a nice change, but sometimes is too stiff for my taste.

I know. I'm sounding like the Princess and the Pea. But I sit on this thing for many hours a day.

So I decided to try an air cushion. However, I have a big cat and was concerned about him using the cushion/wheelchair as a landing pad followed by a loud hissing noise. Everyone assured me that they have cats and air cushions and everything is just fine.

"Besides," they add, "you get a repair kit with the cushion."

So I sighed and ordered the Roho Mosaic, the (cheapest) least expensive air cushion I could find that I wanted. It came in a box with a hand pump, a repair kit (good) and a cover. The instructions were so easy that I was able to get it pumped up (with the help of the FedX guy whose hands DO work) in minutes. I found a comfortable inflation level, placed it on my wheelchair and - voila - it's in use.

It's as comfortable as the $300 Roho one of my friends bought, which I'd read on a message board. It's not divided into quadrants and I can't control the inflation level as much that way with this cheaper model, but that's okay. I'd rather get by with a less expensive version in any of the medical equipment I use that falls in the category of "Experimental". It's simply a financial decision, not necessarily a medical one at this point.

And that discussion belongs under a different label.