Power Mobility and Safety Concerns

Power mobility allows people in long-term care to participate in their daily activities and leisure pursuits. However, the devices can also cause safety issues that need to be addressed.

Instead of excluding residents with certain diagnoses from the power mobility option that could be considered risk management prejudicial, most participants opted to adopt the teleological approach and allow all residents to trial the power mobility device.

Mobility

A power mobility device enables people who are disabled to move about their homes or communities and engage in daily activities that would otherwise be impossible for them. These devices can pose a risk not only to the individual using them, but also to other people who share their space or environment. Occupational therapists must be aware of the safety needs of each client before making recommendations on powered mobility.

In a study that was conducted by OTs at three residential facilities of the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, qualitative interviews were conducted with residents to evaluate their use of power mobility. The goal was to create a framework that could allow the use of power mobility that is centered on the needs of the client. 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 boost the quality of life of those who have limited mobility. This is because it allows them to participate in everyday activities at home and within the community. Self-care, productive and leisure jobs are essential for the physical and mental well-being of older adults. For https://www.openlearning.com/u/mclainhoff-sncalz/blog/AskMeAnything10AnswersToYourQuestionsAboutElectricScooterGreen suffering from progressive diseases, power mobilty offers a way to participate in these vital activities.

It was considered unacceptable by the participants to take away a wheelchair in order to alter their life's narrative and direction and hinder them from doing the same activities that they were doing before their condition progressed. https://stilesbaun19.livejournal.com/profile was particularly relevant to those in Facility 1 who were able to maintain their power chairs for short periods of time, but were dependent on others to push them around the facility.

Another possible solution is to limit the speed at which some residents drove their chairs, however this could have raised issues such as a lack of privacy and impact on other people in the community. The most drastic solution to security concerns was to take away the wheelchair of a resident.

Safety

Power mobility allows people with disabilities to move around more easily and participate in a greater variety of activities, and even do the errands. However, with increased freedom of movement comes a greater chance of accidents. For some, these accidents could result in serious injuries to themselves and others. It is crucial to think about the safety of your clients before recommending power mobility.

The first step in determining safety is to determine whether your client is safe to operate their scooter or power wheelchair. Based on the nature of their condition and their current health, this may involve a physical assessment by a doctor or occupational therapist, or having a conversation with a mobility specialist to determine if a particular device would be appropriate for them. 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, in the community or at work.

Another aspect of safety is knowing the rules of the road. This includes sharing space, with other wheelchair users, pedestrians, and drivers of cars or buses. This topic was mentioned by most participants in the study.

Some people learnt to drive their wheelchairs along sidewalks instead of driving through crowded areas or on curbs (unless the wheelchair was designed for this). For others this meant driving more slow in a crowded area and keeping an eye out for pedestrians.

The final and least popular option, which was to remove the wheelchair of a person, was seen as a double-punishment that would result in the loss of mobility and hindering the person from participating in the activities of the community and facilities. This was the view of most participants who had their chairs removed, including Diane and Harriet.

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

Follow-Up

A power mobility device can profoundly affect a child's ability to function and take part in life. There isn't much research into the experiences children have when learning to make use of these devices. This study uses a pre-post design to examine the effects of six months' experience with one of four early power mobility devices on the children in school with severe cerebral palsy (CP).

https://zenwriting.net/divingsword41/10-life-lessons-that-we-can-learn-from-green-power-folding-mobility-scooter were conducted with 15 parents as well as pediatric occupational and physical therapists. Thematic analysis revealed three main themes. The first, 'Power in mobility,' described how the use of a powered device changed more than just locomotor abilities. 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 learning to use a power mobility device was a bespoke process that unfolded over time in a cyclical fashion. Therapists were charged with determining what was appropriate for the individual child's needs and abilities. Throughout the training and post-training phases, therapists were expected to be patient with parents and children. Many parents and therapists mentioned the need to assist families celebrate successes and problem-solve issues that arise during the training process.

The third theme, "Shared space", examined how the use of a power device can impact other people's lives and interactions. The majority of participants in this study believed that it is important to be mindful when using a power mobility device. This is particularly true when driving in public areas. Participants also mentioned that they had seen situations where someone else's property was damaged due to the use a power mobility device or an individual had been injured by a motorist who didn't yield the right of way.

Overall, the findings of this study suggest that short-term power mobility and socialization training is possible for preschoolers with CP in certain classroom settings. Future research should continue to investigate the effects of training and results of this kind of intervention for children with CP. This could lead to the development of more standardized training protocols for this population.