Wheelchair Ramps: Amramp Provides Access in any Situation

From Louisville and Lexington, Kentucky, to Evansville and Terre Haute Indiana, all roads lead to Santa Claus Ind., on Monday, Nov. 21. The Capitol Christmas Tree, also known as the “People’s Tree,” will be stopping at the Kringle Place Shopping Center during its tour from California to Washington, D.C.

Join Amramp Louisville owner Bob Fowler in Santa Claus, Ind., whether by sleigh or by car.

Distances to Santa Claus, Indiana, from:
Evansville Ind. – Less than 50 miles
Louisville Ky. – Less than 75 miles
Terre Haute Ind. – Less than 120 miles
Lexington Ky. – Less than 150 miles

With a fully stocked warehouse in Louisville, Bob Fowler installs wheelchair ramps and portability solutions –within days, not weeks – to residents of Southern Indiana and Northern Kentucky.

Every year since 1970, a different U.S. state has been chosen to provide the Capitol Christmas Tree, which is placed on the Western lawn of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.

As is customary, the 2011 Capitol Christmas Tree is stopping in 20 cities across the country. As part of this year’s tour, the Capitol Christmas Tree will be stopping in Southwest Indiana’s holiday center.

At each Capitol Tree event, attendees will climb a ramp to access the platform where they can leave a note or an ornament. By providing ADA-compliant ramps, Amramp, America’s leading wheelchair ramp and mobility solution provider, is proud to ensure that everyone of all abilities can participate in this national tradition.The Capitol Tree Celebration began in 1964; every year a different state is selected to offer a tree as a gift. The United States Forestry Service carefully chooses candidates from a national forest within that state, and the Architect of the Capitol then picks the “winner” from the group.

Be sure to visit the tree when it stops in Santa Claus on Nov. 21 and take part in this wonderful national tradition!

Visit www.capitolchristmastree2011.org for more information about the nation’s Christmas tree and related events.

For more about Amramp’s Made-in-the-U.S.A. products and free on-site estimates, please contact Amramp’s National Call Center at 888-715-7598.

Amramp makes events easy
Call Amramp today to schedule a free on-site estimate
Please contact Amramp’s National Call Center 888-715-7598

Amramp Oklahoma owner Tony Rainwater joins the Metro Oklahoma City area to welcome the "People’s Tree." On Saturday, Nov. 19, Tinker Air Force Base will host the Capitol Christmas Tree during its cross-country tour en route to Washington D.C.

Amramp, America's leading wheelchair ramp and mobility-solutions provider, is proud to be a part of the 2011 tour, enabling everyone of all abilities to participate in this national tradition.

Serving most of Oklahoma – from the borders of Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, and Kansas – Amramp Oklahoma has a fully stocked warehouse in Tulsa, installing wheelchair ramps and portability solutions generally within 48 hours.

Using the Amramp ramp system, visitors will find just the right spot to hang their ornament or place a note on the 2011 Capitol Christmas Tree, a 65-foot white fir. The Capitol Tree events will be fully accessible and ADA-compliant.

Every year since 1970, a different U.S. state has been chosen to provide the Capitol Christmas Tree, which is placed on the Western lawn of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.

This year, the special tree has a long way to travel, because the chosen state is on the opposite coast: California. As part of this year's 20-city tour, the Capitol Christmas Tree will be stopping at Tinker Air Force Base, just outside Oklahoma City.

The tree was cut on Nov. 5 in Stanislaus National Forest in Northern California, and the tour started Nov. 8.

At each Capitol Tree event across the country, attendees will climb a ramp to access the platform where they can leave a note or an ornament. By providing ADA-compliant ramps, Amramp, America's leading wheelchair ramp and mobility solution provider, is proud to ensure that everyone of all abilities can participate in this national tradition.

Be sure to visit the tree when it stops at Tinker Air Force Base near Oklahoma City on Nov. 19 and take part in this wonderful national tradition!

Visit www.capitolchristmastree2011.org for more information about the nation’s Christmas tree and related events.

For more about Amramp's Made-in-the-U.S.A. products and free on-site estimates, please contact Amramp's National Call Center at 888-715-7598.

Amramp makes events easy
Call Amramp today to schedule a free on-site estimate
Please contact Amramp's National Call Center 888-715-7598

Preparations are underway for the Capitol Christmas Tree tour across America, and one Amramp franchise is ramping up for a big role in this year’s upcoming tour. Every year since 1970, a different U.S. state has been chosen to provide the Capitol Christmas Tree that will be placed on the Western lawn of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., to be decorated in shining lights for all to see during the holidays.

This year, the special tree has a long way to travel: The chosen state is on the opposite coast, California. As is customary, the 2011 Capitol Christmas Tree will stop to visit different cities as it makes its long trek across the country. By providing ADA-compliant ramps, Amramp is proud to ensure that everyone of all abilities can participate in this national tradition.

The Los Angeles Amramp franchise has been contracted to provide two ramps and platforms, which will be set up at every stop on the trip in front of the huge tree. At each Capital Tree event across the country, attendees will use the Amramp ramps to access and exit the platform alongside the tree. The tradition calls for each person place a note or an ornament on the tree.

The tree will be cut on Nov. 5, and the tour is scheduled to start on Nov. 8. The Capitol Tree Celebration began in 1964, with a Douglas Fir that was actually planted in the grounds at the Capitol Building. The tree suffered root system damage during a storm in 1967, and it died. For the next couple of years, trees were brought in from Maryland; then, the decision was made to bring in a new tree from a different state each year, which would be viewed as a "gift" from that state. The United States Forestry Division carefully chooses candidates from a national forest within the state, and the Architect of the Capitol then picks the "winner" from the group.

The selected state traditionally holds handmade ornament and song contests, and a child is chosen from that state to light the tree along with the Speaker of the House. 2011’s slogan is "California Shines!"

Amramp makes events easy
Call Amramp today to schedule a free on-site estimate
Please contact Amramp’s National Call Center 888-715-7598

The People’s Tree, also known as the Capitol Christmas Tree, begins its national tour Nov. 5. The 2011 tree, a 60-foot red fir, is a gift from California and will be placed on the Western lawn of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.

Amramp, America’s leading wheelchair ramp and mobility solution provider, is proud to be a part of this year’s 20-stop tour, enabling everyone of all abilities can participate in this national tradition.

Amramp Northern California and Amramp Los Angeles owner Brett McKee trained U.S. Forestry personnel to set up and break down the two patent-pending steel-mesh platforms and two 18-foot ramp system at each stop.

Using the Amramp ramp system, visitors will find just the right spot to hang their ornament or place a note on the tree. The Capitol Tree events will be fully accessible and ADA-compliant.

Every year since 1970, a different U.S. state has been chosen to provide the Capitol Christmas Tree to be placed on the Western lawn of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. California has the honors to present the 2011 Capitol Christmas Tree.

The United States Forestry Division carefully chooses candidates from a national forest within that state, and the Architect of the Capitol then picks the “winner” from the group. The California tree, a 60-foot red fir, will be cut on Nov. 5 from Stanislaus National Forest near Sonora, California, along the Sierra Nevada range.

From there, a national tour is scheduled to start on Nov. 8. Along the 20-stop route, residents are invited to participate in a special tradition: Place a small ornament or a note on the tree.

The Capitol Tree Celebration began in 1964, with a Douglas fir that was actually planted on the grounds of the Capitol Building. The tree suffered root system damage during a storm in 1967 and later died. After a few years of Maryland trees, the decision was made to bring in a new tree from a different state each year, as a gift from that state.

California has held handmade ornament and song contests, and a child is chosen from that state to light the tree along with the Speaker of the House. This year’s slogan is “California Shines!”

Join in this wonderful national tradition in these California communities:

Nov. 5 – Sonora, Calif. – Parade and Family Fun Day hosted by Tuolumne, Calaveras, Mariposa, and Alpine counties

Nov. 8 – Oakdale and Manteca – Sign the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree banner

Nov. 9 – Sacramento –State Capitol festivities

Nov. 10 – Modesto and Merced – Sign the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree banner

Nov. 11 – Fresno Veterans Day Parade, Fresno Children’s Hospital in Madera, and Kingsburg, CA

Visit www.capitolchristmastree2011.org for more information about the nation’s Christmas tree and related events.

For more about Amramp’s Made-in-the-U.S.A products and free on-site estimates, please contact Amramp’s National Call Center at 888-715-7598.

Amramp makes events easy
Call Amramp today to schedule a free on-site estimate
National Call Center 888-715-7598

Recently, Hillsborough County in Florida held an official 9/11 remembrance ceremony, drawing more than 1,000 people to the Joe Chillura Courthouse Square to honor those who lost their lives in the tragic events of that fall day in 2001.

Romy Camargo, a soldier wounded in Afghanistan three years ago who now requires a wheelchair, used an Amramp wheelchair ramp to take his place onstage, alongside a burned, bent, rusted steel beam from the World Trade Center wreckage – a poignant scene for observers and participants. Keynote speakers at the event included Florida Governor Rick Scott and U.S. Special Operations Commander Adm. Bill McRaven.

Said Admiral McRaven: “We lost our innocence and sense of security, but what we have is our freedom. That sounds trite, until you talk to people who don’t have it.

“We should never forget that there is great good in the world,” McRaven continued. “And good will prevail.”

Florida is home to no less than 20 military bases, including MacDill Air Force Base, where thousands of Airmen are stationed as part of U.S. Central Command and U.S. Special Operations Command. 

Local schoolchildren performed patriotic music at different times in the program, including a group of first graders singing “God Bless America” to conclude the event.

Other ceremonies and memorial services were held throughout the Tampa Bay area. Amramp was pleased to be able to provide accessibility solutions to this and other 9/11 commemorative events around the nation.

Amramp enabled many veterans and loved ones to take part in the service; they might have otherwise been unable to do so if wheelchair ramps had not been used. 

Amramp provides ADA-compliant wheelchair ramps for many different types of events: another recent example is a Memorial Day service, held earlier this year in Milford, Massachusetts.

Does your event comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act?
Call Amramp today to find out and schedule a free on-site estimate
Contact Amramp’s National Call Center 888-715-7598 today!

Marie Connelly is a Complete Patient Advocate who relies on her 35+ years of experience in the medical field to guide her clients through a complicated – and often overwhelming – medical system to help them find the best care possible for their situations.

Marie not only knows the process at a professional level; her husband suffered a brain hemorrhage last year, and she learned firsthand the challenges and factors involved for anyone trying to find the best, most affordable care for someone they care for who’s in a stressful situation.

Patient Advocacy is a growing field, but since not everyone can afford the services of a professional Patient Advocate, Marie has some advice that you can use to better communicate needs and concerns with hospital staff, physicians, therapists, and other medical professionals.

Communication is key to self-advocacy

 Marie says that there are many things one can do to self-advocate and improve the quality of care received.

All hospitals are required by law to have a Patient Advocate on the staff:

1. Take advantage of Patient Advocate services.
2. Ask lots and lots of questions.

 If your family is far away

1. Encourage them to be with you for important appointments.
2. Make sure there is someone involved who is not afraid to stand up to a doctor or an insurance company.
3. It doesn’t matter who it is – a friend, relative, neighbor, professional advocate – but someone needs to be able to do this if the patient is unable to.

 Call Amramp today to schedule a free on-site estimate
Please contact Amramp’s National Call Center 888-715-7598

What happens when two sisters and their spouses discover there is no long-term hospice facility in their state?

A nurse, a teacher, an advertising executive, and entrepreneur redefine how to raise funds for Rhode Island’s only long-term residential respite home, potentially serving 1,500 patients annually. How’d they do it? Not asking for donations, but building a business with a cause behind it.

“Caring for a terminally ill loved one is a tremendous undertaking,” said Carol Wilcox, R.N., by day a clinical nurse manager at Southcoast VNA in Massachusetts.

Carol and her sister, Margaret Wilcox Kinnecom (an ad exec), and their spouses have cared for terminally ill loved ones and understand: “There are many end-of-life issues – pain, anxiety, safety, medications – way too much for most people to do safely and well,” Carol said.

The sisters acknowledge that while most people would choose to die at home, sometimes it just isn't possible for elderly spouses or families with young children.

“Residential hospice is such a better option. We could just complain about no options here in Rhode Island, or we could do something,” Carol said.

A hospice house is usually a small home-like facility with 24-hour nursing care and emotional support. “A hospice house bedroom can actually look homey,” Carol said. 

A typical hospice houses also offers families a well-appointed kitchen, a common living room, and a dining room. “One man, whose 52-year-old father died in a residential hospice house in New York, was so grateful that the whole family was able to gather in the dining room for their last Thanksgiving dinner. It made the end of his journey just that much easier,” Carol said.

“Bringing hospice in earlier can help you make the most of the time you have left by managing pain symptoms as well as helping with emotional and spiritual needs,” Margaret said.

Rhode Island, the smallest state, is also the only state in the country that has no options but nursing homes. “Unfortunately we are seeing people much younger with terminal diagnosis, and a nursing home is simply not a good place to die – especially if you are 20 or 30 ... or in all honesty, even if you are 80,” Carol said.

Rather than knock on doors, asking for donations, the couples launched Swipe for a Cause. For anyone who accepts credit cards as payment, it’s a win-win since a percentage of every charge is donated to fund Chrysalis Hospice House. There are no additional fees.

It’s not a new idea, but has a unique twist: Chrysalis Hospice House has a long-term funding source. When merchants or health care providers partner with Swipe for a Cause, 100% of the profits are dedicated to the respite home.

Currently profits are financing construction, yet “even after we have built Chrysalis Hospice House, the funds raised by Swipe for a Cause will be enable people who cannot afford to stay in the house to have the option to,” Margaret noted.

The sisters hope to eventually expand the model nationwide, bringing hospice care within reach to everyone.

Read this and other articles from our eNewsletter here.

Your home should be welcoming you, not worrying you
Call Amramp today to schedule a free on-site estimate
Please contact Amramp’s National Call Center 888-715-7598

Patient Advocates help secure better medical care for yourself or a loved one – it’s their job

Today’s medical system is very complex and difficult to understand, which can especially apply to individuals in their later years. One of the most important and challenging aspects for any patient is learning how to self-advocate as they try to navigate all of the options and choices available to them.

With so many different options, rules and requirements, it can feel almost impossible to know what the “right” course of action is. Too little information is provided, explanations are unsatisfactory, and a patient who is under stress or experiencing decreased mental functioning can find it difficult to comprehend most information.

Based in Colorado, Marie Connelly is a Complete Patient Advocate who relies on her 35+ years of experience in the medical field to guide her clients to the best care possible for their situations and assists with:

• Prescription monitoring
• Negotiating additional benefits from insurance companies
• The creation, implementation, and monitoring of patient care plans, and
• Facilitating clear communication between the patient, the patient’s family, and health care providers. 

“Bringing all the years of experience that I have to the table, I can facilitate it better for others. People get in the healthcare system, get totally overwhelmed, and make poor decisions. I help them look at other options,” says Marie.

Patient Advocacy is a growing field. Now, every hospital is required by law to have a professional Advocate on staff – Marie recommends making use of their services. You may also choose to hire a professional Complete Patient Advocate in your area. Two websites for locating local Advocates are: www.AdvoConnection.com and the National Association of Healthcare Advocacy Consultants (NAHAC) website: http://nahac.memberlodge.com/

 Call Amramp today to schedule a free on-site estimate
Please contact Amramp’s National Call Center 888-715-7598

We often take for granted how a daily activity like showering can turn into a major challenge when you are injured or mobility-impaired.

While living primarily on the ground floor of a home may be a necessity, often these homes do not have first-floor showers. What do you do when you are unable to climb upstairs to a second-floor bathroom, or if your home is laid out in such a way that a shower is inaccessible? Is your only option to take a sponge bath or shower out of the sink?

There are other alternatives available: Amramp recently introduced a product that allows you to safely and easily set up a portable, roll-in shower in almost any room of your home within proximity of a sink faucet.

Perhaps you’ve lived in your house for years and even decades, and you don’t want to have to give up living there just because you are no longer able to use the stairs. Or you may have been injured – and it’s only a temporary situation – but you want to be able to take a real shower during your recovery. If so, Amramp’s portable shower offers a quick solution.

An Amramp portable shower:

• Is affordable
• Can be used anywhere that warm water is available in the home
• Does not require a plumber to install – it easily adapts to your existing faucet
• Is easy to clean and sanitize
• Can conveniently be stored between uses
• Reduces your risk of infection and skin damage by rinsing skin with fresh, clean water
• Removes soap better than a sponge bath
• Helps your caregiver avoid back injuries.

Affordability, portability, and ease of installation are not the only areas of concern here. Research performed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) estimated that 234,000 people aged 15 and older seek emergency room treatment every year due to bathroom injuries. This injury rate increases with age, with people over 65 more likely to be injured and in more serious ways, such as fractures. Two thirds of these injuries were women, and two thirds happened in a shower or a tub. Amramp’s portable shower allows you to remain in a wheelchair or seat while you use it.

Why spend tens of thousands of dollars constructing a new bathroom on the first floor of your house? Why settle for sponge baths when there is an easy, affordable, portable, non-invasive alternative?

A portable shower from Amramp lets you shower safely and conveniently.
Contact Amramp today to schedule a free on-site estimate
Please contact Amramp’s National Call Center 888-817-8798

Make your swimming pool safe with a Pool Lift from Amramp and enjoy therapeutic benefits (and fun!)

In those “dog days of summer” when it gets stiflingly hot, one of the best places to cool off is in the water. Swimming is not only a refreshing source of fun and relaxation. Water therapies are also excellent forms of low-impact exercise, especially for wheelchair users and people who suffer from MS or fibromyalgia, and others for whom weight-bearing exercise is not advisable.

Unfortunately, getting in and out of a pool can be difficult, dangerous, or even impossible for those who struggle with mobility, if the pool is not properly equipped with lifts and/or ramps. The combination of hard surfaces and water leads to many accidents and drowning deaths each year in both children and adults of all levels of mobility. Because of this, the federal government recently revised regulations so that by March 2012, all pool facilities in the U.S. – both new and existing, commercial and government – must install a pool lift or a sloped entry for access. Some pools, if they have 300+ linear feet of pool wall, are required to provide two means of accessible entry.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, 33% of all adults over 65 will experience a fall this year. Combined with swimming pool dangers, a home with a pool or spa can pose an even greater risk.

Amramp has recently introduced a new series of state-of-the-art pool lifts that will help to make swimming pools safer and easier for everyone.

Amramp lifts are:

• Fully ADA-compliant, high-quality, and affordable
• Completely portable units available, with no anchors required
• Available in both residential and commercial models
• Constructed from powder-coated stainless steel
• Guaranteed by a limited lifetime warranty
• Able to lift up to 600 lbs. (certain models)
• Available in both pool- and spa- lift models.

Benefits of swimming as therapeutic exercise

Swimming is not only fun and a great way to cool off – it also offers an ideal low-impact exercise. Benefits of swimming include:

• A 90% reduction of impact on the body due to less gravity-based stress.
• The body weighs only 1/10^th of what it weighs on land, making it easier for those with weight strain or with injuries to raise their heart rate.
• Muscle development and toning throughout the body from just a single workout.
• It’s a form of exercise that can be enjoyed for a lifetime.

If you – or a loved one – are unable to access your pool safely, then you are being deprived of the benefits of this highly therapeutic and fun form of exercise. You can make your home safer and your pool more enjoyable by installing an Amramp Pool Lift – call today for a free estimate at 800-715-7598 or visit our pool lifts page.

You shouldn’t hesitate to use your pool: A pool lift can ensure safety for everyone
Call Amramp today to schedule a free on-site estimate
Please contact Amramp’s National Call Center 888-715-7598