1.     Personal Care & Household Management\
          a) Personal equipment to enable a person to carry out personal care activities in their home,                work or place of study, such as:

            -  personal hygiene (washing and toileting)
            -  getting dressed
            -  transferring from the bed or chair
            -  getting in or out of the home       

        b)  Household Management equipment to enable a person to carry out essential                                         household tasks to return to, or remain safely in their home such as:  the preparation of
​               food and drinks, if they live alone or are by themselves for much of the day
       
2.    Walking & Standing
     
        a).  Walking equipment to support a person with walking and transferring.  

         b). Standing equipment to support a person to maintain a good functional position and body
              alignment in standing.

3.    Basic housing modification equipment to ensure safety at home such as basic reusable
       ramps.  

4.   Wheeled Mobility and Postural Management Level 1 and credential lying advice and
      recommendations related to wheeled mobility, seating and postural management solutions.  ​

5.   Communication Assistive Technology (CAT) level 1 high tech equipment such as iPads for
​      people who can use them independently.

Repairs and Maintenance:
 
The client or residential provider to contact one of the subcontractors listed below:
 
Mobytech Ltd (More Mobility Service Department)
            Physical Address:  93B Clarence Street. 
            Postal Address: PO Box 42049, Tower Junction, Christchurch 8149
            Phone:           Free phone:  0800 662 983   
                                   (03) 348 3460 Option 2 or 027 2340516
            Fax:                 (03) 348 3462
            Email:            [email protected]                                                                                               
            Website:        www.moremobility.co.nz
 
Mobility Services Ltd (Wheelchair Services (SI) Ltd)  
            Physical Address:  29 Shakespeare Road, Christchurch 8240
            Postal Address:  PO Box 7652. Sydenham, Christchurch 8240  
            Freephone:           0508 662 454
            Phone:                  (03) 366 8815 or 0275 383 584
            Email:                   [email protected]
            Website                www.mobilitysystems.co.nz
 
Rehab Enterprises, mobile workshop.
          Physical Address: 55 Ranfurly Street, Kaiapoi, Christchurch 7630
          Postal Address: 10 Barnard Street, Kaiapoi, Christchurch 7630

           Contact Owen Henwood on phone: 027 230 5974 or email: [email protected]
 
Total Equipment Care
            Ian Lappin
            Phone:  03 423 3574 or 021 180 1902
            Email:  [email protected]

Your health this winter 

There are many things we can do to keep ourselves, our whanau, and others well this winter:
 

• wear a mask in crowded spaces
• stay home if you’re feeling sick
• keep up-to-date with your vaccinations
• test for covid-19 if you have symptoms.

 
 
Be prepared, just in case
 
Check you have everything you need to stay well including prescriptions and medicines.
 
Talk to your doctor, nurse, pharmacist, or health practitioner about your eligibility for COVID-19 antiviral medicines.
 
People with a high risk of becoming very sick from COVID-19, people aged 65 of over, Māori or Pacific people aged 50 or over are eligible.
 
Stay home if you’re sick.
If you test positive for COVID-19, isolate.
 
Remember to register your RAT result at MyCovidRecord.nz to access further help and support.
 
Free RATs (Rapid Antigen Tests) can be collected at participating pharmacies or ordered by calling 0800 222 478.
 
Find out more at Covid19.govt.nz
 
Free health advice
 
There are many ways you can access free health advice and help whenever you need it. You can access online resources any time, go to your pharmacy for healthcare advice or call free phone numbers. Most 0800 numbers have access to interpreters.
 
Healthify.nz
Reliable online information about health and medicines, self-care resources and videos can be found at the Healthify He Puna Waiora website Healthify.nz (previously Healthnavigator.org.nz).
 
Healthline 0800 611 116
Call Healthline any time for trusted health advice and information from nurses, paramedics, advisor, and doctors. You can choose to speak with Māori clinican if you’re calling between 8am-8pm.
 
Mental health and wellbeing support is available on 1737 – call or text
If you are feeling stressed, down or overwhelmed or just need someone to talk to, free call or text 1737 any time to talk to a trained counsellor.
 
You can also visit Allsorts.org.nz for wide range of resources.
 
Disability Helpline 0800 11 12 13 or text 8988
A dedicated team can support members of the disability community with:
 

• COVID-19 testing, face mask exemptions, managing COVID-19 at home.
• Any general health concerns
• Information and support

 
For assistance, you can access this using the NZ Relay Service nzrelay.co.nz
 
Vaccination Healthline 0800 28 29 26
For COVID-19 and flu vaccination advice, information and booking assistance.
 
COVID-19 Healthline 0800 358 5453
Supports people with information and advice about COVID-19.
 
 Help protect yourself, your whanau and your community
 
Boost your immunity. Get vaccinated
 
Immunising tamariki
Getting tamariki vaccinated is one of the best ways to set them up for a healthy future. Vaccines on the National Immunisation Schedule are free for all children aged 18 years or under.
Find out more at immunise.health.nz
 
Flu jab
It’s time for everyone aged 6 months or over to get their 2023 flu jab. It’s free for people aged 6 months to 12 years, aged 65 or over, Maori and Pacific aged 55 years or over, pregnant people and those with underlying health conditions.
 
 
21COVID-19 boosters
COVID-19 vaccines are free for everyone aged 5 years or over. Regardless or how many booters you have already had, you can get an additional booster if it’s been 6 months or more since your last COVID-19 vaccination or infection, and you are:
 

• aged 30 years or over
• pregnant, and aged 16 years or over
• aged 16 to 29 years and higher rist of getting severely sick from COVID-19
• aged 12 to 15 years with a medical condition that increases the risk getting severely sick from COVID-19.

 
You can make a booking for both your flu and COVID-19 vaccinations at BookMyVaccine.nz, at your local pharmacy or, talk to your local GP, nurse or health centre.
 
For more information visit:  Health.govt.nz/gowell

Folding a wheelchair:

• Remove:
  • seat cushion
  • other loose items eg bags and removable foot and arm rests
• Ensure footrests are swung away first or taken off.
• Stand side on to the wheelchair.
• Pull upward on the seat fabric at the centre front and back.
• Do not lift the chair by the arm rests they will probably come out in your hands!

  
Opening a wheelchair

• Stand facing the seat
• Keep your fingers turned towards the middle of the seat and press downward with the heel of your hand on the two sides of the seat.
• Do not put your fingers between the chair frame and seat – they will be crushed. 

 
Putting the wheelchair into the boot of a car:

• Remove moveable parts – arm rest and foot plates and cushion.
• Position the folded wheelchair on the ground close to the opened car boot.  
• Put wheelchair brakes on.
• Keep the natural curve of your lower back bending your knees and hips
• Grasp the chair frame and wheels, keeping one hand forward and one back. 
• Lift the wheelchair vertically by straightening your legs.
• Balance the chair on the edge of the boot/door still.
• With the full weight being taken by the wheels resting on the boot/door sill, tip the chair up.
• When it is almost horizontal, slide it into the space.

​Pushing a wheelchair down a curb:

• Inform the person first about what you are going to do.
• Place your foot on the tipping level. Take a firm hold of the handgrips and then tip the chair backwards.
• Gently lower the chair down the curb.  (As you must take some of the weight. bend at your knees and hips and brace your lower back.)
• Make sure that both rear wheels reach the ground at the same time.
• Another method is to turn the back of the chair towards the curb and lower the back wheels down to the lower level, and then lower the front wheels. To maintain your own balance, place one foot back.

Pulling a wheelchair up a curb:

• Inform the person first about what you are going to do.
• Turn the back wheels of the wheelchair towards the curb.  Stand up on the curb and tilt the chair back towards you.
• Pull the wheelchair up and backwards, being careful of your back.
• Another method is to place your foot on the tipping level and raise the front wheels of the chair before moving them forward onto the higher ground (gauge the height carefully)
• Follow through with the back wheels. 

 
Brakes

• Ensure the brakes are on before the person sits back down into the wheelchair.

 
Foot plates

• Once the person is seated in the chair, bring the foot plates round carefully and lock into position.
• Beware of the person’s ankles and your own.

 
Foot rests

• Crouch and either lift the person's foot onto the foot rest or ask the person to lift their feet onto the foot rest.

 
Tyres:
 
For ease of pushing, keep pneumatic tyres inflated to the correct pressure (280 kpa or 40 psi). 
 
General

• Wheelchairs are robust and carefully designed, but they need regular servicing if they are to continue to give reliable service with moving parts performing freely.
• Keep oiled regularly 3 in 1 household oil into oil nipples.
• Keep pneumatic tyres correctly inflated.
• Any repairs should be made by a tradesman skilled in chair maintenance.
• Signs of corrosion, rust damage or cracks in any part of the chair require prompt attention.
• ​Do not make or allow any structural alterations or modifications to a chair. Seek professional advice if your chair is not comfortable or operating smoothly.