Why Power Mobility Is The Best Choice For You?

Power Mobility and Safety Concerns

Power mobility allows individuals who are in long-term care in their everyday activities and leisure activities. However, these devices can also create safety concerns that need to be addressed.

The majority of participants choose to take a teleological approach and give all residents the chance to try a device, rather than restrict residents with certain diagnoses that could be viewed as an unfair risk management.

Mobility

A power mobility device is a method for people who are unable to move around in their home or community and to participate in activities of daily living that they may not be able to do. These devices be a danger not just to the person using them but also to others who are in their the space. Occupational therapists must carefully assess the safety needs of each client prior to making recommendations regarding powered mobility.

In an exploratory study (von Zweck, 1999), OTs from three residential care facilities within the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority conducted qualitative interviews with residents about their power mobility use. The aim was to develop a framework that could allow for a client-centered power movement prescription. The findings revealed four main themes: (1) power mobility meaning, (2) learning road rules, (3) red flags - safety concerns and (4) solutions.

Power mobility can boost the quality of life for people who have mobility limitations. This is because it allows them to participate in everyday activities at home as well as in the community. Self-care, productive and leisure occupations are vital for physical and mental health of older adults. For many who suffer from advanced illnesses, power mobility can be a means to participate in these vital activities.

Many participants considered it unacceptable to remove a resident's chair, as this would cause a major disruption in their life story or path and prevent them from continuing to engage in the same activities that they had been doing before the progression of their illness. This was particularly true for those in the facility 1, who had been able to maintain their power chairs for short durations and were forced to rely on other residents to push them around the facility.

Another option is to slow down the speed at which some residents drive their chairs. However this could cause a number issues such as privacy and the impact on the rest of the community. The most drastic solution to safety concerns was to remove a resident's wheelchair.

Safety

Power mobility allows people to move more freely. They can also participate in a greater variety of activities and complete around on their own. However, with increased freedom of movement comes a higher risk of accidents. For some, these incidents can cause serious injuries to themselves and others. It is important to think about the security of your clients prior to suggesting the use of power mobility.

First check whether your client can safely operate their scooter or power chair. Depending on the severity of their disability and the condition of their current health, this might involve a physical evaluation by a doctor or occupational therapist, and a discussion with a mobility expert to determine if a particular device would be appropriate for them. In certain situations, a vehicle lift will be required to allow for your client to unload and load their mobility device at home in the community, or at work.

Understanding the rules of road safety is an additional aspect of safety. This involves sharing space with other pedestrians, wheelchair users and drivers of trucks, cars or buses. This is a topic that was mentioned by the majority of participants in the study.

For some this, it meant learning to use their wheelchairs on sidewalks instead of driving through busy areas or over curbs (unless specifically designed to do so). Others drove more cautiously and kept an eye out for pedestrians in a crowd.

The last and least popular alternative was to take away a person's chair, which was viewed as a double punishment: losing independent mobility and preventing access to facilities and community activities. This was the opinion of most participants who were able to remove their chairs, including Diane and Harriet.

Other ideas suggested by the participants included educating other residents, family members and staff on the safe operation of power mobility. This could include teaching basic driving skills (such as the correct side to walk on in the hallway), encouraging the residents to practice driving techniques while outside and assisting them to be aware of how their actions affect other people's mobility.

Follow-Up

The capacity and willingness of a child to take part in the world can be greatly affected by a device that can power them. There isn't much research into the experiences children have when learning to use these devices. This study uses the pre-post method to investigate the impact of six months of experience using one of four early power mobility devices on the children in school with severe cerebral palsy (CP).

Qualitative interviews were conducted with 15 parents and children's occupational and physical therapists. Thematic analysis identified three major themes.  view website , 'Power and mobility,' explained the ways in which powered devices changed more than just motor skills. The experience of learning to drive a motorized mobility device is often an emotional and transformative one.

The second theme , 'There's no cookbook' revealed that learning how to make use of an equipment for mobility was a process that developed in a way that was cyclical over time. Therapists were tasked with unearthing what was realistic for each child's needs and capabilities. During the training phase and following, therapists were required to be patient with children as well as parents. Several parents and therapists described the need to assist families celebrate successes and problem-solve issues that arise during the process of training.

The third theme, "Shared space", examined how the use of a power device can impact other people's interactions and lives. The majority of participants in this study believed that it is important to be considerate when using a device that is powered by electricity. This is particularly true when driving in public areas. Several participants also noted that they had encountered instances where another's property was damaged due to the use of an electric mobility device, or in which an individual was injured due to a driver who not yielded the right-of-way.

The results of this study show that power mobility and socialization training for preschoolers with CP can be carried out in a variety of classroom settings. The next research study should study the training and results for this type of intervention in children with CP. This should hopefully lead to the development of more standard training protocols specifically for this group of children.