Working with the elderly for the last six years has made me realize that despite our best intentions there are still many patients in nursing homes, private homes and adult foster homes who are using the wrong mobility equipment. As you read this please consider if there isn't a patient or loved one of yours that could use some help with their mobility...
1) if your patient is walking around with their hands on the walls, furniture or you (we call this furniture crawling)...they need a mobility device (a single point or quad cane, hemi-walker, Front Wheel Walker, Four Wheel Walker or wheelchair)!
2) if your patient is bent forward like the woman below while walking, she is no longer able to control the speed of her four wheeled walker and needs a front wheeled walker like the gentleman beside her.
3) if your patient is only able to walk a few feet, no matter the environment, he will need a wheelchair. I would like to challenge all healthcare professionals that it is NOT good enough to have your patient sit in a standard wheelchair with standard foam cushion for up to 8 hours a day without taking the time to see if it actually fits them.
Please get your patient the the right mobility device the first time! If you fail to recognize when your patient, or even your loved one needs a mobility device you are putting them at risk for falls, pain, pressure sores, respiratory complications, joint problems, over-use injuries and spinal deformities/poor posture.
More than 4 million people use a cane and more than 1.5 million use walkers in the United States alone (http://www.usuhs.mil/med/geriatrics/AssistiveDevicesforBalanceandMobility.pdf), so if you don't know enough to get the right one there is a ton of information out there.
It is estimated that 1.6 million Americans residing outside of institutions use wheelchairs, according to data from the National Health Interview Survey on Disability (NHIS-D). Most use manual wheelchairs, with only 155,000 people using electric wheelchairs (http://dsc.ucsf.edu/publication.php).
More than 4 million people use a cane and more than 1.5 million use walkers in the United States alone (http://www.usuhs.mil/med/geriatrics/AssistiveDevicesforBalanceandMobility.pdf), so if you don't know enough to get the right one there is a ton of information out there.
It is estimated that 1.6 million Americans residing outside of institutions use wheelchairs, according to data from the National Health Interview Survey on Disability (NHIS-D). Most use manual wheelchairs, with only 155,000 people using electric wheelchairs (http://dsc.ucsf.edu/publication.php).
As Occupational Therapists and Healthcare professionals it is up to us (and the rest of our team) to be responsible for the well-being and safety of our patients. I would encourage you to take an interest in this aspect of our field of practice because I can guarantee you that you will be working on Seating and Positioning in your career!
Nothing feels better when you finally get your patient the device they needed all along and they feel confident, proud and safe in their mobility!
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