Q&A with Kelly Waugh, AssistiveTechnology Partners Q: For what types of clients is custom molded seating a good option? Kelly Waugh: Use custommolded seating when your strategy is to apply intimate surface contact to areas of the body that are contoured in order to:• Accommodate moderate to severe deformity.• Maximize support,and therefore stability, throughout trunk and lower…
Seating & Competitive Bidding: Does It Make Dollars & Sense?
On April 10, 2007, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published its final rule for the national competitive bidding (NCB) of Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies (DMEPOS) in the Federal Register. The remainder of 2007 included a multitude of activities, including the selection of 10 product categories and metropolitan statistical areas…
Vancouver prepares for 2010 Games
For the seating &mobility community, Vancouver is best known for hosting the International Seating Symposium in even-numbered years. But two years from now, this picturesque city in British Columbia will welcome the world, as Vancouver hosts the 2010 Olympic Winter Games and Paralympic Winter Games.The Paralympic Games will take place March 12-21, and will feature…
Power to the People
Maintaining Mobility While Aging with a DisabilityAging is a normal process that is challenging for all of us as we try to handle it gracefully while dealing with the many surprises it bestows upon us. Now that people with disabilities are living longer, aging brings along unique considerations and changing needs in addition to the…
SmartWheel: Out of Rehab Centers, Into RTS’ Hands
SmartWheel, the tool traditionally used in rehab centers to teach safe and efficient manual wheelchair propulsion, is now a bona fide tool for clinicians and rehab technology suppliers (RTS) specializing in seating & mobility.Why the change? SmartWheel continues to examine a user’s propulsion technique by measuring and analyzing how much force is exerted with each…
Graham-Field, National Seating & Mobility Reach Buying Agreement
Graham-Field Health Products and National Seating & Mobility (NSM) have reached a buying agreement for mobility equipment, the manufacturer/distributor announced on Feb. 1. According to a press statement, Graham-Field, headquartered in Atlanta, will sell “mobility aids, bathroom safety devices and other Graham-Field brand products” to NSM, the rehab technology supplier with more than 60 offices…
Pressure Mapping: Offering “Quantifiable Information to Support Our Clinical Judgment”
Q&A with Theresa Berner, Ohio State University, and Andrew Frank, Vista Medical Q: For what types of clients is pressure mapping a helpful technique? Theresa Berner: I work with a lot of neuromuscular diseases or trauma cases, and I think anytime someone has a lot of atrophy, a lot of bony prominences, (pressure mapping is)…
Provider’s Perspective: Pressure Mapping & Custom Molded Seating
Q&A with Toby Bergantino, ATG/Connecticut Rehab Q: Briefly describe your experience with these technologies: How long have you been using each, and how frequently do you use each? Toby Bergantino: I have been using the mapping system with one of the clinics I work with for approximately eight years. They own the system, and it…
Bodypoint Hip Belt User’s Guide
The reason that Bodypoint created its cool “Hip Belt User’s Guide” is explained right on the guide’s front cover: “The pelvis is the key to postural alignment as it dictates the position of the trunk, head and extremities.” Then this User’s Guide goes on to talk about ideal posture and common challenges, such as posterior…