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  1. #1
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    Wheelchair Hanger's Experience

    I have a new friend, who loves to be outdoors. She is newly confined to using a wheelchair, I call it her chariot.
    She loves to go camping and has had to resort to using a tiny travel trailer. She has found a few places where she is able to fish from and enjoy the beauty of our countryside.

    I have a couple of Hennessy hammocks with the original opening the Safari, which is meant for large people. What I would like is to hear from people with mobility issues and how they manage their Hangs. I would like to forward these experiences to my friend, so she will have real life experience from people in her peers.

    Thank you for reading this post and I hope some of the members with mobility issues or their friends will contact me (us).

  2. #2
    Senior Member Ramblinrev's Avatar
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    I have some mobility issues although I am ambulatory. I love my Hennessy bottom entry. In fact it is the only hammock I can get out of. That said... If I did not have use of my legs at all I would find it difficult to open the slit. Does she go all by her lonesome or is she accompanied? Please note I did not make an assumption either way but it makes a difference how things might be managed and what adaptive contrivances she might find useful.

    I guess I would encourage a visit to a group hang so she could try a variety of setups and see which suit her mobility issues best.
    I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.

    "Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
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  3. #3
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    You will probably get a better answer from some that has actually had to do it, but your question did make me think of a friend I had in a wheelchair. The had a rope with a handle that they could use to help lift their self in and out of bed. It made me wonder if something could be attached to the ridge line to help serve the same purpose to enter and exit. On the other hand it might be a terrible idea. With how the hammock freely moves it may not work.

  4. #4
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    ditto the rev. If she can stand up using the hammock with her feet out the slit then a bottom entry would be her best choice. She has support until she lets go so she can stand then sit into her chair. If she can stand and turn the chair can be left at the end of the hammock in place. If she cannot stand on her own a side entry would be easier to get her out of.
    YMMV

    HYOH

    Free advice worth what you paid for it. ;-)

  5. #5
    Senior Member MDSH's Avatar
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    I was thinking of the ridge line, too, as a grab.

    She'd need to be able to hold it with one hand/arm and control the hammock with the other as she swings into the hammock. Tough but doable.

    From a wheelchair her hang angle would be shallow, owing to the fact that she cannot reach up very far.

    So, she'd need 1/8" Amsteel or mule tape throughout.

    I've got plenty of both and, along with a tablecloth body am willing to make her a set up (sans tarp and quilts) if she is serious about trying it.
    Mike

    Learn to survive and thrive in any situation, for you never know what might happen. Love family and friends passionately. Suffer no fool. Know your purpose in life and follow it with all your heart.

  6. #6
    Herder of Cats OutandBack's Avatar
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    Hammocks do take a bit of coordination to get in and out of. I would be worried about falling in that process if this person has weak bone (thinking hips) issues.
    I know you just said wheelchair and did not mention age.

  7. #7
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    Thank You for your suggestions, they are all helpful and supportive. I am sure this is a can do project, Toni is becoming excited about the concept of Hanging, now we just have to make a plan so the experience is positive.

    RAMBLINREV--We are not having any group hangs in our area this season, I think our organizer had way too little help and way too many difficult to please participants. My friend has very limited mobility, she does not require an aid. She has a tiny travel trailer she uses. She is almost able to reach anything in the trailer with one or two steps. She is a large person, so she has a decent reach. She travels unescorted, really I think she is very adventuresome. Some of the places she goes to fish are not designed for her chariot, however she gets where she aims for.

    KAMPER KURT-- I think your idea for a rope come-a-long is along the right track. Kind of a block & tackle set-up. Weight of the gear is not a factor, because she probably will not be getting very far from a vehicle. she has seizures from time to time, so much to her disdain she needs to be near transportation. I am thinking hanging something from a tree or higher up on the tree where the hammock is suspended. Ridgeline is not strong enough.

    NOTHERMARK-- Thank you for your input, I think your idea is on the right track. However, the side entry Hennessy's are a devil for me to get out of. That side I have a different body type, I am short and have to be a bit careful how I move, I feel like a beached whale in most of the Hennessy Hammocks, with the exception of the ultra light, that one I just pop right out of.

    MDSH-- Thank you for your offer, I am thinking about your suggestions. After I gather more information, I am going to share the information and see what she thinks might work the best for her. We are going to have to plan this carefully, no slip ups allowed.

    OUTANDBACK-- Falling is my number one concern. I know how to transfer people from wheel chairs to gurneys and vehicles. My daughter also has experience along that line, this woman's daughter is also experienced, so with three of us, I am confident we will be able to get her in my Hennessy without her ending up on the ground. I am sure we will be able to get her out of the hammock and back in her chariot. My friend is 40 not osteoporotic, She was very outdoorsy until she was the subject of a medical mistake, which almost resulted in her death. about 4 years ago. Her efforts to fish, far outweigh the dangers of us getting her in and out of a hammock. If she has a seizure, a hammock is probably safer than her travel trailer, less things to slam into and easier to help her if she needs help.

    P.S. I was the first woman in Oregon licensed as a EMT, I earned my license as an elective when I was working toward being a Respiratory Therapist.

  8. #8
    Senior Member Ramblinrev's Avatar
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    Bottom entry would be ideal for her is she can stand even momentarily. Grabbing the slit by the sides, she can sit on the hammock until she can move her self to the chair on her own steam. I have a vid somewhere showing how I get into an out of my hennessy. I would suggest some adaptive lines that attach to the slit on each side. By pulling on these lines the slit can be opened and she can slide her self down to the end. The integrated bug net would be my choice because it does not require the use of zippers once you are in the hammock. That being said, I would send it to 2qzq for a zipper mod so she has freedom to spread thing out inside without the bother of reaching through the slot.
    My one complaint about the Safari is Hennessy does not make a super shelter setup for it. But if she is planning on using quilts that becomes immaterial. Brushing an underquilt aside to get in and out requires some getting used to but is reasonably easy to do. Above all else it is critically important to get advance time with the hammock with someone who can assist her until she is comfortable dealing it the logistics alone.

    edit: She will also need adaptive devices to get the suspension hung properly high enough. With the proper adaptive devices she would not require a shallower hang and would want the hammock to be roughly chair height when loaded. I'm sure things can be worked out. She sounds like a very independent woman who would like to be as self reliant as possible. I would vote for the Hennessy from my own experience.
    Last edited by Ramblinrev; 07-05-2015 at 21:27.
    I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.

    "Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
    Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn

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  9. #9
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    You could do some kind of structural ridgeline, which would be helpful for handles. Even if it was a hybrid system, the advantages with even slightly heavier amsteel is massive amounts of strength.


    I'm having a thought for a hybrid bridge, using thin flexible plastic edging so the hammock holds itself open more, my feeling being that any sort of handhold would be helpful. although the easier option is a double layer with foam.

  10. #10
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    What I find with the Hennessy bottom entry is that I just stick a foot through and the rest sort of follows. A rope to the tree coming in through the slit would give her something to grab and pull without worrying about what she is breaking. That will help her sit up. With feet down the hammock is stable or one can lift it off one's head.

    I forgot the newer one's might have velcro. I'd remove it if they do as the one's without work fine. I also think she might be better off at least to start with a wide pad instead of a quilt. Less stuff in the way.
    YMMV

    HYOH

    Free advice worth what you paid for it. ;-)

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