Hello.
Like many, my hand shakes. It is particularly noticeable when I use my laptop. I have been told that a device is available for PD users. Any ideas please,
Ian
I am very interested myself and have just done a search on the forum which produced the following :
We’ve got a handy page on our website about accessibility options and help getting online for people with Parkinson’s - http://www.parkinsons.org.uk/gettingonline
Though we can’t recommend a specific mouse, an organisation called AbilityNet may be able to help you. The organisation aims to make computer technology available to people with disabilities. Their FREE helpline 0800 269 545 offers expert advice and information.
The AbilityNet website is http://www.abilitynet.org.uk/
Personally I have had a lot of success using a rollerball. You can get them at PC World or on the web. The princple behind it is that you use the palm of your hand to move the cursor to where you need it; then let it go and press either of the buttons on the side of the device. This eliminates trying to keep the mouse still while also trying to press the button. I am right handed but you can use the rollerball equally easily from either hand. The device comes usb. Or Bluetooth connected. It has been keeping me sane for over ten years now. Much recommended. I suggest you go to PC World and take your pick from the different styles available. Cheers, John
Hi John,
I have been looking on the internet at Rollerball mice and find the abundance of variations confusing. Some do not appear as though they would function as you describe using the palm of hand. Can you advise which particular model you are using? Many thanks in advance. Gerrard
Hi Gerrard.
I currently use a USB-connected Logitech mouse that I have had for many years. But I have recently purchased a Kensington “Expert Mouse” which has the option of blue-tooth connection. Both mice operate on the principal of a ball mounted on a stationery cradle with 4 buttons alongside the mouse. You roll the ball in any direction using your palm where it joins the first joint of each finger to position the cursor where you need it to be. You use your arm to initiate the movement of the mouse which usually invokes less tremor than using fingers. When you take your hand away the cursor stays in the same position and you can then guarantee accurate application of any instruction you give on the buttons.
Where the rollerball wins out is that you don’t have to hold the mouse steady when you go to operate one of the mouse buttons.
There are products with slight variations on this basic principle and you really need to go along to somewhere like PC World to see the differences and choose the one best suited to addressing your specific variant of tremor symptoms. Personally, I haven’t been able to use a mouse effectively for many years now but do a lot of work with my rollerball without frustration.
I hope this helps.
Cheers
John
Before I was diagnosed I had great difficulty using a the mouse on my office desk in work (I kept unintentionally right-clicking) and my mouse which I use on my PC at home which I found impossible to click with any accuracy (I thought it was faulty - silly me eh?). As soon as my medication kicked in (Madopar and Selegelin) I became able to operate both without any problem.
Hi John, Thanks for the advice and information. Apologies for the delay in coming back to you
but I have spent some time travelling around to try and find a computer outlet with trackballs I could try out. My local Currys did not stock them nor did any other shop I visited. So I had to rely upon your advice and my own research. The conclusion I reached was to go in the same direction as yourself and chose the Kensington Expert. I ordered it from Amazon and it arrived yesterday. It is somewhat larger than I expected but certainly much easier to control than a standard mouse. The instructions seem difficult to understand but that will no doubt become clearer as I read through them again. I do not yet understand what the four keys are for but I am getting by with the bottom two which appear to function as a standard mouse would. I have downloaded the software but didn’t find it very easy to comprehend and will need to refer to it again. From all of this you will gather that I am not too clever with technology and I tend to learn through trial and error. This is my first attempt at using it for correspondence for which I have found the ball and cursor a little more difficult to control but I have no doubt that will improve with more use. I shall spend much of today reading through the instructions and looking at the software again…First impressions! I am delighted with the Kensington and would recommend it to anyone who has difficulty using a standard mouse. Thank you again for your help John. Best Wishes, Gerrard
My left hand tremors right not so much so mouse is ok for me but if you are left handed you can programme buttons to use left handed and there are also upright mice you can use with your hand resting on the table, a much more comfortable and natural position.Lift Vertical Ergonomic Mouse | Logitech
1 Like
Hello everyone,
well finally I have found the forum again and revisited. 2019 seems such a long, long time ago. I have been, up until recently managing with a bog standard Logitech mouse. No complaints there, 100% reliable. Parkinsons has just recently made life marginally more difficult. Frustration with involuntary acts of my little finger and and my right hand. A couple of weeks ago I took the plunge and bought a Kensington Expert. Not so much a mouse as a giant rat, it is enormous. So, three weeks in today, what I can say is that it is the best piece of kit I have bought in a long while albeit the price frightened me to death at the time. (ÂŁ110.00 + about ÂŁ14.00 for the case - I switch from Laptop to Desktop everyday - care has to be taken with the Roller-ball itself and if you travel I feel the case is essential.)
If anyone wants to know more about the KE and what I am using it for, feel free to contact me. Either through the forum or at www.OneOffMugs.co.uk - well wasn’t that a good idea at the time!
Anyway, so far so good, thanks for the posts, very, very helpful.
Ian