Power Mobility and Safety Concerns
Power mobility allows people who are in long-term care to take part in their routine activities and leisure activities. The devices can also create security concerns that need to be addressed.
Most participants chose to take a teleological approach and allow all residents the opportunity to test a device, rather than exclude residents with specific diagnosis that could be viewed as an unfair risk management.
Mobility
A power mobility device enables people with limited ability to move around their homes or communities and engage in daily activities that would otherwise be impossible for them. These devices be a danger not just to the individual using them, but also to other people who share their space or the space. Occupational therapists must carefully evaluate the safety needs of each client to provide the most appropriate suggestions regarding powered mobility.
In a study that was conducted by OTs at three residential care facilities of the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, qualitative interviews were conducted with residents to determine the extent to which they used power mobility. The objective was to establish a framework that would allow the use of power mobility that is centered on the needs of the client. The findings 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 those with mobility limitations. This is due to the fact that it lets them participate in everyday activities at home as well as in the community. Participation in self-care as well as leisure and productive occupations is essential for physical and mental health for older adults and for those who are suffering from progressive illnesses power mobility can be a way to continue participating in these important activities.
The majority of participants felt it was not acceptable to remove the resident's chair since this would cause a major disruption in their life story or course of action, and ultimately stop them from continuing to engage in the same activities they were doing prior to the progression of their illness. This was especially relevant to those in the Facility 1, who had been in a position to use their chairs for short periods of time, but were forced to rely on other residents to help them move around the facility.
Another possible solution is to limit the speed at which residents drove their chairs, however this raised a number of issues such as a lack of privacy and impact on other people in the community. In the end, taking away a resident's chair was considered the most drastic and least desirable solution to security concerns.
Safety
Power mobility allows people to move around more freely. They can also participate in a wider range of activities and run errands. With greater mobility comes a higher risk of accidents. These incidents can result in serious injuries for some. This is why it is crucial to consider the security of your client before recommending that they use a power mobility.
The first step in assessing security is to determine if your client is safe to operate their scooter or power wheelchair. Based on their impairment and the state of their health, this could involve a physical evaluation by a physician or occupational therapist, or an interview with a mobility expert to determine if a particular device is suitable for them. In certain situations your client will require a lift for their vehicle to be able to load and unload the mobility device at home, community or workplace.
Understanding the rules of road safety is a further aspect of safety. This includes sharing space with other wheelchair users, pedestrians, and bus drivers. Most participants in the study discussed this topic.
Some people learned to drive their wheelchairs along sidewalks instead of driving through crowded areas or on curbs (unless the wheelchair was made to be used in this way). Others drove more cautiously and kept an eye out for pedestrians in a crowd.
The final and least popular option, which was to remove the wheelchair of a person was seen as a double-punishment that would result in the loss of mobility, and also preventing them from participating in community and facility activities. This was the viewpoint of the majority of participants who were able to remove their chairs among them Diane and Harriet.
Other suggestions made by participants included educating other residents as well as family members and staff on the proper operation of power mobility. This could include teaching the basics of driving (such as which side to walk on in the hallway) as well as encouraging residents to practice driving skills while outside and helping them understand how their behavior affects the mobility of other people.
Follow-Up
The capacity and willingness of a child to participate in life can be profoundly affected by a power mobility device. There is little research into the experiences children have when learning to make use of these devices. This study uses an approach that is post-previous to study the effects of six months of using one of four early mobility devices on a group of school-aged children of children suffering from severe cerebral Palsy (CP).
We conducted qualitative interviews with 15 parents and also occupational and physical therapists who work with children. Thematic analysis identified three major themes. green power mobility reviews , 'Power in mobility,' described how the use of powered devices changed more than just the motor skills. The process of learning to drive a powered mobility device is often an emotional and transformative experience.
The second theme, 'There's no such thing as any cookbook,' revealed that the process of learning how to use the power mobility device was an individual process that evolved over time in a cycle. Therapists were asked to determine what was realistic based on each child's abilities and needs. In the post-training and training phases, therapists were expected to be patient with children and parents. Many parents and therapists mentioned a need to help families celebrate their successes and work through problems that arise from the training process.
Finally, the third theme called 'Shared space was a look at the ways in which using a power device could affect the lives of others and how they interact. The majority of those who participated in this study believed a person must be mindful of other people when using their mobility device. This is especially applicable when driving on public roads. Participants also shared that they had seen situations where someone else's property was damaged due to the use of a power mobility device, or a person has been injured by a motorist who failed to yield the right of way.
Overall, the findings of this study suggest that short-term power mobility and socialization training is feasible for preschoolers with CP in certain classroom settings. Future research should continue to investigate the effects of training and results of this type of intervention for young children with CP. This should hopefully result in the development of more uniform training protocols for this population.