Q: How should a client’s pressure injury history impact the seating team’s equipment strategy? Justine Kohlman: The most important part of a seating strategy is the cushion, as pressure injuries are predominantly developed on the posterior, where the majority of weight is applied and [where it’s] not easy to relieve pressure. When building a custom…
Kids Being Kids: Rifton’s Classroom Beginning
The origin story for Rifton, now known for its activity chairs and hygiene systems, starts in a classroom. Rifton’s Elena Noble, PT, said of the company’s beginning, “After the initial IDEA [Individuals with Disabilities Education Act] legislation came out — it was in the 1970s, where kids were being brought out of institutions and into…
ZIPPIE Sphynx: Giving Families Exactly What They Need
The Five Types of SMA
The Power of the Pen: How Journaling Can Help to Create Optimal Positioning
JOURNALING: ANYABERKUT/DEPOSITPHOTOS While Complex Rehab Technology is indeed complex, two of the most powerful tools in the quest for creating the optimally functional seating system might be a pen and a notebook. In the hands of your client, a family member or caregiver, that notebook can gather the kind of information that’s difficult to capture…
NMEDA CEO Danny Langfield: on Collaboration & CEUs
Removing the Stigma of Secondary Postural Supports
WHEELCHAIR RUGBY: IMAGESOURCE/DEPOSITPHOTOS While rolling in their wheelchairs, consumers can be displaced from their optimal positions by even minor jostling. Tina Roesler, PT, MS, ABDA, Director of Clinical & Business Development for Bodypoint, recently moved back to the United States after years abroad. “Having lived in Europe the last five years, and watching people go…
CRT: Where Accessories Mean So Much More
Dan Debrah If you’re the eagle-eyed sort, you might have noticed a recent change to Permobil’s Global Accessories division: It’s now known as Mobility Support Systems. Dan Debrah, Ph.D., VP of R&D, is new to Permobil, having joined the manufacturer about six months ago (at press time). He comes most recently from the hospital monitoring…
Power Bases: A Provider’s Perspective
Joe Scanlan, ATP, CRTS, specializes in working with ALS patients and pediatric clients at Reliable Medical Supply in Brooklyn Park, Minn. Those specialties give Scanlan an excellent point of view when asked if advances in technology are making it possible for more consumers to successfully operate power wheelchairs. “Absolutely, especially with our most complex individuals,”…