Page 10 - Mobility Management, February 2019

ATP Series
STANDING CONNECTIONS
Standing Technology Continues to Evolve,
But Future Funding Support Might Occur for a Surprising Reason
By Leila McNeill
From our bones to our hearts, standing has the ability to make us healthier, stronger human beings. For wheelchair users, the bene- fits of standing are even more profound. An increasing amount
of research in the past decade has shown that standing can help protect bone density, resist orthostatic stress, relieve pressure on the skin and combat other damaging effects of immobility.
Beyond medical benefits, standing does so much more. It allows wheelchair users to navigate environments that were built for able-bodied people: workplaces, schools, even homes. And it gives people with disabilities the chance to connect better with those who matter most: colleagues, friends, family.
Fortunately, continued innovation in assistive standing technologies makes it possible for wheelchair users to stand, enabling them to live healthier, more independent lives.
Evolving Technology
In the last two years, not many new standing technologies
have made their way into the market. But there is still plenty happening in the world of standing. Some manufacturers are working to improve what’s already there, and with new product introductions to the U.S. market and new products upcoming in
8 FEBRUARY 2019 | MOBILITY MANAGEMENT
2019, innovation in standing is alive and well.
Nancy Perlich, COTA, ATP, Funding and Product Specialist at
Altimate Medical, said that while the manufacturer hasn’t released any new standing frames, it is adding “more components to better support the consumer who’s using the standing device. Whether it be a swingaway tray or a lateral or a ROHO knee or a ROHO insert, that sort of thing is where we are right now.”
In March 2017, Numotion began distributing the Tek RMD from Matia Robotics in the United States. The Tek RMD is a unique motorized standing movement device that is best described as a standing frame and wheelchair hybrid. It allows active users to engage in daily activities from an upright position while receiving all the medical benefits that standing has to offer.
“It’s really geared toward a segment of clients that really aren’t interested in power wheelchairs and standing frames,” said John Pryles, Numotion’s VP of Sales. “The Tek is geared more towards [paraplegics] who want to move around while they’re standing and actually be functional.”
In 2019, Motion Concepts is introducing a new standing system to its ranks — the ROVI A3. Unlike its predecessor, the ROVI X3, the A3 power base is wider for better stability and will
FACE-TO-FACE: ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/FILO
MobilityMgmt.com