Power Mobility and Safety Concerns
Power mobility allows people who are in long-term care to take part in their everyday activities and leisure activities. The devices can also pose safety concerns, which must be addressed.
The majority of participants choose to take a teleological approach and give all residents the chance to try devices, not to exclude those with specific diagnoses that could be viewed as a prejudicial risk management.
Mobility
A power mobility device is a method for people who are unable to move about their home or community, and participate in daily activities that they might not otherwise be able to participate in. However, these devices can also be a danger to the person who uses them, as well as other individuals who share their environment or space. Occupational therapists need to carefully assess each client's safety needs to make the most appropriate recommendations for powered mobility.
In a study that was conducted by OTs in three residential care facilities of the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, qualitative interviews were conducted with residents to assess their power mobility use. The aim was to create an approach to client-centered power mobility prescribing. The results revealed four main themes: (1) the meaning of power mobility, (2) learning the rules of the road, (3) red flags: concerns about safety and (4) solutions.
Power mobility can boost the quality of life for people with mobility limitations. This is due to the fact that it allows them to take part in everyday activities at home and within the community. Self-care, active and recreational occupations are vital for mental and physical health of people who are older. For many with chronic illnesses, power mobility can be a means to participate in these important activities.
Many participants considered it unacceptable to remove the resident's chair since it would result in a significant disruption in their life story or course of action, and ultimately stop them from continuing with the same activities that they had been doing before their disease progression. This was especially relevant for those in the Facility 1 who were only in a position to use their power chair for a brief period and now relied on others to push them.
Another option is to reduce the speed at which some residents drove their chairs, however this could have raised concerns, including a lack of privacy and the impact on other residents in the community. The most drastic solution to security concerns was to take away the wheelchair from a resident's.
Safety
Power mobility allows disabled people to move more freely and take part in a wider variety of activities, and even run around. However, with increased mobility comes a higher risk of accidents. For some, these incidents could cause serious injuries to themselves and others. It is essential to think about the safety of your clients before suggesting power mobility.
green power mobility scooter reviews in determining safety is to determine if your client is able to safely operate their power wheelchair or scooter. This could involve an examination of the physical by a doctor, occupational therapist or mobility specialist, based on the nature of your client's disability as well as their current health. In some cases the use of a vehicle lift may be required to allow for your client to unload and load their mobility device at home in the community, or at work.
Another aspect of safety is knowing the rules of the road. This includes sharing space with other pedestrians, wheelchair users and drivers of cars or buses. Most participants in the study discussed this topic.
Some people learned to drive their wheelchairs along sidewalks instead of driving through the midst of crowds or on curbs (unless the wheelchair was specifically designed to be used in this way). Others drove more cautiously and kept an eye out for pedestrians in an area that was crowded.
The last and least popular option was to remove 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 view of most participants who had their chairs removed among them Diane and Harriet.
Participants also suggested that family members, and staff members be educated on the safe use of power mobility. This could include teaching the fundamentals of driving (such as using the right side of the hallway) as well as encouraging residents to practice driving strategies while out, and helping them understand how their behavior affects the mobility of others.
Follow-Up
The capacity and willingness of a child to take part in the world can be profoundly affected by a device that can power them. There isn't much research on the experience that children experience when they learn to utilize these devices. This study employs an approach that is pre-post to study the impact of 6 months' experience with one of the four early power mobility devices on children in the school age group 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. The first, 'Power in mobility explained the ways in which a powered device changed more than just a child's locomotor abilities. Learning to drive a mobility device can be an emotional and transformative experience for those who participated.
The second theme, 'There isn't a recipe book,' showed that the process of learning how to utilize a power mobility device was an individual process that unfolded over time in a cyclical manner. Therapists were asked to decide what was appropriate depending on the individual's capabilities and requirements. In the initial phase of training and afterwards, therapists needed to be patient with children as well as parents. Therapists and parents alike emphasized the need to assist families celebrate their achievements and solve problems associated with the training process.
The third theme"Shared space', explored the ways in which using an electric device can influence the lives of others and how they interact. The majority of the participants in this study believed that people should be considerate when using a device that is powered by electricity. This is particularly true when driving in public spaces. A few participants also mentioned that they've encountered situations in which someone else's property was damaged due to the use of an electric mobility device, or when a person was injured by a driver who had failed to yield 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 young children with CP. This will hopefully lead to the development of more uniform training protocols for this population.