Solutions for Easier Living at The Home Depot

On Saturday, October 25, the Occupational Therapy Department at the University of New Hampshire teamed up with the Concord Hospital to present the first ever “Solutions for Easier Living” Clinic Day at the Concord, NH Home Depot. The clinic featured IOD staff member and Assistive Technology “MacGyver” Dr. Therese Willkomm and Concord Hospital’s Debra Samaha who provided participants with solutions for staying safe during the fall and winter months.

“Home Depot carries hundreds of products that can benefit individuals who experience physical challenges,” said Willkomm. Some of the solutions demonstrated included products to reduce slips and falls, reaching and back-saving solutions, automated lighting and large print solutions for low vision, and easy-to-operate tools for individuals who experience arthritis.
In addition to highlighting some of Home Depot’s products, Dr. Willkomm also demonstrated how hundreds of solutions could be fabricated in minutes using various adhesives, fasteners, acrylic, PVC pipe, flag pole holders, and Swiffer mops. Ms. Samaha provided several risk assessment checklists designed to keep individuals safe in their own homes and to reduce the risk of injury from a fall.

UNH and Concord Hospital plan to hold more “Solutions for Easier Living” Clinic Days in the future. The next clinic, entitled “Creating Solutions for Easier Living, Learning, and Working,” will be held at The Home Depot in Concord, NH, on Saturday, December 13, 2008 from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm. Participants will delve into more of Dr. Willkomm’s assistive technology solutions, learning how to fabricate numerous solutions for individuals with disabilities in five minutes or less using everyday materials.

For a free copy of “Solutions for Easier Living Located at The Home Depot,” stop by the Concord Home Depot to request one.

For more information on assistive technology solutions, visit www.atinnh.org.