10 Power Mobility Tips All Experts Recommend

Power Mobility and Safety Concerns

Power mobility can enhance participation in daily activities and recreation for those in long term care. However, the devices could also create safety concerns that need to be addressed.

Rather than exclude residents who have certain diagnoses from use of power mobility that could be considered risk management prejudicial, most participants chose to take the teleological approach and allow all residents to test the device.

Mobility

A power mobility device is a method for people with limited mobility to move about their home or community, and participate in daily activities that they might not otherwise be able to perform. However, these devices can also be a danger to the person using them, as well as other individuals who are in their space. Occupational therapists must carefully assess each client's safety needs to make the best recommendations regarding 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 power mobility use. The objective was to establish a framework that could allow for client-centred power movement 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 who are mobility-challenged by permitting them to take part in a range of daily living activities both at home and in the community (Brandt, 2001; Evans, 2000). Self-care, productive and recreational activities are essential to the physical and mental health of older adults. For many who suffer from progressive diseases, power mobilty can be a means to participate in these vital activities.

The participants felt it was inconvenient to remove a resident's wheelchair, as this would disrupt their life's narrative and direction, and prevent them from performing the same things they had prior to their illness advanced. This was especially the case for those in the facility 1 who were capable of maintaining their chairs for short durations and were forced to rely on other residents to move them around the facility.

Another solution would be to reduce the speed that residents drive their chairs. However it could create various issues like privacy and the impact on the rest of the community. Ultimately, removing the chair of a resident was thought to be the most drastic and least desired solution to security concerns.

Safety

Power mobility lets people move more easily. They can also participate in a wider range of activities and do the errands. With the increased mobility comes an increased chance of accidents. These accidents can cause serious injuries for certain. This is why it is important to think about the safety of your client before recommending that they utilize power mobility.

The first step in assessing safety is to determine if your client can safely operate their scooter or power wheelchair. Based on the nature of their condition and their the state of their health, this could involve a physical evaluation by an occupational or physician therapist, as well as having a conversation with a mobility specialist to determine whether a specific device would be appropriate for them. In some cases your client will require a lift for their vehicle to be able to load and unload the mobility device at workplace, home, or community.

Knowing the rules of road safety is an additional aspect of safety. This includes sharing space, with other wheelchair users, pedestrians and the bus drivers. This is a topic that was mentioned by a majority of participants in the study.

For some, this required 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 slowly and looked out for pedestrians in an area that was crowded.

The final and least preferred option was to remove the chair of a person, which was seen as two-fold punishment: losing independent mobility and preventing access to facilities and community activities. This was the viewpoint of most participants who were able to remove their chairs, including Diane and Harriet.

Other suggestions made by participants included educating other residents, family members and staff on the safe operation of power mobility. This could involve teaching the fundamentals of driving (such as using the right side of a hallway) as well as encouraging residents to practice driving strategies while out, and assisting them in understanding how their actions can affect other people's mobility.

Follow-Up

A child's ability and willingness to take part in the world can be greatly affected by a power mobility device. There isn't much research on the experience that children go through when they first learn to make use of these devices. This study employs a post-previous design to examine the effects of six months of use with one of four early mobility devices on a group of school-aged children of children with severe cerebral Palsy (CP).

Qualitative interviews were conducted with 15 parents and pediatric occupational and physical therapists. Thematic analysis identified three major themes. The first, 'Power and mobility,' explained the ways in which a powered device changed more than just locomotor abilities. Learning to drive a mobility device can be an emotional, transformative journey for participants.

The second theme, 'There's not a recipe book,' showed that the process of learning to utilize a power mobility device was an individualized process that unfolded over time in a cycle. The therapists were asked to decide what was appropriate depending on the individual's capabilities and needs. In the initial phase of training and following, therapists were required to be patient with children and parents. A number of parents and therapists emphasized a need to help families celebrate successes and problem-solve challenges associated with the process of training.

electric scooter green Shared space was a look at the ways in which using a power device could have an impact on the lives of others and how they interact. The majority of participants in this study believed that people should always be mindful when using a power mobility device. This was especially applicable when driving on public roads. electric scooter green noted that they had encountered situations where someone else's property was damaged through the use of the power mobility device or where a person was injured by a driver who failed to yield right-of-way.

The results of this study indicate that power mobility and socialization training for preschoolers with CP can be done in a variety of classroom settings. Future research should be focused on the training and outcomes of this type of intervention for children with CP. This could lead to more standardized training protocols for children who have CP.