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Power Mobility and Safety Concerns

Power mobility allows those who are in long-term care to take part in their daily activities and leisure activities. These devices also raise safety concerns, which must be addressed.

The majority of participants opt to take a teleological approach and allow all residents the opportunity to test the device, instead of exclude those with specific diagnosis, which could be considered a risk management decision that is prejudicial.

Mobility

A power mobility device allows people who are disabled to move around their community or home and engage in daily activities that would otherwise be not accessible to them. However, these devices can also pose a risk to the person using them, and also to other people who share their environment or space. Occupational therapists must carefully assess the safety needs of each client before making recommendations about powered mobility.

In an exploratory study carried out 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 objective was to develop a framework for 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 concerning safety, and (4) solutions.


Power mobility can dramatically improve the quality of life for individuals who are mobility-challenged by permitting them to take part in a variety of everyday living activities, at home as well as in the community (Brandt, 2001; Evans, 2000). Self-care, active and recreational jobs are essential for the physical and mental health of people who are older. For many who suffer from chronic illnesses, power mobility can be a means to participate in these important activities.

Participants found it unacceptable to take away a wheelchair, as this would disrupt their life's narrative and direction and hinder them from performing the same things they did before their disease progressed. 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 and were forced to rely on other residents to push them around the facility.

Another option is to reduce the speed at which residents drove their chairs, but this could have raised issues such as a lack of privacy and the impact on other residents 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 can also take part in a broader range of activities, and do the errands. However, with increased freedom of movement comes a greater risk for accidents. For some, these accidents could result in serious injuries to themselves or others. This is why it is important to think about the security of your client before suggesting they use a power mobility.

The first step in assessing safety is to determine if your client can safely operate their power scooter or power chair. Depending on their impairment and the condition of their current health, this might involve a physical assessment by a physician or occupational therapist, and a discussion with a mobility specialist to determine if a specific device is appropriate for them. In certain situations the use of a vehicle lift may be required to allow for your client to load and unload their mobility device at home in the community, or at work.

Another aspect of safety is learning the rules of the road. This includes sharing space, with other pedestrians, wheelchair users and the drivers of buses or cars. A majority of the participants mentioned this theme.

Some people learnt to drive their wheelchairs along sidewalks instead of driving in the midst of crowds or on curbs (unless the wheelchair was specially designed for this). Others drove more cautiously and paid attention to pedestrians in a crowd.

The final and least preferred option was taking away 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 the majority of those who were able to remove their chairs, including Diane and Harriet.

Other solutions that were suggested by the participants included educating other residents, family members and staff about the safety of power mobility. This could include teaching driving basics (such as the right side to walk on in a hallway), encouraging the residents to practice driving when they leave and helping them understand how their behavior affects the mobility of other people.

Follow-Up

A power mobility device can profoundly affect the child's ability to function and participate in life. However, little research has been conducted on the experience of children who learn to use this device. This study uses an approach that is pre-post to study the effects of six months of use using one of four early power mobility devices on a group of school-aged children with severe cerebral palsy (CP).

Qualitative interviews were conducted with 15 parents and children's occupational and physical therapists. Thematic analysis revealed three major themes. The first theme, 'Power for mobility explained how the use of an electric device impacted more than just the child's motor skills. The process of learning to operate a powered mobility device is usually an emotional and transformative one.

The second theme 'There's no recipe book' showed that learning how to utilize the mobility device was a process that took place in a cyclical manner over time. Therapists were required to determine what was feasible based on each child's abilities and requirements. In the initial phase of training and following, therapists were required to be patient with children and parents. Several parents and therapists described the need to assist families celebrate their successes and work through issues that arise during the process of training.

electric scooter green , "Shared space", examined how the use of an electric device can affect other people's lives and interactions. The majority of the participants in this study believed one must be mindful of other people when using their mobility device. This was particularly applicable when driving on roads that are public. Participants also said that they've seen instances where someone else's property was damaged due to the use of a power mobility device, or a person has been injured by a driver who didn't yield the right of way.

Overall, the results of this study suggest that short-term power mobility and socialization training appears feasible for preschoolers with CP in certain classroom settings. Future research should continue to explore the effectiveness of training and outcomes of this kind of intervention for young children with CP. This could lead to more standardized training protocols for children with CP.

Member since: Thursday, November 21, 2024

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