Lewis,
    First - Kudos for your kind gestures toward the infirm... God'll
get you for that.

    I have visited places like that, and have a few suggestions for
you to ponder.
I know that tabletop real-estate is at a premium - not much of it, and
plenty needed.
Therefore, I suggest that you go the laptop trail.  You mentioned that
she can "sit up in bed", so you will need to tweak some of this to
accommodate both the facilities available, and her condition and / or
capabilities with a forward-looking mind for what her condition is
likely to evolve to.
     I suspect she will have one of those roll-away feeding trays.
Ask the folks that run the place if they have a second one they have
discarded for one reason or another.  Try to get one with good
casters.  If possible, get one of the opposite hand to the one she
feeds on so it can situate on the opposite side of the bed (out of the
way).  Should they not have one opposite to the feeding table, take it
to a local Job shop Machine and welding shop for modifications.  I
work in such a place, and know they will have some ideas on how to
modify it to suit the situation.  One modification to make, should it
require it, is to make the table-top of it so it would have an
adjustable tilt.  This would entail welding on a couple (maybe only
one) brackets with a hand knob to tighten it with.  Think of the
bracket you find on things like an automotive generator or air
conditioner.  That shop will know how to make one to suit your needs.
    For security purposes,  first - find the laptop and measure the
size of it.  Make a tray for it to set in, and bolt that tray to the
tabletop, and design some locking devices to hold the laptop in place
firmly.  This will not only hold it fast when she tilts it, it will
also keep someone from grabbing and running with it.  Sure, anyone who
is determined to have it will be able to figure out how to unlock it,
but if a thief wants anything, they will get it someway where you have
it secured or not.  This is only to keep honest folks honest.  You
might even find a laptop with a tray accessory with it.
    One thing to keep in mind, and you will need to check with the
facility people on this one, they might require any materials you use
to be stainless steel.
    Go to http://www.mcmaster.com  and paste 4796T15  into the search
block.  This will open the catalog page in the right frame where you
can see it, and choose the stainless steel model if required.  I'm
thinking, while this is designed to be bolted to the wall, you could
easily adapt this to the rolling table mentioned above.  You can also
find casters if needed on that site as well.  They also show a swing
arm rig that might be something to consider instead of the table.  You
could clamp it to the bed frame.  Not sure how sturdy it would be as
far as something to rest her hands on to type.
    Well, hope this has been helpful is some way - maybe even to get
you thinking in some other way to help her.

Good luck with it.  I'd like to hear how you come out with it.
Ken Hollingsworth


On 6/10/06, Lewis c Emerson <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Folks,
>
> I have a close relative who's been pretty well house-bound and in a wheel
> chair for 50 years as a result of a spinal cord injury at age 19.  Some
> years ago I set her up with a computer and introduced her to e-mail and
> the Internet and it's had a real impact on her life.  She became addicted
> (as I knew she would) and developed an entirely new outlook on life as
> the computer opened up a whole new area for her.
>
> About a year ago, she developed pneumonia, was in the hospital for some
> time, had to be fed with a stomach tube, had to breath via a tracheotomy
> tube, etc.  She's now even more of an invalid and is in a nursing home
> where she'll have to spend the rest of her life.  This is so sad to me as
> she's been such a "fighter" for so long.  I've tried to get her
> interested in getting the computer out to the nursing home to use again
> (it'd made such a tremendous difference in her life earlier), but she
> seems not interested.  I know that she's afraid that it'd be stolen from
> her room, and that it might be awkward to use her desktop machine from a
> bed or a wheelchair, but I'm trying to think of some way.....
>
> Here're my questions:
>
> 1.   Sitting in a bed or a wheelchair the images on the desktop's monitor
> would be too small for her to see/read.  She does have a TV in her room,
> so is there a way that the TV screen can be used as the computer monitor?
>  Some "gadget, etc." that I don't know about.
>
> 2.   It might be awkward for her to have to use a keyboard connected to
> the desktop, so is there anyway to get a "wireless" keyboard and a
> "wireless" mouse for her to use?
>
> 3. I'll try to get her a laptop computer to use if that'd help.
>
> I am so disturbed that her life has, again, become so limited and I keep
> thinking that there must be some way that I can, again, give her
> something to do that will give her life some purpose.
>
> If you can help me with this both she and I'd be most appreciative.
>
> Many, many thanks,
>
> Lewis Emerson
>
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