Power Mobility and Safety Concerns
Power mobility can enhance participation in daily activities as well as recreation for those in long-term care. The devices can also pose safety risks, which need to be addressed.
Rather than exclude residents with certain diagnoses from the power mobility option that could be considered risk management prejudicial, most participants preferred to take the teleological approach and let everyone try out the power mobility device.
Mobility
A power mobility device allows people who are disabled to move about their home or community and take part in daily activities that would otherwise be unavailable to them. These devices could pose a risk not only to the individual using them, but also to other people who share their space or environment. Occupational therapists must carefully assess the safety requirements of each client prior to making recommendations on powered mobility.
In an exploratory study (von Zweck, 1999), OTs from three residential care facilities of the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority conducted qualitative interviews with residents about their use of power mobility. The aim was to create a framework for client-centred power mobility prescribing. 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 significantly increase quality of life for people with limited mobility by permitting them to take part in a variety of daily life activities, both at home and in the community (Brandt 2001; Evans, 2000). Self-care, productive and leisure jobs are essential for the physical and mental health of older adults. For those suffering from advanced illnesses, power mobility offers a way to participate in these essential activities.
The majority of participants felt it was unacceptable to take away a resident's chair, as it would result in a significant disruption in their life story or path and prevent them from continuing to engage in the same activities they used to do prior to the progression of their illness. This was especially true for those in the Facility 1 who were able to maintain their power chairs for short periods of time, but were forced to rely on others to help them move around the facility.
Another possible solution is to limit the speed at which residents drove their chairs, but this could have raised concerns, including a lack of privacy and impact on other people in the community. The most drastic solution to safety concerns was to get rid of the wheelchair from a resident's.
Safety
Power mobility allows people to move more freely. They are also able to participate in a greater variety of activities and complete around on their own. With increased mobility comes an increased chance of accidents. For some, these incidents could cause serious injuries to themselves and others. green power mobility scooters near me is essential to consider the safety of your clients before suggesting power mobility.
The first step in determining security is to determine if your client can safely operate their power scooter or power chair. This could involve an assessment of physical health by a physician, occupational therapist or mobility specialist, based on the nature of your client's impairment and their current health. In some cases the use of a vehicle lift may be required to make it possible for your client to unload and load their mobility device at home or in the community at work.
Learning the rules of road safety is a further aspect of safety. This includes sharing space with other pedestrians, wheelchair users and drivers of buses or cars. This topic was mentioned by a majority of participants in the study.
For some this, it required learning to drive their wheelchairs on sidewalks instead of driving through crowded areas or over curbs (unless specifically designed for doing this). For others it meant driving slow in a crowded area and watching out for people walking.
The final and least desired option was to remove a person's chair, which was viewed as a double punishment loss of mobility independent and preventing access to facility and community activities. This was the opinion of the majority of participants who were able to remove their chairs and included Diane and Harriet.
Other ideas suggested by the participants included educating other residents staff, family members and other residents on the safe operation of power mobility. This could include educating residents on the basics of driving (such as driving on the right side of a hallway) and encouraging residents to practice driving techniques when they go out and helping them to understand how their actions can affect the mobility of others.
Follow-Up
A device that is powered by electricity can significantly impact the child's ability to function and be a part of life. Yet little research has been done about the experience of children who learn to use this equipment. This study uses a post-previous design to examine the effects of six months of using one of the four early mobility devices on a school-aged group of children suffering from severe cerebral Palsy (CP).
We conducted qualitative interviews with 15 parents, as well as occupational and physical therapists for children. Thematic analysis identified three major themes. The first, 'Power in Mobility,' explained how the use of a powered device changed more than just the locomotor abilities. The experience of learning how to drive a powered mobility device is often an emotional and transformative one.
The second theme, 'There isn't a cookbook,' revealed that the process of learning how to use the power mobility device was a bespoke process that evolved over time in a cycle. The therapists were asked to decide what was appropriate in light of the child's capabilities and needs. Throughout the training and post-training phases, therapists were required to be patient with parents and children. Parents and therapists alike described the need to help families celebrate their successes and resolve issues that arise from the process of training.
The third theme, "Shared space", looked at how the use of an electric device can affect other people's interactions and lives. The majority of the participants in this study believed that people should be considerate when using a power device. This is especially applicable when driving on roads that are public. Several participants also noted that they've encountered situations where someone else's property was damaged through the use of a power 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 done in a variety of classroom environments. Future research should continue to investigate the effects of training and results of this type of intervention for children with CP. This should hopefully lead to the development of more standard training protocols specifically for this group of children.