Nails!

     What is a woman without her hair done and her nails did? Ha! In the hospital at inpatient therapy I was asked to make a list of all the things I would like to learn how to do in therapy. I was the only arm amputee they had experienced so it was more so I would give them homework and they would try to figure out the tasks. We would just work together through it day by day coming up with solutions and looking through catalogs for ideas. One important thing I wanted to know how to do was, how to paint my nails? Of course easy answer is having someone paint them or simply go to a nail salon, after all they are half off now ha! My occupational therapist had an idea of a idea of a stand to hold the nail polish cap and it was elaborated on by the OT student Whitney. So me an her put it all together and painted it and it is amazing!!! I love it! All we did was take a doll stand, which typically holds Barbies and such, and glued that to a wood slab. Then we glued small clothes pins to the piece of wood, which can hold nail files and cotton balls.  Easy as pie! Another quick way I paint my nails is I just use my mouth, I just stick nail cap in mouth and paint my nails. I do this when I don't have my board.

 

    Clipping my nails is different as well. I do my best not to spend tons of money in these occupational catalogs buying all these gizmos. I just try to think of ways I can use normal equipment to accomplish the same goal to save money. I will take a normal pair of clippers and place them in between my knees or thighs and use that as my hand to squeeze the clippers to cut my nails. If I am wearing say some slick pants or have small clippers I will use my toes by placing the clippers on the ground and basically stepping on the clippers to cut my nails. Check out my video below.

    Of course they make clippers you can purchase for us one handers but they are just so pricey for something you could use regular nail clippers and just practice the different ways to use them or simply make a device such as below. You could make one by screwing a nail clipper to a board such as, if you made you a handy dandy nail station like we discussed in the beginning you could drill a whole in the wood and screw in a pair of clippers.

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=one+handed+nail+clipper&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=9700934244&hvpos=1o1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3417697971687137255&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&ref=pd_sl_1wlhjer2ji_e

 

    The other one is an automatic nail clipper. You simply just stick your nail in there and it clips it. Downfall is again it is pricey and quite large. You can't just stick it in your purse or pocket that's for sure!

 http://www.amazon.com/Ableware-Press-On-One-Handed-Nail-Clipper/dp/B003RXPCAU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1361243423&sr=8-2&keywords=one+handed+nail+clipper