Page 13 - Mobility Management, May 2019

can change and be adapted to these needs — just because [ALS] changes so rapidly. It’s really, really difficult to maintain one drive control because of weakness. From the start, we always recommend that somebody get a system that can be adapted and changed.”
Robert Norton, ATP, Director of Clinical Development at Sunrise Medical, said, “ALS clients in particular have a very rapid, or what can be a very rapid, progression of a loss of upper-extremity functions, so the ability to have controls and be able to place those controls wherever clients still have function is ideal. Or, it’s not just ideal; it’s absolutely necessary because they do not have the strength or range of motion to operate a standard joystick.”
Relying on setups that do not accommodate for a degenerative disease like ALS forces clients to expend energy unnecessarily. Coming back to the car analogy, Romero said, “All of these things are really important early on due to the fact that the energy expended to drive the chair is not being [gained] back.”
Without the ability to change and transition to different controls, Norton said clients “are either left with zero mobility and zero independence in adjusting their seating position, or we have to use a specialty control to give them that ability. It is 100-percent crucial to their independence.”
The Progression Sets the Course
The progression of ALS is largely what determines the seating and mobility plan for ALS clients. Standard joystick controls do not offer ALS clients the same possibilities for adapting to the progression that alternative driving controls can. “What happens a lot of the time, especially when you’re dealing with ALS clients in power chairs,” Romero said, “is they’re using a joystick that is configured for a different population, meaning that the springs of the joystick and how much flexion is needed at times could be for people who aren’t struggling with a muscle-degenerative type of disease, and that’s a consideration that needs to be looked at early on.”
Romero further explained that a forward command on a power chair is the longest command a client will typically hold. Given that, Romero asked, “Why am I going to have somebody press and hold something that is going to fatigue them?”
He added, “Just see how hard it is to press forward in a direction [on a standard-type joystick] as slow as you can, and
Within a year’s time, a patient can have several access changes — Lisa Rotelli
you’ll see how much energy it takes, how much effort it takes to deflect that joystick. And so now, we’re asking people who are trying to store [their energy] to use it in this way.” Alternative driving controls, however, give clients another option.
“[Alternative driving controls] is a pretty wide-ranging term,”
Norton explained. “And all we really mean by that is anything other than the standard choices. It could be a different type of joystick, but it requires less movement or less force. It could be a switch. It could be a head array, any number of things.”
Even though a standard joystick is often ruled out as a starting setup for ALS clients, variations on the traditional joystick can be utilized, at least in the early stages. Norton explained that a joystick operated by hand is still an ideal starting position because “it is just the most natural and intuitive way to drive. That’s why we have a standard joystick — because it’s the most intuitive way to operate the power chair.
“We have alternative drive controls that are joysticks; we have many proportional joysticks that require very, very little force and very, very little movement that oftentimes an ALS client can still operate, and it still gives them full control over driving their chair and adjusting their seating position.”
Romero also recommended joystick variations that are more suitable for clients with a degenerative disease. “I’m always recommending joysticks with lighter touch. It can still be a standard-sized joystick, but the spring is lighter or it’s configured
There are times where we go to what would be considered the most advanced or the most customizable option — Robert Norton
differently in the programming of electronics where you don’t have to press all the way to get 100 percent.”
Beyond controlling the chair, Norton said that alternative joysticks have other options as well. “You can integrate home controls, TV, whatever you want to integrate into it,” he said. “So if they have some hand or finger movement, that is usually a good starting point.”
Once clients have lost more upper-extremity function but maintain some neck movement and strength, Norton said that a head array might be utilized. With a head array, “You can give them the ability to drive proportionally, and then when they lose that strength and that range of motion in their neck, we can move it over to a switch system, which is easier for them to operate.”
This, Norton said, can be accomplished without replacing the entire system. “It gives you both of those capabilities within one piece of equipment, so you’re not having to try to get a new piece of equipment for them.”
The importance of minimizing time between transitions in equipment for ALS clients cannot be understated. Rotelli noted, “ALS clients do not have time to wait for insurance authorizations and fighting for funding. Up front and initially, it’s really important for them to have a system that can adapt with them on the go. Being able to keep up with their mobility and technology needs in real time can allow a patient to continue to work and be
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