Transcript of Independent Perspective 1673 with Kim Naus about The Obi Robotic Feeder podcast

Host:  Welcome to Independent Perspective, a public affairs presentation of Western New York Independent Living (WNYIL). Our guest today is Kimberly Naus, Director of the University at Buffalo’s Center for Assistive Technology, and your host is yours truly, Ernie Churchwell. Welcome to the program Kim.

Guest:  Hi, Ernie, thank you for having me.

Host:  Our pleasure. And as always, when we have the honor of having you as our guest, you're here because of the auspices of the TRAID program, if you could briefly mention what that does.

Guest:  Yes, the TRAID Program. TRAID is an acronym for Technology Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities. It is a federally funded program to help the quality of care and advocacy for people with disabilities, various individuals, and it increases their awareness and enables them to live independently, in many cases.

Host:  Terrific. And as always, you're here to emphasize a particular piece of assistive technology and tell us all about it. And the name reminds me of Star Wars, the Obi Robotic Feeder.

Guest:  Yes, it's an awesome device. We're very excited with having it here. Because as TRAID works, we could demonstrate this device for people, or they could borrow the device. The Obi Robotic Feeder is a breakthrough dining device for people living with physical challenges. It enables a person to eat independently with freedom. Eat at their own pace, their ability to interact while dining and it gives a newfound sense of calm, confidence, dignity, independence, instead of waiting for somebody else. It is controlled with initiated training. The feeder is controlled by switches. So, it enables the person to hit the switch, to activate, the switch will then scoop into the food that you want to eat. There are three separate dishes and then again, it provides a dining experience with an impairment of the upper extremity. It's ideal for patients with ALS, amputations, arthritis, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, neuromuscular conditions, Parkinson's, or spinal injuries.

Host:  And for people that are not that familiar with the term although some may know it by the name Lou Gehrig's disease, what does ALS stand for?

Guest:  It stands for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or something like that. You caught me off guard.

Host:  Oh, sorry about that. Sometimes people in the field are just accustomed to acronym city and you have to stop and think about what they mean. Alright. So, this is something that people would they come down to the Center for Assistive Technology to try it out? Would they take it for a spin at home? Or would you help them find the funding for it through government sources and what's the procedure?

Guest:  The procedure would be to call us first, brainstorm with us, you know, share the condition of the person that you're looking for devices because it may be another device that I've discussed before in previous shows, so they can just call 836-1168. And again, we would brainstorm with them on the phone, provide them the opportunity to schedule an appointment to see it be demonstrated, if it's available for loan, then we will provide it as a loan to them at that time. But again, we have many other devices that may fit the bill for a particular person also.

Host:  Well as it serves to help increase people's independence, we at WNYIL are all enthused for that kind of assistive device. Just in case people didn't have a pencil handy when you mentioned it earlier, could you give us that phone number one more time?

Guest:  Yes, I can 716-836-1168. And as you mentioned we can schedule an appointment, we can help them with funding, direct them. I mean, we won't give them the funding, but we can direct them in ways of retrieving funding if their insurance does not cover.

Host:  Thanks so much for being with us Kim.

Guest:  Thank you, Ernie. Have a wonderful day.

Host:  You too. You've been listening to Independent Perspective, a public affairs presentation of WNYIL. Our guest today was Kimberly Naus, Director of the University at Buffalo’s Center for Assistive Technology, and your host was yours truly, Ernie Churchwell.