Page 18 - Mobility Management, June 2018

ATP Series
Design & Weight
So if we talk about a chair’s weight being most important in terms of lifting the chair into and out of a car — then, is the variable simply a matter of pounds/kilograms? In that case, is the lighter chair the better chair?
Or do other factors — such as one chair’s design vs. a different chair’s design — still play a role?
“Design has an impact, and the package needs to be light- weight and ergonomic,” Roesler said. “However, the biome- chanics used by the person lifting the chair is critical. If a user says an ultralight chair is too difficult to transport, we should also be evaluating their method and setup of the transfer into the vehicle. Is the chair too far away from the car? Is the person lifting using proper biomechanics?
“Sometimes we have to re-evaluate functional activities to prevent injury. People easily acquire bad habits!”
“Weight is something that is easily measured from one chair to another,” Anderson said. “Anyone can pick up two chairs and tell which is lighter. Weight is important for transport because typi- cally, when you’re loading your chair in and out of your vehicle, you have to reach for the chair and lift it while it is away from your body, making that weight more significant because it puts additional stress on your body. But weight is not the main factor; design makes a bigger impact than weight for transport.
“Take a traditional rigid box frame design and a modern dual- tube or mono-tube frame design. If all three frames are built to the same measurements and weigh the same, the reduced geom- etry of the mono-tube and dual-tube frames will be much easier to load because that lower frame tube either does not exist or is tucked up close to the upper frame tube, allowing these frame designs to fit through and into a smaller space.”
Folding Frames & Weight
Folding chairs — with their additional components — are typi- cally heavier than rigid counterparts. How does that impact the ease of transporting them?
“Theoretically,” Roesler said, “you do not have to remove any components to load [a folding chair] into the car. However, many may find that the total package is too large, and they have to remove parts anyway. There is also an idea that because they fold, they take up less space. Again, we need to educate and look at every situation. In my small car, for example, a rigid chair actually takes up less space.
“The weight of some chairs, particularly carbon and titanium, has come down significantly... but the ease of transport often comes down to familiarity and the type of car. Again, clients need to be educated about the best and safest way to transport.”
“Folding chairs and rigid chairs break down for transport in completely different ways,” Anderson said. “With a traditional folding chair, you remove the cushion, vertically fold the frame, and remove the rear wheels along with the front footrest hangers for transport. You don’t need to do all of those steps, but you can to reduce overall dimensions of the chair to fit into the smallest possible space.
“With a rigid chair, you remove the cushion, the rear wheels, fold the backrest down and load the chair. Again, you don’t need to do all of those steps, but you can to fit it into the smallest possible space. When I load my rigid chair into my car, all I do
is remove the rear wheels, place them behind the passenger seat, and load the frame into the passenger seat. I don’t need to remove the cushion or fold down the backrest, because the overall frame geometry is small enough that I can pass the chair between
me and the steering wheel of my car without folding down the
University of Pittsburgh Seeks Participants for Wheelchair Transfer Study
The University of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh Model Center on Spinal Cord Injury are seeking participants for a new research study on the effectiveness of a remote wheelchair transfer training program.
“This research is extremely important as wheelchair users transfer between 15 and 20 times per day,” said Clinical Research Coordinator Karen Greenwald, RN, BSN, CCRC. “If done incor- rectly, it can lead to pain in the shoulder, elbow and hand. This can negatively impact all aspects of mobility.”
Researchers will study how effective a Web-based training program is at improving wheelchair users’ transferring.
The program is recruiting “individuals that use a wheelchair for a majority [of their] mobility and can transfer independently.” Wheelchair users do not qualify if they have pain that prohibits transferring; if they stand or use their lower extremities to transfer; or if they currently have or have had a pressure injury in
the last three months. Participants need to be 18 to 75 years old. The transfer training program is currently available for public
use. It demonstrates different transfer techniques and offers transfer advice for caregivers. People who access the training program will also have access to a Facebook forum that will focus on transfer techniques and tips.
To learn more about the study or the transfer program, visit www.upmc-sci.pitt.edu/transfers. You can call (412) 822-3666 or e-mail eak20@pitt.edu to speak to study coordinator Emily Bird.
The study will be conducted entirely online, and participants will complete activities such as filling out questionnaires and reviewing an interactive training module. Participants will also be asked how they currently transfer and whether they experience pain while transferring.
Researchers are ultimately looking for 200 people to partici- pate in the study. m
18 JUNE2018|MOBILITYMANAGEMENT MobilityMgmt.com