It Was The Freak'n Padding

Since I got the new brush holder for my head stick, it seemed top heavy and I knew I had to get it fix before the 30th. Thanks to Susan at KKI, She was able to slip me in for a late Friday afternoon appointment.  The idea of my head stick being top heavy was only the tip of the problem, because every time I would lean forward the whole thing would slide off my head.  Even after Susan moved the top piece backward to balance the weight it would still slide around on my head.

The  next idea that Susan had was to change the foam padding inside and that fixed the problem.  She gave me thicker foam that took the shape of my head that created just enough friction to hold my head stick in place.  I wonder when I go bald headed, we might have line the inside with dycem.

Dycem- Used by many occupational therapists, physical therapists and healthcare professionals as an effective anti-slip.

Talk About Double Whammy

Some how in our last move, I lost my painting head-stick. This was a double lost, because not only the head-stick was custom made, but also the brush holder on the goes on top too.  They each were design by difference places. My head-sticks have been made by an OT at Kennedy Krieger since forever. Up until 2004, when I wanted to use a different brush I had to wait for someone to change it for me. They had to un-tape one brush and re-tape another brush to the stick.

Then I was introduced to the wonderful people at VME, now V-LINC who volunteer their time to design equipment to make life a bit easier for the disabled. I knew it would be sample to get a new head-stick base from KKI. In fact, they can use the measurements for my lost visit and mail a new base to me.

When I contact V-LINK to get a new brush holder, this would be more challenging. It has been 9 years since the piece was designed and the person that I worked with move out of town.  They could not find my file; it was looking like the design process was going to start from scratch.

Some times it does pay to save years and years of emails, because I was able to find the designers email but it did not work. Being that we live in this wonderful world of social networks, I found him on Facebook.  He offered to call V-LINC and fill them in on the design on the holder. The ball is rolling down for a strike and is not going into the gutter.

Head Stick, Head Pointer

I often received questions about my Head Sticks, where did I get them, how did I start using them? I think I was about 7, or 8 when I first used a headstick. Back then they were hand made, even 32 years later I still get it specially made at Kennedy Krieger Institute, in the OT Department.

I did a search online and this is what I found, I cannot say what one would work the best.
http://www.disabledonline.com/products/direct-products/alt-input-devices/headeye-controlled-input/adjustable-head-pointer/
http://www.wisdomking.com/headpointers

People have asked, how to get a headstick for a student, or client. If they can’t pay for it out of pocket, or even know that the person would be able to use it, the first would be to work with an occupational therapist. I do not know how it compares to using a mouthstick, since I cannot keep my mouth closed to use one.