Not long ago, Joe Vallon of Fall River, MA began suffering from orthostatic hypertension, a medical condition which results in a sudden increase in blood pressure when a person stands up. When Joe stands up, he must stand still until his blood pressure goes back to normal. Coupled with some difficulties walking, getting around had become very difficult for Joe. According to his wife Mary, “If Joe needed to move around, he would rise from his recliner, stand up to keep his balance, and then go over to his walker or a wheelchair.” It also resulted in him falling multiple times and injuring himself in the process.
Mary thought that a power wheelchair would give him more independence
and reached out for help. Due to some of Joe’s other health issues, his
experience wasn’t as quick and easy as it could have been, but Open-AireMobility Division helped him every step of the way. Mary says, “When we
first started working with Open-Aire, they set up a meeting with his doctor,
but Joe went into the hospital and we couldn’t proceed. His case manager helped
reschedule his appointments and got him some time extensions that we needed
until he was out and ready to move forward. We had an excellent experience with
Open-Aire.”
Now Joe has his power wheelchair and has indeed become more
independent. Getting around from one room to the other is just a simple matter of grabbing
the joystick and pointing it to where he
wants to go. Joe no longer worries
about his rising blood pressure or about falling.
