Wheelchairs & Funding
With the Manual Chair Miscellaneous Code Eliminated This Month, Industry Experts Worry About Access
From the elimination of the K0009 HCPCS code to ongoing funding challenges, the ultralightweight wheelchair niche is in evolution. What does that mean for consumers and the next generation of manual wheelchair technology?
- By Laurie Watanabe
- Jun 01, 2013
ATP Series
Determining the Cause of Poor Head Positioning Is Difficult...& Critical to Overall Seating Success
Poor head positioning can cause problems with a wheelchair user's visual field, speech, eating and other critical functions. But the reasons for poor head positioning can be complex -- as are the potential solutions.
- By Laurie Watanabe
- Jun 01, 2013
ATP Series
The same seating system that can help to maximize a user's functional mobility can also trap heat to create an environment that can put skin at risk and can reduce the time a consumer can spend in the chair. Who's at risk? What are the solutions?
- By Laurie Watanabe
- May 01, 2013
ATP Series
When a Seating Client Appears “Fixed,” How Should the Rehab Team Respond?
Fixed postures or deformities present unique challenges to ATPs and clinicians. When
should seating systems intervene? When should they accommodate and "meet clients
where they are"?
- By Missy Ball
- May 01, 2013
ATP Series
"Secondary" Components Play Primary Roles in Maximizing Client Function
Great functional positioning can be all in the details! Take a closer look at those
"secondary" components — harnesses, belts, buckles and more — that play primary roles in refining and fine-tuning seating & mobility systems.
- By Laurie Watanabe
- Apr 01, 2013
Transfers
How the "Other" Surfaces Your Clients Encounter Can Present Skin-Integrity Dangers
Seating & Positioning
Everyday Jolts Can Wreak Havoc on Wheelchair Users' Quality of Life. How They Add Up & What Can Be Done
- By Laurie Watanabe
- Mar 01, 2013
Automotive Accessibility Special
Building on a Big 2012, the Adaptive Automotive Industry Seeks to Carry Its Message of Independence Even Further
Catching up with the adaptive automotive industry on the eve of the 2013 NMEDA conference: Issues, accessibility and the commercial market, plus: sneak peek at a "toughest cases" case study!
- By Laurie Watanabe
- Feb 01, 2013
Seating & Positioning
There Are High Expectations for the Immediate Interface Between Client & Seating System, But Are Those Expectations Always Fair?
From skin protection to positioning, stability, moisture and temperature control — not to mention comfort — seat cushions are assigned many tasks. Here's how different designs and multiple media work together to accomplish those goals.
- By Laurie Watanabe
- Feb 01, 2013
Spinal Cord Injury
Figuring Out the Best Answers for Clients, Their Lifestyles, and Their Successful Futures
When clients have spinal cord injuries in the C5/C6 range, is power or manual mobility
a better fit for their functional abilities and lifestyles?
- By Laurie Watanabe
- Jan 01, 2013
Positioning & Prosthetics
A Deeper Understanding of Amputations, Prosthetics and the Clinical Considerations of Wheelchair Fittings
Working with amputees requires knowledge not just of current mobility needs, but also how the loss of a limb will impact the client's positioning and mobility in the future.
- By Elisha Bury
- Nov 01, 2012
Spinal Muscular Atrophy Robs Clients of Their Strength, but Creative Thinking Can Make a Difference
The progression of spinal muscular atrophy patients can challenge an ATP's goal of optimizing function and independence.
- By Laurie Watanabe
- Nov 01, 2012
ATP Series
Your Client Is Leaning to One Side with His Arm Hooked Around His Wheelchair’s Armrest. Where Do You Start?
Proper upper-extremity positioning is crucial to a client’s functional success. And it all starts with a comprehensive assessment.
- By Laurie Watanabe
- Oct 01, 2012
OT/PT Special
Why Clients Resist Doing What's Best for Their Health & Advice on Getting Them to Do the Right Thing
It’s human nature to at least occasionally resist doing even those things we know are good for us. Seating & mobility clients can have additional reasons not to fully comply with their clinicians' recommendations. Here are ways to understand their resistance and develop solutions.
- By Lunzeta Brackens
- Sep 01, 2012
Long Known to Affect Mobility, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Can Also Alter Emotions & Behavior
While amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is most commonly thought of as affecting mobility, new research shows it can also impact clients' cognitive functioning and emotions. Understanding the full range of effects can help providers and clinicians to work more successfully with this population.
- By Laurie Watanabe
- Sep 01, 2012