Wheelchair Ramps: Amramp Provides Access in any Situation

Today, Americans live in a culture that places a high premium on being “fast” – fast food, fast cars, fast service, speedy delivery, and instant gratification. As a result, we often feel great pressure to make decisions quickly. At the same time, we want them to be the “right” decisions, and we can feel frustrated or dismayed when things don’t turn out the way we’d hoped.

This combination of pressure to act and the desire to avoid making mistakes can make for a very stressful decision-making process, but even more so when the decision we need to make is, “What is the right path of care for my aging loved one?”

Dr. Dennis McCullough, professor at Dartmouth Medical School and author of My Mother, Your Mother, is advocating a new and innovative approach, which he calls “Slow Medicine: the compassionate approach to caregiving.”

Although Western medicine has come a long way in offering a prolonged lifespan and quality of life, such advancements and technology can also have the opposite effect: Patients and caregivers can become overwhelmed by too many options. They can be caught up in “death by intensive care,” where the medical treatment is more destructive than the disease itself – often through unexpected side effects, rushed or incorrect diagnoses, or unfinished/premature research.

What is Slow Medicine?

Just as there are currently groups in the U.S. migrating away from “fast,” processed foods towards local, organic, home-grown and home-cooked foods, the field of medicine is developing similar movements.

“Shaped by common sense and kindness, grounded in traditional medicine yet receptive to alternative therapies, Slow Medicine improves the quality of patients’ extended late lives without bankrupting their families financially or emotionally.” Expensive, state-of-the-art medical interventions do not necessarily deliver superior outcomes, Dr. McCullough argues. Gentle, personal care often yields better results, not only for elders in late life, but for the families who love them.”

Slow medicine is:

• A re-focusing on cultural context and the patient’s and her/her family’s values, rather than viewing the individual as just a “problem to be solved”
• Family involvement and making decisions together
• Enlarged support and sustained advocacy for elders

Trust is a keystone of Slow Medicine, and it is created or re-balanced through a devotion to time and an emphasis on relationship-building.

Says Dr. McCullough, “In our quest for quality in the late years of life, Slow Medicine brings together the best ‘medical caring’ with our age-old traditions of support and caring for elders and their families.” Slow Medicine emphasizes comfort instead of merely efficiency. And it is producing some amazing results.

Amramp’s upcoming interview with Dr. McCullough discusses how medical professionals can adopt Slow Medicine in their practices. Read the entire eNewsletter and sign-up here.

Organizers of Memorial Day services – this year on Monday, May 30 – need to review their plans to be certain all venues are wheelchair accessible. This is especially important as the number of older Veterans swells.

Older Veterans who served in World War II, Korea, or Vietnam are sure to attend Memorial Day ceremonies, as well as younger Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. Parades are not as common today as they once were, often replaced by wreath-layings at Veterans memorials.

Locations for these ceremonies may not be wheelchair accessible, as the Milford, Mass., Commission on Disability decided to overcome steps leading up to the annual Memorial Day ceremony platform. The decades-long traditional parade and speeches remain a town highlight, featuring honored guests from the Veterans of Foreign Wars, AMVETS, and Disabled American Veteransgroups.

Milford’s 2010 Memorial Day Parade Grand Marshal Raymond Zaccarino, a Vietnam Veteran, easily accessed the podium via Amramp’s modular wheelchair ramp, which the town rented for the day, Milford Veterans Agent John A. Pilla said. And the town will again provide an Amramp ramp for 2011 Memorial Day services on Monday, May 30.

This Memorial Day is especially poignant for America’s Veterans, as the last of the World War I doughboys, Frank Buckles of West Virginia, died in February. Buckles was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in March.

The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that nearly 1,000 World War II Veterans die each day. For those who served across the globe in what was called The Great War, Memorial Day services remain an important American tradition. It would be a disservice to Veterans if ceremonies honoring them and their fallen comrades were not accessible to those who use wheelchairs or walking aids.

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

Just as certain as daffodils, the dawn of spring begins the charity walk and run season.

In cities across America men and women lace up to do everything from a leisurely 5K walk to a 26.2-mile odyssey to raise money for the hungry or for research into diseases that strike millions.

The increasingly popular events are not only for the able-bodied, however. People using wheelchairs participate and also want to be there to cheer their supporters. People who use wheelchairs are sure to attend walks for multiple sclerosis or Alzheimer’s disease.

Local Amramp owners – 44 locations across the United States – also participate in fund-raiser walks and races. Amramp of Omaha owners Todd and Bridgette Torring recently ran the Boston marathon and are lacing up to benefit Team World Vision.

In Northern New England, Amramp of Maine and New Hampshire owner Mark Rafferty participated in the ALS Walk, organized by the Northern New England Chapter of ALS. Known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis affects five of every 100,000 Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health.

There’s no known cause of this devastating disease that usually affects people after age 50.

The ALS Walk is held along Baxter Boulevard and Back Cove in Portland, Maine, and Mark felt getting involved was one small way to support research and those personally affected by ALS:

“Attending an event like this is really moving. ALS is a really horrible disease. People get diagnosed and then are expected to deteriorate and die at a relatively young age. Almost everyone there has been touched by the disease in some way: through a family member, friend, or colleague. Everyone has a story to share, and there are lots of memories of loved ones. Those living with the disease also participate – if they can – to help support the mission to find a cure. It was important for me to simply be there to support the community.”

Find out where there’s a walk to support ALS research near you.

In Boston, Amramp provided a short-term wheelchair ramp rental for the MS Walk. The ramp provided access to the stage at the Harvard University Athletic Complex. Often charity events have some kind of stage for presentations, musicians, and awards.

According to the National MS Society, approximately 400,000 Americans are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. About 200 Americans are diagnosed with MS each week.

MS Walks are held throughout the year across the country: Find one near you.

Even when the walk or run takes place in large cities where walkways are easy to use, accessibility can still be an issue. On city walks, curb cuts can also be a problem, especially for those who use motorized wheelchairs.

Amramp’s modular steel ramps can be installed with just 48 hours’ notice and can be rented for a single day, a weekend, or longer.

Find a cause to rally for today.

For more about Amramp’s services and free on-site estimates, please contact Amramp’s National Call Center at 888-715-7598 or visit http://www.amramp.com.

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

Graduation is a time when event planners who don’t generally think about wheelchair ramps must put them on their agendas. Graduation ceremonies aren’t always held in buildings that are wheelchair accessible. With improved weather across much of the country, outdoor graduations are generally the norm. Schools, colleges, universities, and other institutions are required to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act, making wheelchair ramp rentals an ideal solution.

Amramp rents heavyweight steel ramps for a day, a weekend or longer, which makes these ramps popular with schools and colleges. Some graduation venues, such as gymnasiums, do not customarily have wheelchair ramps. And auditoriums in older buildings may lack wheelchair access to the stage where diplomas are handed out, which can be an obstacle for honorees, presenters, or graduates.

Carol Habelt of Braintree High School in Massachusetts has used Amramp for graduations for several years and likes the flexibility the company offers. The high school prefers to hold graduation outside, but New England weather can interfere. So the ramp is set up in the gymnasium and when the weather cooperates, it can easily be moved outside for the ceremony.

Some schools also will have more than one graduation event, so even if a main building is accessible, a faculty club or other school building may not be. Harvard University has used portable ramps for graduation, as have Bridgewater State University in Massachusetts and other colleges.

With 44 locations nationwide, Amramp’s patent-pending modular ramps can usually be installed in just one day.

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

Not only did Amramp  of Omaha owners Todd and Bridgette Torring complete the 2011 Boston Marathon,  the high-school sweethearts ran the entire 26.2 miles side-by-side and finished  together. Bridgette's official finish time - just one second a head of Todd -  was 4:02:59 on a sunny and windy Monday in Massachusetts.

Although she did not  meet her personal best of 3:43, Boston marks Bridgette's sixth marathon. Todd  returned to the Boston Marathon for a second time and has now completed seven  marathons with a personal best of 3:13: both highly commendable times for  runners who didn't start marathons until they hit age 40.

Boston has one of the  most challenging courses of any U.S. marathon, mostly downhill at the start but  with several difficult hills starting at the 16-mile mark, culminating in  "Heartbreak Hill" around the 20-mile mark in Newton.

But the couple  enjoyed Boston despite its challenges. "We were able to talk during the race and  strategize because I had been there before," Todd said. "It was a good time, we  enjoyed the sights and all of the people who came out and supported the race.  There's no other race like it! It's just a great, great event. Since it was  Bridgette's first Boston Marathon, just qualifying for that race and running it  was a good experience for her. She really enjoyed it."

They were also  fortunate to have excellent weather: "It was absolutely a perfect, perfect day,"  Todd said. "The Boston Marathon hasn't had weather like that in years. It was  ideal conditions for running. You couldn't ask for a better day to run that  race." In fact,  Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya set the record for fastest marathon ever recorded at  2:03:02.

When they weren't  racing, the Torrings enjoyed Boston, even shared a few beers with fellow racers  from Omaha at Faneuil Hall Marketplace. Immediately following the race, they  traded race stories at the "packed-with-runners" Marriott Copley  Place.

Jut two days after  the marathon, Todd returned to operating Amramp of Nebraska and Bridgette was  teaching: the "normal swing of things." The Boston  Marathon won't be their last race together.

"We definitely want  to keep running marathons," Todd said. "We're taking the next week and a half  off and then running a half marathon in Lincoln, Nebraska, to benefit Team World  Vision, which raises money for children in Africa. I am also going to train all  summer and hope to run another full marathon in the fall."

If you'd like to learn more  about owning a made-in-the-USA Amramp franchise,
or for a free on-site  ramp-installation estimate,
Please contact Amramp's  National Call Center 888-715-7598

Just two of 20,000 Boston Marathoners, Nebraska Amramp franchise owners Todd and Bridgette Torring of Omaha aim to complete the world’s oldest annual 26.2-mile race. The prestigious time-qualified marathon marks Todd’s seventh marathon and Bridgette’s sixth.

Installing wheelchair ramps and helping Nebraskans retain their independence even when their bodies present mobility challenges “does remind me during these long runs that we often take for granted what our bodies are capable of doing,” Todd said.

Todd and Bridgette, are flying from Omaha, Nebraska to Boston, Massachusetts on Saturday, April 16, ready for the 2011 running on Monday, April 18. To even enter the Boston Marathon, runners must qualify, previously running a long-distance race under age- and gender-specific time limits.

Long before marathons, Todd and Bridgette shared a love for running: Running cross-country at Ralston High School in Ralston, Nebraska, they became high school sweethearts. The Torrings attended Kearney State College in Nebraska, where Bridgette continued cross-country and Todd wrestled. Bridgette became a teacher, and Todd worked in the pharmaceutical industry.

Over the years, their early athleticism did not share quite the same success as their relationship did:

“I had just turned 40 and was feeling out-of-shape after eating too many lunches out,” Todd recalled. “I returned from a trip to Mexico with my family, and after seeing the photos of myself and how I looked on the beach, let’s say it gave me all the inspiration I needed to make a change!”

While many might have simply started jogging casually a few times a week, Todd set a higher definite goal. He mentioned to Bridgette one night that he was thinking of signing up for a marathon. When he actually went ahead and registered, Bridgette said: “You’re crazy.”

“You can train too and run it with me,” Todd replied.

Todd printed out a training program and started running, building up mileage over the weeks and months that followed. Both he and Bridgette ran the Chicago marathon in 2005.

“I did better than most people expected me to, time-wise,” Todd says. Encouraged, he began to train for another race.

Todd has completed six marathons – including the Boston Marathon in 2008. Bridgette missed her qualifying time for that race by only a minute and 23 seconds, but has qualified for 2011’s race.

Rather than push himself for a certain time, Todd plans to enjoy this race and run it alongside his wife. The Torrings will begin the race together, pace together, and finish together.

“This is going to be a great marathon for the simple fact that we’re running it for fun, to take in the entire experience,” Todd says. “There is a difference when you’re training for a very specific time – you don’t remember a lot of what’s going on. This time, it will be great to share my wife’s first Boston Marathon, but also to be able to really enjoy the one of the greatest road races on Earth.”

Todd’s recent training has also been less intense due to the time and energy involved in running his Amramp franchise, which he purchased several years ago. Prior to Amramp, Todd had lost his 10-year pharmaceuticals job during the U.S. economic downturn. His father, who also lives in Omaha, has Parkinson’s disease and has used a wheelchair for many years.

And Todd’s mother suffered from a neurological disease that took away her ability to ambulate. She passed away at about the same time Todd was seeking an unemployment solution and landing on Amramp. He credits his parents’ health concerns as a major factor in deciding to own Omaha-based Amramp.

“My parents played a big role in my being attracted to Amramp. They helped me to personally understand the difficulties people can have with ambulation and mobility,” Torring said. “It became very appealing for me to want to help others find mobility solutions. It does remind me – when we’re out running 26.2 miles in these long runs – that we often take for granted what our bodies are capable of doing.”

“There are many people out there who don’t have that freedom to run. I think about that, but I also think about the many wheelchair-division competitors and what they are able to accomplish when they set their minds to it as well.”

The Boston Marathon includes a push rim wheelchair division of racers, started in 1975 after the first wheelchair marathoner successfully completed the distance. The wheelchair division has its own set of qualifying times, making it extremely competitive.

Check Amramp’s Facebook page for updates and photos of Todd and Bridgette’s 2011 Boston Marathon.

If you’d like to learn more about owning a made-in-the-USA Amramp franchise,
or for a free on-site ramp-installation estimate
Please contact Amramp’s National Call Center 888-715-7598

Amramp launches its first issue quarterly eNewsletter, Spreading Independence - One Ramp At a Time.

We are proud to publish a quarterly eNewsletter that discusses such issues as wheelchair accessibility, mobility, environmental issues, funding opportunities and more.

Here’s a snippet from an article geared towards case managers, occupational therapists, physical therapists and other medical professionals.

In this Issue - March 2011

Great Recession further hampers employment
Disabilities dictate higher unemployment
VCU professor Brian McMahon, Ph.D., CRC, and colleagues Paul Harrington and Neeta Fogg of Drexel University compared the effects of the Great Recession (December 2007 to September 2009) upon persons with disabilities vs. persons without.

Read more about how the Great Recession further hampers employment for persons with disabilities and view graphs illustrating disability status percentages.

Read the entire issue now at: http://www.amramp.com/enews

Stay in touch with us through our eNewsletter and Subscribe Today!

Now backed by both the U.S. Tennis Association and the International Tennis Federation, this is a big year for wheelchair tennis. The sport was originated 35 years ago by Brad Parks, who was paralyzed in a skiing accident. He decided to try tennis, and now the sport is gaining popularity nationally and internationally.

Culminating from competitions held across the country, the wheelchair tennis championship is held in St. Louis, Missouri.

The season started with the USTA/ ITF Southwest Desert Classic in February in Tucson and continues through August across the nation, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Beaverton, Oregon. Check the 2011 USTA ITF/NEC Tournament Schedule to catch a few matches near you.

Even if you don't follow tennis, you know when you hear "Flushing Meadows" that the subject is the little round ball on a very fast court. The U.S. Open, held annually at Flushing Meadows, Queens, N.Y., at summer's end is one of the country's premier sporting events.

But occurring concurrently is another major tennis competition that's growing every year: the U.S. Open Wheelchair Championships, which will be held for the third year at the Dwight Davis Tennis Center in St. Louis, from Aug. 30 through Sept. 5.

Wheelchair tennis doesn't require special courts; the matches take place at existing facilities. But there can be unexpected glitches. Not all facilities are wheelchair accessible. Amramp has supplied organizers with temporary rentals, eliminating the cost of installing permanent wheelchair ramps. Amramp rents to individuals as well: whether to recover from an injury or to make your home more welcoming over the holidays. Amramp's patent-pending steel, mesh platform wheelchair ramps can be rented for a day, a week, or longer.

Amramp has installed ramps for the Wheelchair Tennis Championships in St. Louis for the past two years because not all the courts were accessible. Mary Buschmann, executive director of USTA Missouri Valley, said Amramp was great to work with. "They show up early; they ask good questions; and they know what it takes to make a place accessible," she said of Amramp.

Wheelchair ramps are necessary not only for players but also spectators. Many disabled people who take part in other sports often attend wheelchair tennis events.

Tennis is a sport almost anyone is willing to try, so its popularity with people in wheelchairs will continue to increase. The USTA sponsors collegiate wheelchair tennis competitions and urges college students to lobby for wheelchair tennis at their campuses. Here again, accessibility could be a problem.

Sports should be accessible to everyone.
Call Amramp today to schedule a free on-site estimate.
Contact Amramp's National Call Center at 888-715-7598

Rick Griffiths of Amramp in North Carolina is used to unexpected requests for wheelchair ramps. So when the call came from a coach at Providence High School in Charlotte, N.C., who needed a ramp for the school's new press box, Rick was not fazed. Within two days, the problem was solved with a 63-foot modular Amramp.

Since Rick had installed ramps at Charlotte’s NASCAR Hall of Fame just a couple years ago, this high school stadium wheelchair ramp installation was simply a lap around the track.

That’s the beauty of Amramp ramps. They can be installed anywhere, usually within 48 hours. They can be rented for a weekend, a week or months, or even purchased outright.

Typically, the ramps are used in private homes and businesses where a permanent wheelchair ramp is prohibited, such as in a historic district, or when the ramp will only be needed for a limited time and building a wheelchair ramp is too costly.

Youth sports aren’t often thought of in terms of wheelchair access but the question does come up, especially when a press box is involved. School buildings, of course, must comply with all regulations flowing from the Americans with Disabilities Act. But, where outdoor sports are concerned, access and necessary ramps may be overlooked.

At Providence High School a new press box had been erected but it was not wheelchair accessible. The steel ramp, with handrails, from Amramp was the perfect solution. Press box access is a dilemma local recreation leagues and athletic associations that use public fields frequently encounter. In areas where Pop Warner football or Little League baseball involve dozens of teams and draw intense interest, a press box is an integral part of a sports program. Booster organizations often buy the ramp and donate it to the school or town.

Amramp’s first concern is safety; its patent-pending ramps meet ADA code and have a mesh platform to prevent wheelchairs from slipping and allow moisture to disperse.

With local budgets for schools and athletic activities tighter than ever, Amramp ramps become an increasingly attractive alternative to building a more expensive concrete or maintenance-intensive wooden ramp that would incur design and permitting costs.

Wintertime ramp safety inherent to Amramp's wheelchair ramp design

Wintertime weather presents multiple obstacles for people who use wheelchairs or walking aids, such as metal walkers. Stability underfoot is key, which is why the non-skid surface of Amramp wheelchair ramps is a perfect choice for those who must deal with ice and snow.

This time of year in the Northern Hemisphere - even in the normally unsnowy South - Amramp's most notable feature is its patented steel-mesh platform, which does not collect moisture, allowing rain and snow to fall through. 

Safe navigation of a ramp is important not only for those with disabilities but also for nurses and other caretakers coming to your home, such as your mail carrier or visitors. In Great Britain the estate of a man now deceased is being sued by a nurse who fell and injured herself on a wooden ramp that had been installed when the man needed a wheelchair in the final weeks of his life. The suit charged the ramp was a "danger to users" and constituted negligence on the part of the homeowner and his family. The grieving family was devastated when notified of the legal action.

This case underscores a truth that crosses the pond: We live in a litigious world. Wooden ramps collect snow and ice and can easily become a hazard for anyone using them. And portable, lightweight ramps do not offer adequate safety in the event of ice or snow. Even if you think no one else will use the ramp, you are liable for the safety of those visiting your home. This is particularly a problem for the homebound who clearly could not ensure their ramps would be shoveled, perhaps for a mail carrier who checks in to be sure all is well.

The safe operation of their ramps is paramount to Amramp. In addition to the grated surface, special paint and raised edges also make slips less likely.

Made in the U.S.A., Amramp is also noted for

Modular ramps that can be fitted to homes of all types

Extensive experience installing ramps at historic buildings.

Ramp rentals for a day, a week or longer, and also ramps for purchase

Most ramps can be installed with as little as 48 hours' notice.

An Amramp ramp could be the safest part of your journey this winter.

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