Power go green mobility scooters and Safety Concerns

Power mobility enhances participation in daily activities as well as activities for people in long-term care. The devices can also create safety risks, which need to be addressed.

Most participants chose to adopt a teleological view and give all residents the chance to try devices, not to restrict residents with certain diagnosis that could be viewed as a prejudicial risk management.

Mobility

A power mobility device allows people with limited ability to move about their homes or communities and engage in daily activities that are otherwise not accessible to them. These devices be a danger not just for the person who uses them, but also to other people who are in their surroundings. Occupational therapists should carefully consider the safety needs of each client before making recommendations about powered mobility.

In an exploratory study (von Zweck, 1999), OTs from three residential care facilities within the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority conducted qualitative interviews with residents regarding their use of power mobility. The objective was to develop an approach to client-centered power mobility prescribing. The findings revealed four main 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 enhance the quality of life of those with mobility limitations. This is because it lets them participate in daily activities at home and in the community. Self-care, productive and leisure activities are essential to the physical and mental health of people who are older. For many who suffer from advanced illnesses, power mobility allows them to take part in these vital activities.

It was considered unacceptable by the participants to take away a wheelchair, as this would disrupt their life story and trajectory and hinder them from doing the same things they were doing before their condition worsened. This was particularly true for those in the Facility 1 who had only been in a position to use their power chair for a short time and were now dependent on others to push them.

Another solution would be to slow down the speed at which some residents drive their chairs. However it could create several issues, including privacy and the impact on the rest of the community. The most drastic solution to security concerns was to take away a resident's wheelchair.

Safety

Power mobility allows those with disabilities to move around more easily and take part in a wider variety of activities, and even complete around. With increased mobility comes an increased risk of accidents. These accidents can cause serious injuries for some. It is essential to think about the safety of your clients prior to recommending the use of power mobility.

The first step in assessing safety is to determine whether your client is able to safely operate their scooter or power wheelchair. Depending on their condition and their current health, this may involve a physical evaluation by an occupational or physician therapist, or an interview with a mobility specialist to determine whether a specific device would be appropriate for them. In some cases the use of a vehicle lift may be required to allow for your client to load and unload their mobility device at home, in the community or at work.

Another aspect of safety is to learn the rules of the road. This includes sharing space with other wheelchair users, pedestrians and drivers of cars or buses. This topic was mentioned by most participants in the study.

Some people learned to drive their wheelchairs along sidewalks instead of driving in busy areas or on curbs (unless the wheelchair was designed for this). For others it meant driving slowly in a busy environment and keeping an eye out for people walking.

The last and least popular option was to remove a person's chair, which was seen as two-fold punishment loss of mobility independent and preventing access to facility and community activities. This was the viewpoint of the majority of participants who had their chairs removed among them Diane and Harriet.

Participants also suggested that family members, and staff be educated on the safe use of power mobility. This could include teaching driving basics (such as the correct side to walk on in a hallway) as well as encouraging residents to practice driving skills while outside, and helping them understand how their behavior affects the mobility of other people.

Follow-Up

The capacity and willingness of a child to participate in life can be profoundly affected by a device that can green power mobility them. However, little research has been done on the experiences of children who learn to use this equipment. This study employs a pre-post design to examine the effects of six months' experience with one of the four early power mobility devices on the children in school with severe cerebral palsy (CP).

Qualitative interviews were conducted with 15 parents and pediatric occupational and physical therapists. Thematic analysis revealed three main themes. The first, 'Power in mobility,' explained the ways in which a powered device changed more than just the motor skills. Learning to drive a power mobility device can be an emotional, transformative journey for participants.

The second theme 'There's no recipe book' showed that learning how to make use of an equipment for mobility was a process that developed in a way that was cyclical over time. Therapists were required to determine what was feasible based on each child's abilities and requirements. During the training phase, and after, therapists had to be patient with children as well as parents. Several parents and therapists described the need to assist families celebrate their successes and solve problems that arise from the training process.

Finally, the third theme"Shared space', explored the ways in which using an electric power scooters device can affect the lives of other people and their interactions. The majority of those who participated in this study believed people must always be considerate of other people when using their mobility device. This is especially important when driving in public spaces. Many participants also reported that they've encountered situations in which someone else's property was damaged due to the use of the power mobility device or when a person was injured due to a driver who not yielded the right-of-way.

Overall, the findings 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 be focused on the effectiveness of training and outcomes of this kind of intervention for young children with CP. This could result in the development of more uniform training protocols for this group.