Power Mobility and Safety Concerns
Power mobility allows individuals who are in long-term care to take part in their daily activities and leisure activities. The devices can also pose security concerns that need to be addressed.
Most participants chose to adopt a teleological view and give all residents the chance to try the device, instead of restrict residents with certain diagnoses, which could be considered an unfair risk management.
Mobility
A power mobility device allows those who are disabled to move about their homes or communities and engage in daily activities that are otherwise not accessible to them. These devices be a danger not just to the individual using them, but also to other people who are in their environment. Occupational therapists need to carefully assess each client's safety needs to provide the most appropriate suggestions regarding powered mobility.
In an exploratory study (von Zweck, 1999), OTs from three residential care facilities in Vancouver Coastal Health Authority conducted qualitative interviews with residents about their power mobility use. The aim was to develop an environment that allowed for client-centred power movement prescribing. The findings revealed four main themes: (1) power mobility meaning, (2) learning road rules, (3) red flags security concerns, and (4) solutions.
Power mobility can improve the quality of life for those who have limited mobility. This is due to the fact that it allows them to take part in daily activities at home and within the community. Self-care, productive and recreational occupations are vital for physical and mental health of people who are older. For many with chronic illnesses, power mobility can be a means to participate in these important activities.
Most participants found it unacceptable to take away a resident's chair, as this could cause a huge disruption in their life story or course of action, and ultimately stop them from continuing with the same activities they were doing prior to the progression of their illness. This was particularly applicable to those in Facility 1 who were only able use their power chairs for a short time and were now reliant on others to push them.
Another potential solution was reducing the speed at which some residents drove their chairs, however this led to a variety of issues such as a lack of privacy and the impact on other residents in the community. Ultimately, removing a resident's chair was considered the most drastic and least preferred solution to security concerns.
Safety
Power mobility allows people to move more easily. They can also take part in a broader range of activities and do around on their own. With greater mobility comes a higher chance of accidents. For some, these incidents could result in serious injuries to themselves or others. It is crucial to consider the safety of your clients prior to suggesting power mobility.
The first step in determining safety is to determine whether your client is safe to operate their power scooter or power chair. This could include a physical assessment by a physician or occupational therapist, or a mobility specialist, depending on the nature of your client's impairment and their current health. In some instances your client will require a vehicle lift to be able to load and unload the mobility device at their workplace, home, or community.
Knowing the rules of road safety is another aspect of safety. This includes sharing space with pedestrians, other wheelchair users and drivers of trucks, cars or buses. Most participants in the study discussed this topic.
Some people learned to drive their wheelchairs on sidewalks instead of driving in crowded areas or on curbs (unless the wheelchair was specifically made to be used in this way). For others it meant driving cautiously in a noisy environment and watching out for pedestrians.
The last and least popular option was to remove the chair of a person. This 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 those who had their chairs removed.
The participants also suggested that residents, family members, and staff be informed about the proper use of power mobility. This could include teaching the basics of driving (such as which side to walk on in a hallway), encouraging the residents to practice driving skills when they go outside, and helping them understand how their behavior affects the mobility of others.
Follow-Up
The capacity and willingness of a child to participate in life can be greatly affected by a device that can power them. Yet there isn't much research on the experiences of children learning to use this device. This study uses a pre-post design to examine the effects of six months of experience with 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 pediatric occupational and physical therapists. Thematic analysis identified three major themes. The first, 'Power in Mobility,' explained the ways in which powered devices affected more than just motor skills. The process of learning to drive a powered mobility device is usually an emotional and transformative one.
The second theme, 'There isn't any cookbook,' revealed that learning to use the power mobility device was a bespoke process that unfolded over time in a cyclical fashion. green mobility scooter My Mobility Scooters were required to discover what was appropriate for the individual child's needs and abilities. Through the training and post-training phases, therapists were expected to be patient with children and parents. Several parents and therapists described the need to assist families celebrate their successes and solve problems that arise from the training process.
Finally, the third theme called 'Shared space The study explored how the use of devices that power us can affect the lives of other people and their interactions. The majority of those who participated in this study believed a person must be mindful of other users when using a mobility device. This was particularly true when driving on public roads. Many participants also reported that they've encountered situations where someone else's property was damaged due to the use of an electric mobility device, or when a person was injured by a driver who failed to yield right-of-way.
The results of this study suggest that power mobility and socialization training for preschoolers with CP can be carried out in certain classroom settings. Future research should continue to investigate the effectiveness of training and outcomes of this kind of intervention with young children with CP. This will hopefully result in the development of more standard training protocols for this population.
