Power Mobility and Safety Concerns
Power mobility allows individuals in long-term care to participate in their everyday activities and leisure activities. The devices can also create safety concerns, which must be addressed.
Rather than exclude residents with a specific diagnosis from the power mobility option, which may be considered risk management prejudicial, most participants opted to adopt the teleological approach and let everyone try out a device.
Mobility
A power mobility device allows those who are unable to move around their home or community and take part in daily activities that might otherwise be impossible for them. However, these devices may also be a danger to the person using them and also to other people who share their environment or space. Occupational therapists must be aware of the safety requirements of each client prior to 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 the extent to which they used power mobility. The aim was to create an approach to 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 concern about safety and (4) solutions.
Power mobility can enhance the quality of life of those who have mobility limitations. This is because it allows them to participate in everyday activities at home and within the community. Self-care, productive and recreational jobs are essential for the mental and physical health of the elderly. For many with advanced illnesses, power mobility can be a means to participate in these essential activities.
It was considered unacceptable by the participants to remove a wheelchair from a resident's home because it would alter their life's story and progression, and prevent them from engaging in the same things they had prior to their illness advanced. electric scooter green was particularly applicable to those in Facility 1 who had only been allowed to use their power chairs for a brief period and were now dependent on others to push them.
Another possible solution is to limit the speed at which some residents drove their chairs, however this raised a number of concerns, including privacy concerns and the impact on other residents in the community. In the end, removing a resident's chair was considered the most drastic and least desired solution to security concerns.
Safety
Power mobility lets people move more freely. They can also take part in a greater variety of activities and run errands. However, with greater freedom of movement comes a higher risk of accidents. For some, these accidents could result in serious injuries to themselves and others. This is why it is vital to consider the safety of your client before suggesting that they use a power mobility.
The first step in assessing safety is to determine if your client is able to safely operate their power wheelchair 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 disability and their current health. In some instances, a vehicle lift will be necessary to allow for your client to unload and load their mobility device at home or in the community at work.
Another aspect of safety is learning the rules of the road. This involves sharing space with other pedestrians, other wheelchair users and drivers of cars, trucks or buses. A majority of the participants have mentioned this issue.
For some it required learning to drive their wheelchairs on sidewalks instead of driving through areas that were crowded or over curbs (unless specifically designed for doing this). For others, it meant driving more cautiously in a noisy environment and watching out for pedestrians.
The last and least popular option was to remove the chair of a person, which was seen as two-fold punishment loss of mobility independent and preventing access to facilities and community activities. Diane and Harriet among others were among the participants who had their chairs taken away.
The participants also suggested that residents, family members, and staff be educated on the safe use of power mobility. This could include teaching driving basics (such as the correct side to walk on in the hallway) and encouraging residents to practice driving while outside, and helping them be aware of how their actions affect other people's mobility.
Follow-Up
A device that is powered by electricity can have a profound impact on a child's ability to function and be a part of life. There is little research on the experience that children experience when they learn to use these devices. This study uses an approach that is post-previous to study the effects of 6 months of use with one of the four early mobility devices on a group of school-aged children of children who suffer from severe cerebral Palsy (CP).
We conducted qualitative interviews with 15 parents, and also occupational and physical therapists who work with children. Thematic analysis revealed three key themes. The first, 'Power in mobility explained how the use of powered devices changed more than just motor skills. The process of learning to drive a motorized mobility device can be an emotional and transformative experience.
The second theme , 'There's no recipe book' revealed that learning how to use the mobility device was a process that took place in a continuous manner over time. The therapists were asked to determine what was realistic depending on the individual's capabilities and requirements. During the training phase, and afterwards, therapists needed to be patient with children as well as parents. Therapists and parents alike emphasized the need to help families celebrate their accomplishments and address issues related to the process of training.
Finally, the third theme called 'Shared space was a look at how the use of devices that power us can have an impact on other people's lives and interactions. The majority of the participants in this study believed that people should always be mindful when using a power mobility device. This is particularly true when driving in public spaces. A few participants also mentioned that they've had to deal with situations in which someone else's property was damaged by the use of a power mobility device, or in which an individual was injured by a driver who not yielded 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 settings. The next research study should investigate the training and outcomes for this kind of intervention in children with CP. This could eventually lead to more standardized training protocols for children suffering from CP.