Power Mobility and Safety Concerns
Power mobility improves participation in daily activities and recreation for those who are in long-term care. However, the devices can also create safety concerns that need to be addressed.
The majority of participants choose to take a teleological approach and allow all residents the chance to try the device, instead of restrict residents with certain diagnoses that could be viewed as a risk management decision that is prejudicial.
Mobility
A power mobility device allows people who are unable to move around their homes or communities and participate in daily living activities that might otherwise be unavailable to them. These devices cause danger not only for the person who uses them but also to others who share their space or the space. Occupational therapists should carefully consider the safety requirements of each client prior to making 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 regarding their power mobility use. The aim was to create a framework for client-centered power mobility prescribing. green power scooters revealed four main themes: (1) power mobility meaning, (2) learning road rules, (3) red flags security concerns, and (4) solutions.
Power mobility can enhance the quality of life for people with mobility limitations. This is because it lets them participate in daily activities at home and within the community. Participation in self-care or leisure activities, as well as productive ones is crucial to mental and physical health of older adults, and for those with chronic illnesses, power mobility offers a way to continue participating in these important activities.
It was considered unacceptable by the participants to take away a wheelchair because it would alter their life's narrative and direction, and prevent them from doing the same activities that they did before their disease worsened. This was especially true for those in the Facility 1, who had been capable of maintaining their power chairs for brief periods of time and were dependent on others to move them around the facility.
Another potential solution was reducing the speed at which some residents drove their chairs, but this led to a variety of concerns, including privacy issues 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, participate in a wider variety of activities, and even complete the errands. However, with greater freedom of movement comes a greater risk for accidents. green scooter can cause serious injuries for certain. It is crucial to consider the safety of your clients prior to recommending power mobility.
First check whether your client can safely operate their power chair or scooter. This may include a physical assessment by a physician or occupational therapist or a mobility specialist, based on the nature of your client's impairment and their current health. In some instances it is necessary to have a vehicle lift. be required to make it possible for your client to unload and load their mobility device at home or in the community 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, trucks or buses. A majority of the participants mentioned this theme.
For some, this required learning to drive their wheelchairs on sidewalks instead of driving through areas that were crowded or over curbs (unless specifically designed to do so). Others drove more slowly and kept an eye out for pedestrians in a crowd.
The final and least preferred alternative was to take away the chair of a person, which was seen as two-fold punishment loss of mobility independent 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.
Other suggestions made by the participants included educating other residents as well as family members and staff about the safety of power mobility. This could include teaching the basics of driving (such as which side to walk on in a hallway) and encouraging residents to practice driving when they go outside and helping them recognize how their behavior affects other people's mobility.
Follow-Up
A device that is powered by electricity can significantly impact a child's ability to function and take part in life. There isn't much research into the experiences children experience when they learn to utilize these devices. This study employs an approach that is pre-post to study the effects of six months' experience with one of the four early power mobility devices on the children in school with severe cerebral palsy (CP).
We conducted interviews in qualitative format with 15 parents, and also occupational and physical therapists who work with children. Thematic analysis revealed three main themes. The first, 'Power in Mobility,' explained how the use of powered devices affected more than just the motor skills. Learning to drive a mobility device was often an emotional, transformative journey for participants.
The second theme, 'There's no such thing as a recipe book,' showed that the process of learning how to utilize the power mobility device was a bespoke process that evolved over time in a cycle. Therapists were tasked with unearthing the most appropriate solution for each child's needs and capabilities. Throughout the training and post-training phases, therapists were required to have patience with parents and children. green power scooters and parents alike emphasized the need to assist families celebrate their accomplishments and resolve issues that arise from the process of training.
The third theme, "Shared space", explored how the use the power device can affect other people's lives and interactions. The majority of participants in this study believed that people should always be considerate when using a power device. This was especially true when driving in public spaces. Many participants also reported that they've encountered situations in which someone else's property was damaged through the use of the power mobility device or in which an individual was injured by a driver who failed to yield the right-of-way.
The results of this study indicate that socialization and power mobility training for preschoolers with CP can be carried out in certain classroom environments. Future research should continue to investigate the training and outcomes for this kind of intervention for children with CP. This will hopefully result in the development of more uniform training protocols specifically for this group of children.