The Need
The Inventor tells his story
They say that necessity is the mother of invention.
My wife had a hip replacement operation and for the first few days in hospital was considerably incapacitated. The crutches were her only means to get out of bed and move around her room or along the hospital corridor. But where were the crutches? Not by the bed but leaning against an armchair some 3 metres away. She obviously couldn’t reach them from her bed. Hospital staff placed them against the armchair because there was nowhere else to put them. They couldn’t lean against the bed itself, or the side cabinet (because they would fall over or interfere with other nursing activity. They couldn’t be leant against the wall behind the bed (some 2 metres from the headboard) and even if they were, they would have been equally inaccessible.
For someone with mobility problems, immediate access to their crutches is key.
It seemed amazing to me that no one had come up with a better way of providing that access and safe storage of walking aids. Wasn’t it odd that in a hospital environment, objects as cumbersome and top-heavy as crutches should be left leaning against an armchair! That was a trip hazard in itself as the shafts leaned at a dangerous angle across the floor. Once on the ground (and they almost inevitably both fall over together) they present an immediate danger to everyone. Patients, staff and visitors.
I decided I couldn’t see this ludicrous situation continue, I had to do something about it. Working with designers I set down my priorities for a device that was freestanding, stable, secure and easy to use. It should have no mechanical parts that might later fail.
My objective was to make patients more independent and release nursing staff and carers for other duties, since they would no longer need to keep fetching patients’ crutches to give to the patient or place them somewhere until they were needed again.
My vision was clear. I had to come up with a solution that worked for everyone, everywhere. A device that met this fundamental need. After many iterations the result was StanZa- always within reach.
Michael Lynn
Inventor
