101 Mobility Opens Franchise in Austin Market

New Company Fills Niche for Empowering the Disabled and Mobility Challenged in Austin

(Austin, TX)—Husband and wife team Bruce and Debra Dowden of Cedar Park are the owners/operators of 101 Mobility’s latest Texas Franchise serving Austin and surrounding areas, from South Austin to Waco. 101 Mobility Austin will join the Houston and San Antonio franchises in a recent string of 101 Mobility openings across the Lone Star State. As lifelong Texans, the Dowdens bring over three decades of management, purchasing, and finance experience to the organization. The Dowdens are active members in their community, and look forward to serving their neighbors with quality of life products that positively address personal mobility issues; allowing people to stay in their homes or “age-in-place”, despite facing everyday challenges such as stairways, raised porches, and other obstacles.

The Dowdens share a particular interest in helping the senior community, and felt that 101 Mobility offered a well-rounded model for assessing and supplying the mobility and accessibility needs of the seniors and mobility-challenged in their market. “Our goal is to be able to look back at the end of the day and see that we have helped people”, says Debra Dowden. “Through that, we hope to add value, not only to our lives, but to the community as a whole.”

101 Mobility Austin will focus on helping clients age-in-place by selling, installing, and servicing ramps, stair lifts, automobile lifts, patient lifts, vertical lifts, barrier-free baths and offering complete home modifications to incorporate total accessibility solutions. 101 Mobility is one of the nation’s largest sellers and installers of personal mobility products from well-known brands such as Bruno, Harmar, Liko, and many more.

101 Mobility is also a leader in providing services to our United States Veterans through the U.S. Veteran’s Administration. The Dowdens are especially excited to have the opportunity to give back to our Military Veterans. “Having  Veterans in our family, including a daughter and son-in-law that are currently serving on active duty, has made this opportunity to work with Veterans very special to us”, says Bruce Dowden.  “We consider it an honor to help those that have served and are proud to do so.”

101 Mobility is the franchising world’s first full-service sales, service, and installation provider of a complete line of mobility and accessibility products and equipment, including stair lifts, auto lifts, ramps, porch lifts, patient lifts, power wheelchairs, scooters and more. Short and long-term rentals are also available for home, office, and institution. By working with patients to identify which home health care devices best suit each individual’s needs, 101 Mobility provides an alternative to group homes and rehabilitation centers by allowing patients to live self-sufficiently in their homes.

For more information, visit www.101mobility.com or call 512.650.0354.

Grab Bars Keep You Safe and Steady

Did you know the installation of grab bars is one of the easiest ways to stay safe in the bathroom? Grab bars provide confidence to many people who worry about falling in the bathroom or have issues with their equilibrium.  These common and effective bathroom safety devices are easy to install and are a cost effective way to provide the confidence you need when entering and exiting the bath.

At 101 Mobility, we offer a wide variety of grab bars to meet your design and style preferences. From polished chrome to stainless steel and bronze to satin nickel, we have the variety of styles and finishes to meet your needs. We also offer folding and locking grab bars for those who desire a grab bar that can be moved out of the way when not in use. As your full service mobility professionals, we can order nearly any style of grab bar for your bathroom. We also offer expert installation of grab bars so you can be confident they will support you at all times.

We always recommend choosing a grab bar that meet ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) requirements. ADA approved grab bars are rated for a 250# dead weight pull. This will ensure the grab bar can hold your entire body weight should you slip and use the grab bar to steady you. We only sell grab bars that meet or exceed ADA requirements.

The most common placement for grab bars is at entrance and exit point of the shower for assistance in stepping over the tub wall. Grab bars can also be placed inside the shower for extra assistance should you lose your balance while in the shower. Next to the toilet is another common area in the bathroom to see grab bars; especially if your bathroom is small and can’t accommodate a safety seat frame. The installation of grab bars near the toilet will help with moving to and from a sitting position.  Grab bars can also be installed at the top or bottom of a staircase for assistance steadying yourself before climbing the stairs or as you enter or exit a stairlift. Grab bars can also be helpful when placed near a door. For those who suffer from vertigo or are unsteady on their feet, the simple act of opening a door can be difficult. The addition of a grab bar allows you to have something to hang on to as you reach to open or close the door.

If you have questions about the purchase and installation of grab bars for your home, please contact the 101 Mobility location nearest you.

Tips for Preventing Falls in Your Home

Because falls are one of the leading causes for injuries among aging adults, we thought we would pass along these Tips for Preventing Injuries from the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS). We hope they will help you to stay safe.

 AANS Injury Prevention Tips for Inside the Home

• Buy bath mats and rugs with slip-resistant backing and secure them.
• Do not walk on slippery, freshly washed floors and avoid floor waxes.
• Install grab bars and handrails if you are frail or elderly.
• Improve the lighting in your home; dim lighting can increase the risk of falls.
• Install night lights in halls and bathrooms, and keep a flashlight near your bed.
• Store products in easy-to-reach places; use stepstools/ladders only when absolutely necessary.
• Wear proper shoes with slip-resistant soles.
• Secure loose electrical cords and put away any items that are lying around.
• Do not use recalled products – discard or take back to the store.
• Keep chairs and other furniture away from windows.
• Use safety gates and install window guards.

AANS Injury Prevention Tips for Outside the Home

• Install outdoor handrails if elderly or frail.
• Inspect and remove debris and ice from walkways, driveways, porches, and yards.
• Inspect and remove debris from lawns before mowing or gardening.
• Store outdoor equipment and tools properly.
• Make sure that ladders are stable and secure before using them.
• Do not use broken equipment or tools.
• Do not let children engage in activities inappropriate for their age.
• Supervise younger children at all times.
• Never drive while under the influence of drugs or alcohol or ride as a passenger with anybody else who is under the influence.

As a side note to these outside tips, if you are unstable on your feet please consider asking for help or hiring out your lawn care and outdoor home maintenance projects for your safety.

Preventing Falls and Staying Healthy

Among adults age 65 and older, falls are the leading cause of injury death and the most common cause of nonfatal injuries.  According to the Center for Disease Control, one in three adults age 65 and older falls each year. With so many older adults falling, fall prevent should top the list of safety and health concerns for those aging in place and their families.

What are some of the ways we can prevent falls in the home and promote mobility and independence? 

An easy way to prevent falls is to increase leg strength and balance through regular exercise. Many older adults enjoy Tai Chi because it promotes both of these concepts through a low impact exercise routine. However, simply enjoying a regular walk around your neighborhood is good exercise and a great way to stay fit. Staying active can go a long way toward preventing falls.

Be sure to ask your doctor or pharmacist to look at all the prescriptions you are taking to ensure there are no reactions between your medications.  Many medications can cause dizziness and when medications interact, dizziness can be enhanced.  If you are feeling dizzy, please take care and speak with your physician immediately.

Don’t forget the importance of regular vision checkups. Getting your eyes checked and keeping your eyeglasses up to date is an important step in keeping falls to a minimum.

Another important way to prevent falls is to install safety equipment in your home. Safety equipment from 101 Mobility helps to maintain your stability. With the help of 101 Mobility, you can install features such as chairlifts/stairlifts and bath safety products to prevent falls in the home.  Our complete line of stairlifts offers you a wide variety of options so you can choose just the right chairlift for your home. From straight line chairlifts to curved rail stairlifts, our experienced professionals can help you find the right stairlift for your home so you can be safe getting up and down the stairs each and every day.

We also offer a complete line of bath safety products. Falls in the bathroom are very common. Don’t let slipping in the bathroom become a concern for you. With the help of 101 Mobility, we can install bathtub doors, grab bars and a variety of other bath safety items for you.

Bathroom Safety Should be a Top Priority

When a loved one is disabled or aging, and wishes to maintain their independence by staying in their home, bathroom safety needs to become a top priority.  At 101 Mobility, we understand the importance of bathroom safety and have worked with hundreds of homeowners to make their bathrooms a safe place.

We offer a complete line of bath safety products to meet all of your needs.  Because most falls in the bathroom happen as people enter or exit the bathtub, we offer the Safety-Step Bath Door. This product lowers the threshold of entry into the bathtub to 9” making it easier to get into and out of the tub.  It includes a water-tight seal.  The Safety-Step Bath Door can even be installed on your existing tub for your convenience, eliminating the need for a lengthy and expensive bathroom remodel.

Grab bars are another important bath safety modification item.  Grab bars around the tub can help ease the transition in and out of the tub. It is important to note that no one should ever use towel bars to ease the transition in and out of the tub. Towel bars simply cannot support you if you slip or fall.  101 Mobility can position and install grab bars to help you get around your bathroom with ease.

Many of our clients also require transfer benches or toilet safety frames to ensure their safety in the bathroom. 101 Mobility has a wide range of products in this area to help you feel comfortable and safe in the bathroom. There is no need to worry about your safety when the team from 101 Mobility is around. We have the experience to answer your questions and provide the top quality products that will ensure your safety in the bathroom.

For more information about 101 Mobility’s complete line of bathroom safety products, please contact your local 101 Mobility location.

Veterans! Do You Qualify for a HISA Grant?

Are you a U.S. military veteran? Do you suffer from a disability due to your service? There is a lot of help out there for funding improvements to your home to assist you with your comfort and recovery.

The Home Improvements and Structural Alterations (HISA) grant can be used for any home improvement necessary for the continuation of treatment or for disability access to the home and essential lavatory and sanitary facilities. Among the improvements a HISA Grant will cover are:

• Allowing entrance or exit from veteran’s home;
• Improving access for use of essential lavatory and   sanitary facilities;
• Improving access to kitchen and bathroom counters;
• Handrails and grab rails;
• Lowered Electrical outlets and switches;
• Improving paths or driveways;
• Improving plumbing and electrical work for dialysis patients

A HISA grant is available to veterans who have received a medical determination indicating that improvements and structural alterations are necessary or appropriate for the effective and economical treatment of a disability. A veteran may receive both a HISA grant and either a Special Home Adaptation (SHA) grant (below) or a Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) grant (below).Home improvement benefits up to $4,100 are available to veterans with a service-connected disability, and up to $1,200 is available to veterans with non-service-related disabilities.To apply, the veteran must first have a prescription from a VA or a fee-basis physician. This must include:

• Specific items required;
• The diagnosis with medical justification;
• The veteran’s name, address, SSN, and phone number(s);

In addition, a list of other items regarding the exact work to be completed, costs, and site drawings must be compiled and submitted as well.101 Mobility is glad to help in this process from start to finish. We are here to make sure that you get the modifications and the equipment that you need in order to live a more comfortable and accessible life.Call us today at 1.888.236.6917 or visit us at: www.101Mobility.com and let us help get you the assistance you need without any hassle or inconvenience to you.Source: http://www.prosthetics.va.gov/docs/HISA_english.pdf