The IP address used for your Internet connection is part of a subnet that has been blocked from access to PubMed Central. Addresses across the entire subnet were used to download content in bulk, in violation of the terms of the PMC Copyright Notice. Use of PMC is free, but must comply with the terms of the Copyright Notice on the PMC site. For additional information, or to request that your IP address be unblocked, For requests to be unblocked, you must include all of the information in the box above in your message.See your commute times Lot size: 1,197 sqft 180+ Days on Trulia home features 3 bedroom, 1 bath w/ eat-in kitchen, dining room w/ mahogany sliding doors leading to living room area and full basement. upper 3rd bedroom used as office/den area, also room off of master bedroom used as tool/work area. bathroom (handicap accessible) updated - july 2015, newer roof installed - oct 2015, exterior painting completed (front of home) - july 2015. home includes: gas stove, keyless entry intercom system - (master bed room area) to main electric door entry.
(handicap accessible) electric stair chair lift, (baldwin monarch) piano also included. Lot Size: 1,197 sqft Stories: 2 story with basement Tax Rate Code Area: CITY OF PITTSBURGH Save this home to compare later! Calculate your commute time See 2 schools assigned to this home. Price History & Trends Compare homes in the area Average listing price for similar homes Average listing price for all homes in West Oakland Median sale price for all homes in West Oakland View more Sales Trends for West Oakland View all Pittsburgh real estate Northwood Realty Services City, Agent Phone: (256) 661-4539When Dr. Rich Barbara signed up to test the iBOT -- Johnson & Johnson's stair-climbing wheelchair -- in the summer of 2001, he thought he would be reluctant to give it back at the end of the two-week trial. But impressed as he was with its balancing abilities, Dr. Barbara, a 50-year-old paraplegic, found himself yearning for his manual wheelchair.''
I was glad when my two weeks were up,'' said Dr. Barbara, a clinical psychologist at the University of Pittsburgh's Rehabilitation Hospital.The Independence iBOT 3000 Mobility System, which won approval from the Food and Drug Administration last week, was designed by Dean Kamen, a New Hampshire inventor, many years before he introduced his Segway transporter in 2001.Some of the same sensors and gyroscopes that support the two-wheeled Segway's balancing act on sidewalks lie behind the four-wheeled iBOT's ability to navigate stairs and elevate the user to eye level with the rest of the world, improving the quality of life for many of the two million Americans with mobility-related disabilities. The F.D.A. approval, which came through after reviewers were satisfied with the results of a Phase 3 trial involving 18 users, opens the doors for Johnson & Johnson to bring the device to market. The iBOT will be first made available at 20 clinics across the country, where doctors and rehabilitation professionals will be trained in its use, a company representative said.
Since the iBOT requires the use of one hand to operate the chair by manipulating a joystick, in addition to judging what kind of terrain to avoid, doctors can prescribe it only to patients who pass a physical and cognitive test.In Dr. Barbara's experience, the advantages of using the device were offset by some inconveniences.''It was a trade-off,'' he said. The iBOT's balancing feature allowed him to climb over street curbs, and its powerful four-wheel drive enabled him to ride across sandy, gravelly and grassy terrain.But unlike his manual wheelchair and like most other powered wheelchairs, the iBOT was too big to fit into his Honda Civic; he needed a minivan to bring it to work. When he used the iBOT's stand-up function in his kitchen to reach for high shelves, the back and forth motion caused by the front wheels' rolling up and over the rear ones took up so much room that his wife and children had to move into the hallway. In the bathroom, he found it cumbersome to transfer himself from the chair to the toilet seat.
And getting to the sink from the iBOT while brushing his teeth was no simple feat. These difficulties and a price of $29,000 may limit widespread use of the iBOT.A big question for iBOT's maker and its potential users is whether insurance companies will agree to pay for it. Johnson & Johnson says it is talking to private insurers and public agencies to make room for the iBOT in their reimbursement policies.''If I am newly injured, the iBOT would help me avoid an average expense of $40,000 on home modification, which includes refurnishing, building ramps and lowering shelves,'' said Jean-Luc Butel, president of Independence Technologies, the Johnson & Johnson subsidiary that is manufacturing the iBOT. ''I would go back to work more quickly; that would lead to further savings. And it's not just a matter of better health economics. It's about quality of life.''Insurance companies do not always find words like ''quality of life'' and ''comfort'' compelling. Julianna Arva of the Swedish wheelchair maker Permobil, said most reimbursement requests for powered wheelchairs have to be backed up by evidence of medical necessity.''
Every case is a fight,'' Ms. Arva said. ''You request the equipment, the insurer sends you a denial letter. Then your therapist has to fill out reams of paperwork to argue your case. It can be a lengthy process.'' For those with a degenerative condition like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, waiting a year or more for approval is simply not an option. ''That's why many patients opt for a manual wheelchair,'' she said.While iBOT's stair-climbing feature may give users a sense of independence they haven't experienced before, competitors say powered wheelchairs with some of iBOT's other features have been around for years. Several companies make chairs with a seat-elevating function. Levo of Switzerland and Pemobil sell wheelchairs in the price range of $24,000 to $26,000 that can prop the user up into a standing position. This function, manufacturers say, helps prevent bone degeneration and muscular atrophy, and improves bowel and bladder function.''Stair-climbing may not be a medically necessary function, but it makes a big difference to the user's emotional well-being,'' said Dr. Rory Cooper, a rehabilitation engineer at the University of Pittsburgh who participated in the 2001 trials along with Dr. Barbara.