Take Me to School: CRT Educational Resources
Online education has long been a boon to seating and wheeled mobility professionals, who can find in-person learning difficult to fit into schedules packed with clinic hours. But in a COVID-19 pandemic that has introduced social distancing and travel restrictions, being able to learn online is even more crucial.
These Complex Rehab Technology resources are just a sampling of sessions that are as close as your laptop and available whenever you are. — Ed.
Power Wheelchair Drive Wheel Position
When choosing a power wheelchair, one of the most important factors to consider is drive wheel position, as it will impact the chair’s performance over obstacles, on hills, at higher speed and on uneven terrain. It will also affect access at home, during transportation and all the places that our clients want to go: school, workplace and community. Written by Sunrise Medical’s Clinical Team, the “Power Wheelchair Drive Wheel Position” guide provides easy-to-understand considerations and implications for each of the four drive-wheel positions: mid-wheel, front-wheel, rear-wheel, and hybrid-wheel. This guide compares the differences in turning radiuses, ease of turning, handling obstacles, traction, control at higher speeds, and ease of attendant drive.
Sunrise Medical
www.SunriseMedical.com/EIM
Ride University
Developed by Ride Designs, Ride University is a new online education platform for wheelchair seating classes, some of which offer CEUs. Courses include “Custom Seating Strategy: Early Versus Late Intervention” and “How Does It Shape Up: The Impact of the Skeleton and the Cushion on Buttocks Shape During Sitting.” All classes are free through December 31, 2020.
Ride Designs
https://rideuniversityonline.thinkific.com
Product Planning and Reimbursement Team
Quantum Rehab and Pride Mobility have a fully staffed Product Planning and Reimbursement Department designed to give providers valuable assistance, reimbursement support, and educational materials. Services offered include pre-screen documentation, claim coding analysis, a compliance program, appeal and recovery assistance, Medicare coding product planning guides, and industry news.
Quantum Rehab/Pride Mobility
www.quantumrehab.com
www.pridemobility.com
NuDigest
Numotion’s NuDigest collection includes mini white papers specifically written as educational resources for therapists, case managers and clinicians in the seating, mobility and accessibility space. Recent entries include “Documenting in the Remote Environment” — which gives tips on how members of the seating team can use observational skills when they’re not in the same place as the client — and “Make a Stand: The Benefits of Being Vertical.”
Numotion
www.numotion.com/blog?categoryid=49
Managing Microclimate
Because of their limited mobility and sensation, wheelchair users are at risk for tissue injuries. We’ve known for decades that pressure and shear are clear culprits of tissue injuries, but continued research is determining that higher skin surface temperature and moisture are also contributing factors. Written by Sunrise Medical’s Clinical Team, “Managing Microclimate” explores what microclimate is and how the importance of managing it plays into overall tissue health. This resource identifies steps that caregivers and wheelchair users can take to manage microclimate and considerations that should be made during the seating assessment. Are you considering the cushion materials? Are you considering the cushion cover materials? Is airflow being optimized? Managing Microclimate and other educational resources are available to view and download for free on Sunrise Medical’s Education in Motion (EIM) clinical site.
Sunrise Medical
www.SunriseMedical.com/EIM
White Paper: The Significance of Tilt-in-Space Manual Wheelchairs for Individuals Following CVA
More than 795,000 people in the United States suffer a cerebrovascular accident (CVA) annually, yet neurological disabilities such as cerebral palsy, ALS, multiple sclerosis, and spinal cord injury figure more prominently in discussions about the impact and importance of complex rehabilitation technology than stroke. Medicare qualification requirements and reimbursement cuts have negatively influenced the caliber of wheeled mobility devices CVA survivors receive. Many obtain an upright, manual wheelchair that qualifies for Medicare rental reimbursement. It is well documented that manual tilt-in-space wheelchairs provide seat angle adjustments that can facilitate pressure relief, postural control, and activity specific positioning, but these chairs are often not prescribed due to limitations related to independent propulsion, weight, and transport.
This white paper discusses seating and mobility needs that CVA clients typically have and interventions that can help.
Ki Mobility
www.kimobility.com
This article originally appeared in the Aug/Sept 2020 issue of Mobility Management.