Inventor finds right place . . . right time . . . right 'brake'

What's that old expression about being at the right place at the right time? They should add to that, you have to know or meet the right people, as well--and maybe have a few other breaks. Throw in a measure of some good ol' determination, and you have the recipe for success.

Jerry Ford of St. Charles would know about that recipe. He's had a few helpings of it in the last year-and-a-half.

While St. Charles is not in our reading area, this is quite a story and there is a Grand Meadow connection, trust me.

Jerry Ford stands (right) with his son Zack Ford (left).

Ford's son, Zack, who had been working in nursing homes since he was 16 (and in fact, was a Certified Nursing Aide since his junior year in high school) saw a problem that needed to be remedied: when patients tried to transfer between a wheelchair and the bed, couch or chair, often the wheels on the wheelchair would roll, causing the patient to fall to the floor.

What would be considered an unsafe situation for anyone is devastating to the handicapped, especially the elderly who are often in a fragile state to begin with.

While all wheelchairs come equipped with brakes that one can set themselves, many patients are either unable to set them or just forget­until it is too late.

Zack, who his dad said was "genuinely concerned" about his patients' well-being, mentioned the problem while visiting with his father, who said he could fix that problem . . . and he did.

Ford designed a brake system for wheelchairs--in his head, and the plan was for father and son to work on the project together in their home shop. But with too many things on the agenda, and Zack's schedule "zigging" while Ford's was "zagging", they never seemed to get together in the shop.

Finally, about three months later, on April 24, 2004, Ford decided it was time. He went to the local hardware store about 10 a.m. and bought $19 worth of items, and about 11 a.m. he began putting together the system he had envisioned. At 2 p.m. he had a prototype of his wheelchair brake system completed.

How does Grand Meadow play into all this? Or, more specifically, Grand Meadow Healthcare Center ? GMHC was the second nursing home in the nation to purchase one of these special chairs. (The nursing home in Chatfield, where Zack was working, was the first to get the chair.)

GMHC's chair has since been put to much use, but the story doesn't end there.

Last Tuesday, Jerry Ford, along with son and daughter Zack and Regina, replaced the original chair GMHC purchased with a new, updated version of the Safe T Chair.

Also on hand for the presentation of the chair was Congressman Gil Gutknecht, who was instrumental in Ford's idea coming to fruition--from his home shop to production and sales.

Rep. Gutknecht, who was obviously very impressed, said of the chair, "If you save 10 people . . . If you save one person!"

". . . or, help them continue their independence," Zack interjected.

Jerry Ford stands (left) with Congressman Gil Gutknecht (right) and patients and staff.

Gutknecht added, the elderly, especially those in nursing homes, are often "fragile", and just one fall can be a "painful death sentence."

On this particular day, long-time Grand Meadow resident Starr Lengerman was presented with the specially-equipped wheelchair.

Ford's Safe T Chairs are manual wheelchairs which have been fitted with fall intervention and safety features­mainly, the multi-award-winning Jerry-Lock brake system.

The system is pre-mounted on quality Everest Jennings fixed arm wheelchairs and is available in 18-inch or 20-inch models with no assembly required. Of the various brands he looked at, Ford found the Everest Jennings chairs to be best suited for the application of his invention.

Simply put, the braking system allows the wheelchair to move when a patient is onboard, but when no one is sitting in it, the brake sets automatically.

Similar chairs from other companies suffered from a problem: if an employee needed to move the empty chair, the brake would not allow them to do so. They had to physically pick up the chair to move it. With the Ford system, there is a "palm release" for easy movement of the unoccupied wheelchair by an employee or patients who often use the chairs as a "walker". The lock-off has an auto reset for added safety. It kicks in the first time someone is seated in the chair.

While there are chairs with similar braking systems on the market, they do not address the problem of not being able to push an empty chair. Also, the others have under-seat mechanisms that are not only uncomfortable, but can cause pressure point skin irritations. For these reasons, and the fact that the competitors' chairs cannot be folded up, they can be found in the storage rooms and closets of nursing homes . . . unused.

Ford's invention has no pressure points and the brake unit does not interfere with normal folding. Add to that the lock-off bypass that allows the empty chair to be pushed, and you've got the winning combo.

An updated version of the brake system has another "plus"--silver ions have been added to the coating on the handles and brackets to help prevent the spread of germs.

It was obvious that Gutknecht was impressed with this feature, as he explained that silver ions have been found to keep surfaces germ free for up to 15 years. In fact, some nursing homes are coating their hallway handrails, and other items that are touched often by residents, with the substance for this very reason.

It's one thing to have a great idea, but how do you let people know about it, get feedback and find the resources and contacts to do something with your great idea? What is the first step, and how do you know if your invention is worth spending the time it will take to get if off the ground?

The first step, according to Ford, is finding a good patent attorney. He found his in The Cities. Basically, he had to patent "the use of gravity" in the design of his chair.

But he credits a friend with turning him onto what he considers his biggest single break: the Minnesota Inventors' Congress. He entered his invention in 2004, where he took awards in four categories--no other entry had done that in their 47-year history.

When he made updates to the chair, he again brought his invention back to the Inventors' Congress, where he won more awards. He also made some great contacts, heard a lot of feedback from other inventors and the public in general. It was enough to make him take the Big Step.

"I basically bet the farm on this," he stated, adding that he took the equity out of the family's farmstead to get his business going.

One thing he did was get a Web site set up (JerryFordCompany.com), on which a video presentation demonstrates the use of the Safe T Chair.

Besides the MIC, Ford also exhibited his chair at the MedTrade Show in Las Vegas and in Florida, where much interest was shown in the product, and more contacts were made.

After attending the Minnesota Inventors' Congress, Ford was contacted by the organization and informed that their state funding had been cut. They have a staff of three, and this meant, after almost half a century, they would not be able to continue their operation.

He was asked if he would be willing to go to St. Paul to testify to a House sub committee about his invention and what the Inventors' Congress meant to him and the development of his product.

He not only testified before the House committee, but two weeks later testified before a Senate subcommittee, as well. He heard a few weeks later that the funding was restored to the organization. He also received some e-mails from some of the senators and representatives with some positive feedback about his invention and how they were influenced by his testimony.

When Ford returns to the Minnesota Inventors' Congress this year, he will have more to offer than another invention. He is going to give an award in the agricultural category to the inventor who makes a product that "will help make farming safer, better or easier."

The prospects for the Safe T Chair are seemingly endless, as Gutknecht and the inventor pointed out.

The first Veterans' Administration medical location to order a chair was at Luverne, Minnesota. The patient who received the Safe T Chair had fallen several times from a wheelchair that had rolled away from him. Since receiving one of Ford's chairs, he had not fallen once.

The VA in Luverne now has four chairs.

There are thousands of veterans' medical facilities in the nation and Ford hopes to reach them all, as well as the thousands of nursing homes.

In November, Ford mailed out flyers to 10,000 skilled nursing facilities; approximately 5,000 in Florida, California, Arizona, Texas and New York --the states with the highest population of seniors (and, hence, nursing homes), and about 5,000 facilities in 15 other states. The flyers not only point out the features of the new chair, touting its ability to "prevent injuries caused by roll-away wheelchairs," but offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, as well as free shipping through January 2006.

Ask the common Minnesota resident how many chairs they think Mayo Clinic owns, and you'll get answers like, 5,000 . . . 7,000 . . . "a few thousand." They are astounded to learn that, according to Ford's findings, the Clinic has . . . (drum roll, please . . . and remember, Mayo has several satellite offices, the two hospitals and all those buildings) 50,000 chairs!

Among the "breaks" Ford encountered along the way was when the farmer/heavy equipment mechanic/inventor/motorcyclist met Rep. Gutknecht at a motorcycle rally, where the Congressman was acting as auctioneer for the fund-raiser.

Ford said he decided to approach the Representative and tell him about his new invention. "I saw my opportunity and took it," he stated, adding that he thought the worst that Gutknecht could do was "turn around and walk away."

But Gutknecht didn't walk away. He was "very interested" and encouraged Ford to "pursue it". He also gave him some names that might be able to help him with his project.

Last Tuesday, Gutknecht stated he was impressed by "how few tools" it took to put the chair into production. Also, all the components for the braking system are made in America, which thrills Gutknecht.

The Congressman pointed out that for nursing homes and other medical facilities, there should be "a tremendous savings in insurance costs" to those who implement the use of these chairs, and Ford added, the average cost of hip replacement surgery is $60,000!

Gutknecht said from an economics view, he was supportive of this venture as a small business and thought the manufacturing aspect could turn into a positive thing for the St. Charles area. "The market will grow," he stated, adding that he was glad he was able to "open a few doors" for Ford.