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Power Mobility and Safety Concerns

Power mobility allows individuals who are in long-term care to take part in their daily activities and leisure pursuits. However, the devices could also pose safety risks that need to be addressed.

The majority of participants opt to take a teleological approach and allow all residents the opportunity to test devices, not to restrict residents with certain diagnoses that could be viewed as an unfair risk management.

Mobility

A power mobility device is a method for people who are unable to move about their home or community and participate in activities of daily living that they may not be able to perform. These devices could cause danger not only for the person who uses them, but also to those who are in their surroundings. Occupational therapists need to carefully evaluate the safety needs of each client to make the best recommendations regarding powered mobility.

In an exploratory study conducted by OTs at three residential facilities of the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, qualitative interviews were conducted with residents to assess their power mobility use. The aim was to develop a framework that could allow the use of power mobility that is centered on the needs of the client. The results revealed four major themes: (1) the meaning of power mobility, (2) learning the rules of the road, (3) red flags concerning safety, and (4) solutions.

Power mobility can significantly increase quality of life for individuals who are mobility-challenged by allowing them to participate in a variety of everyday life activities, at home as well as in the community (Brandt 2001; Evans, 2000). Self-care, active and recreational jobs are essential for the physical and mental well-being of the elderly. For many with chronic illnesses, power mobility allows them to take part in these essential activities.

Many participants considered it not acceptable to remove the resident's chair since this would cause a major change in their life or trajectory and essentially prevent them from pursuing the same activities that they were doing prior to their disease progression. This was particularly true for those in Facility 1 who had been able use their power chairs for a brief period and now relied on others to push them.

Another option is to reduce the speed that residents drive their chairs. However it could create various issues like privacy and the impact on the rest of the community. In the end, taking away a resident's chair was considered the most drastic and least desirable solution to security concerns.

Safety

Power mobility allows disabled people to move more freely, participate in a wider variety of activities, and even run around. However, with increased freedom of movement comes a higher risk of accidents. For some, these incidents could result in serious injuries to themselves or others. This is why it is important to think about the safety of your client prior to suggesting they use a power mobility.

The first step in determining safety is to determine whether your client is safe to operate their power wheelchair or scooter. This could include an examination of the physical by a doctor or occupational therapist, or a mobility specialist, depending on the nature of your client's disability as well as their current health. In some cases the use of a vehicle lift may be required to make it possible for your client to load and unload their mobility device at home, in the community or at work.

Knowing the rules of road safety is another aspect of safety. This includes sharing space with other pedestrians, wheelchair users and drivers of cars or buses. This is a topic that was mentioned by the majority of participants in the study.

Some people learnt to drive their wheelchairs on sidewalks instead of driving through busy areas or on curbs (unless the wheelchair was specially made to be used in this way). For others this meant driving more slowly in a busy environment and watching out for people walking.

The last and least popular option was to remove the chair of a person. This was viewed as a two-fold penalty: losing independent mobility and preventing access to facility and community activities. This was the opinion of the majority of participants who had their chairs removed and included Diane and Harriet.

Participants also suggested that family members, and staff be informed about the proper use of power mobility. This could include teaching driving basics (such as the correct side to walk on in a hallway) and encouraging residents to practice driving skills when they leave and assisting them to understand how their behavior affects the mobility of others.

Follow-Up

The capacity and willingness of a child to be a part of the world can be greatly affected by a device for power mobility. However, very little research has been done on the experiences of children who learn to use this device. This study employs the post-previous method to analyze the effects of 6 months of using one of the four early mobility devices on a school-aged group of children who suffer from severe cerebral Palsy (CP).

greenpower electric scooters were conducted with 15 parents as well as pediatric occupational and physical therapists. Thematic analysis identified three major themes. The first, 'Power in Mobility,' explained how the use of powered devices affected more than just the motor skills. The process of learning to drive a motorized mobility device is usually an emotional and transformative experience.

The second theme, 'There's no such thing as a recipe book,' showed that learning to use the power mobility device was an individual process that unfolded over time in a cyclical manner. Therapists were required to decide what was appropriate based on each child's abilities and requirements. In the post-training and training phases, therapists were required to have patience with parents and children. Parents and therapists alike described the need to assist families celebrate their accomplishments and address issues related to the training process.

Finally, the third theme called 'Shared space was a look at how the use of an electric device can influence the lives of other people and their interactions. The majority of participants in this study believed that people should always be mindful when using a device that is powered by electricity. This is especially relevant when driving on public roads. Participants also shared that they had seen situations in which property belonging to someone else was damaged due to the use of a power mobility device, or a person has been injured by a driver who failed to yield the right of way.





Overall, the results of this study suggest that short-term socialization and power mobility training appears feasible for preschoolers with CP in certain classroom environments. Future research should continue to study the training and results for this kind of intervention in young children with CP. This should hopefully lead to the development of more standard training protocols specifically for this group of children.