KC HELP
The Knights Community Hospital Equipment Lend Program
Blog Intro Here
Are you looking for a challenge to rekindle your technical skills for fixing equipment? Can you take on an electric wheelchair, bed, or lift chair? This type of equipment has multiple motors to drive the unit and often have minicomputer systems to control it. Our technicians report all kinds of interesting challenges. The following is one that just goes to show how experienced a repair staff we have.
A call came in on our KC Help line from a client that had a lift chair that quit working. A Lift Chair elevates the client to a standing position so that they can use a walker to move to another location. It also reclines so that the client, who often spends many hours a day in the chair, can shift their pressure points and avoid sores and loss of circulation. But it had literally just stopped working. A quick check on the client’s paper work showed this could be a challenge because the chair was rated for 700 pounds and was one of our more complicated bariatric lift chairs. Three motors, a complex control system with multiple function hand control and multiple hinges and brackets that had to function smoothly to perform at this weight level.
Linda, our Administrator, knew this would require the skill of one of our more senior technicians, so the assignment was handed to Glenn. Glenn prepped himself with tools, meters, and the equipment manual and proceeded to the client’s home. Upon arrival, Glenn found the chair situated in the front room squarely in front of the television with many boxes and other assistive equipment close at hand. This is often the case for clients whose mobility is severely restricted. Wanting to maintain the client’s dignity, Glenn proceeded to remove the boxes and other equipment as though this was no big deal. Once access was gained to the chair, Glenn proceeded to first check out the wires, intending to progress with voltage measurements and further troubleshooting. After plugging in an internal control cord that had been dislodged by the stuff around the chair, Glenn replugged the chair into the electrical outlet to further troubleshoot, but the chair worked perfectly. Glenn later bragged that this was one of his more challenging repair assignments and it was done in record time. Tim, a fellow technician, just rolled his eyes and said “Ya, right Glenn”.
More seriously, Glenn reported that the client was very thankful for KC Help service as he said he could never have done that himself. Glenn said that it is the experiences of helping people and making their lives a little more pleasant that brings the most satisfaction to his ministry. If you like to fix things, come create some experiences for yourself and join Glenn and others in this amazing service. Stop by the warehouse or call and set up an introduction.
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