Power Mobility and Safety Concerns
Power mobility enhances participation in daily activities as well as activities for people who are in long-term care. The devices can also create safety concerns, which must be addressed.
Most participants chose to adopt a teleological perspective and give all residents the opportunity to test a device, rather than exclude those with specific diagnoses, which could be considered an unfair risk management.
Mobility
A power mobility device enables people with limited ability to move about their community or home and participate in daily living activities that are otherwise not accessible to them. These devices pose a risk not only for the person who uses them, but also to those who share their space or the space. power mobility scooter must carefully assess the safety requirements of each client before making recommendations on powered mobility.
In an exploratory study (von Zweck, 1999), OTs from three residential care facilities within the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority conducted qualitative interviews with residents regarding their use of power mobility. The objective was to establish a framework that could allow for a client-centered power movement prescription. 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 boost the quality of life of people with mobility limitations. This is due to the fact that it allows them to take part in everyday activities at home and in the community. Participation in self-care, productive and leisure occupations is essential to physical and mental health for older adults and for many people with progressive diseases power mobility can be an opportunity to continue taking part in these important activities.
Many participants considered it not acceptable to remove the chair of a resident, since this could cause a huge change in their life or course of action, and ultimately stop them from pursuing the same activities that they had been doing before their disease progression. This was especially relevant for those in the Facility 1 who had only been allowed to use their power chairs for a short period of time and now relied on others to push them.
Another possible solution is to limit the speed at which some residents drove their chairs, but this could have raised issues, such as a lack of privacy and impact on other people in the community. In the end, 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 take part in a greater variety of activities and do errands. With the increased mobility comes an increased risk of accidents. For some, these incidents could result in serious injuries to themselves or others. It is crucial to think about the safety of your clients before suggesting the use of power mobility.
The first step in assessing security is to determine if your client can safely operate their scooter or power wheelchair. This could include an examination of the physical by a doctor or occupational therapist or a mobility specialist, based on the nature of your client's disability as well as their current health. In certain situations, your client will need a vehicle lift to be able to load and unload the mobility device at their home, community or workplace.
Another aspect of safety is learning the rules of the road. This includes sharing space, with other pedestrians, wheelchair users and bus drivers. The majority of participants in the study mentioned this theme.
For some this, it meant learning to use their wheelchairs on sidewalks instead of driving through crowded areas or over curbs (unless specifically designed for doing such). Others drove more slowly and paid attention to pedestrians in a crowded environment.
The final and least popular option of removing the wheelchair of a person, was seen as a double whammy as it would mean losing mobility, and also preventing them from taking part in the activities of the community and facilities. Diane and Harriet among others were among those who were stripped of their chairs.
Other ideas suggested by participants included educating residents staff, family members and other residents about the safety of power mobility. This could include teaching the basics of driving (such as the correct side to walk on in the hallway) and encouraging residents to practice driving when they go outside and helping them recognize how their behavior affects the mobility of others.
Follow-Up
The ability of a child and their willingness to take part in the world can be profoundly affected by a power mobility device. However, very little research has been conducted on the experiences of children who learn to use this equipment. This study employs an approach that is pre-post to study the impact of 6 months' experience with one of four early power mobility devices on the children in school with severe cerebral palsy (CP).
We conducted qualitative interviews with 15 parents, as well as occupational and physical therapists for children. Thematic analysis identified three main themes. The first theme, 'Power for mobility The theme described how using an electric device impacted more than just the child's locomotor abilities. Learning to drive a power mobility device can be an emotional, transformative experience for those who participated.
The second theme, 'There's no such thing as any cookbook,' revealed that the process of learning to utilize a power mobility device was an individualized process that evolved over time in a cycle. Therapists were required to determine what was realistic in light of the child's capabilities and requirements. During the training phase and following, therapists were required to be patient with children as well as parents. Several parents and therapists described the need to assist families celebrate successes and problem-solve challenges associated with the training process.
The third theme, 'Shared space was a look at the ways in which using an electric device can have an impact on other people's lives and interactions. The majority of the participants in this study felt that people must be mindful of other users when using a mobility device. This was especially true when driving on roads that are public. Participants also said that they had seen situations where property of someone else's had been damaged by the use of a motorized device, or a person has been injured by a motorist who did not yield the right of way.
The results of this study suggest that socialization and power mobility training for preschoolers with CP can be conducted in specific classroom environments. Future research should be focused on the training and outcomes of this kind of intervention for young children with CP. This could eventually lead to more standard training protocols for children with CP.