Page 8 - Mobility Management, September/October 2022

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this [wheelchair] cushion,’” Peterson said. “That’s something that, as we know, can lead to secondary complications and issues with positioning and pressure.”
And seating that isn’t quite right can become more serious an issue as the person’s condition progresses. “As you look at the progression of something like ALS, MS [multiple sclerosis], anything like that,” Peterson said, “comfort really is hugely important because they’re going to be spending more and more time in a chair or in a bed. I just think they have to be comfort- able for quality of life.”
Strategies to Consider
Noting that able-bodied people move not just back to front, but also side to side to get comfortable, Peterson said lateral tilt on
a power chair can be helpful. As a long-time powered seating specialist, he noted, “We saw a lot of success with lateral tilt with people who were end-stage MS or folks who had long-term spinal cord injuries, who had a lot of pain. They’ve moved so many different ways with [posterior] tilt and recline. But bringing in
a different axis of movement really helped them unweight or change the way their body moved.
“We rock from side to side, we tilt and recline back, we put our feet up. We don’t just move in one axis. We don’t just open up
our hips and raise our feet. There are a lot of different movements that we do. And I’m a strong proponent of that.”
Providing powered seating users with the ability to reposition themselves, even if they’re no longer driving their power chair much, can improve quality of life, Peterson added. “Even if you’re at the end or towards the end of a progressive condition, you still want to do things yourself. You don’t want to have to ask your loved one. You don’t want to have to ask a caregiver. You don’t want to have
to wait for someone to come in the room. You may have difficulty in communication. You might be nonverbal. It’s tough for you to be able to say, ‘Hey, I need my head back five degrees.’ Whereas if you can do it yourself, whether it be by a breath or by a tap of a microlight switch or by an eye gaze or something like that — you can still move yourself. That’s hugely impactful in terms of self-esteem, independence, comfort, and just overall function.”
As repositioning is difficult for these clients — “It’s much more difficult for many of our folks to fight against gravity like you and I do all the time,” Peterson pointed out — helping them to main- tain their optimal position in the first place is critical.
“A lot of times, [comfort] doesn’t come down to just one thing,” Peterson explained. “It’s not just a good cushion. It’s not just tilt and recline. It’s having every aspect or every part of the chair working together to provide that overall experience. You can do
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