Oct 17 2009
Learning how the disabled in my Community have become enabled.
In a previous post on here, I discussed some of the things that I have learned during my time as an RCA. In that post however, I mainly focused on one type or kind of mobility aid that exists to help empower those with mobility issues, the lift chair recliner. This time out I would like to take a more general look at how much I have learned about since starting my occupation in community health care. I thought I would cover the kinds of enabling devices that are typically found inside the home as well as some of the mobility devices that are used outside of the home, in the local neighborhood.
There really was a lot for me to learn or find out about once I started in my new occupation. Before I began in my career of Community health care, I was to all intents and purposes ignorant of the numerous types of personal mobility aids which are employed to make the lives of the physically challenged inside our community to a great extent more manageable. There is really no doubt that there now exists a large variety of mobility aids and mechanisms that serve to greatly empower the physically disabled and to build up the level of independence in the lives of disabled people both inside and outside their homes
Through my in excess of ten years of service as a Resident Care Aid, or RCA for short, I have been fortunate to witness first hand how physically disabled individuals manage with their restrictions inside their own households. For starters, I have in addition become sentient of the reality of the motorized recliner lift chair for employment within the residence. The basic principle behind the lift chair is that it enables the user of the chair to simply and securely reside in and vacate the chair at their preference and without any aid. The way that normal lift chairs perform, is that they are constructed to slowly and steadily raise up to meet the intended occupant at his or her standing level so that they are able to easily sit into the recliner which would then be lowered down into a suitable seated position at the occupant’s discretion by use of a hand-held remote unit that is connected to the arm of the chair by means of a reinforced cable or cord. Once the chair has been suitably reclined or descended, the chair’s occupant can choose from a variety of upright and laid back positions, limited only by the facility of the chair to be adjusted: some lift chair recliners are equipped with headrests and footrests which are both able to be adjusted separately apart from the main body of the lift chair, to suit the comfort requirements of the chair’s occupant. Regardless of the specifics of any one particular liftchair model, most of them share analogous safety features; first of all, making sure that the liftchair itself is a suitable fit for the intended user is one of the central safety tenets that one can commence with since a well fitting chair means that there is less likelihood of the user falling out of it while in motion. Additionally, most makes of liftchair come with some sort of battery backup feature to ensure that there is some sort of emergency power source available for the liftchair in the contingency that there is any unexpected power failure in the house; with the battery backup, the occupant can still maneuver the chair during any power outage. One other safety feature of note is the design of the remote control unit on many models of lift chair recliner. With many of them, the remote is designed with a pressure switch which ceases to operate unless pressed, that way if for whatever reason the user should release the remote unit they will not be injured or stranded by an out of control chair.
An additional home mobility device that I have become familiar with is the home chair lift for stairs. The basic concept behind the stair chair lift is that it acts as an enabler by allowing the user to get up and down between the floors of their home via their home staircase, employing the use of a motorized lift system. There are variations on the basic design of stair chair lifts when it comes to the seating position of the occupant of the lift as well as to whether or not the user requires the option of being able to bring their manual wheelchair into the lift with them.
In the bathroom, there are also a few mobility aids that I had little idea about before first using them in my profession. One such piece of equipment is the home shower lift which is designed to allow for the safe and comfortable transit to and from a bathtub. I also have had a chance to learn about the accessible shower and tub, which includes a swing door access design for those with mobility challenges. One final bathroom mobility-enhancing aid that I have come to have knowledge of is the basic commode chair, which is mainly a water-resistant manual wheelchair outfitted with a rubberized seat and designed to fit over most standard toilets, allowing for the physically disabled individual to access both their toilet and shower with less difficulty and no concern for water or rust damage which might be a concern if using any other sort of manual wheel chair inside the bathroom shower.
Finally, outside of the domicile, I have also become aware of and come to grasp the significance of a few other mobility aids. For those with minor mobility issues there is the personal walker which serves as a form of personal support frame for someone who is still capable of walking with only some minor support but that also needs to be able to rest at regular intervals. Now however, walkers have advanced to the point where you can even get a walker that converts into a makeshift seating surface for whenever such an asset might be required .
Meant for those with a wider range of mobility, the medical mobility scooter has grown in recognition to the point where it is a preferred means of transit for many physically challenged members of my area. The basic design of the scooter makes it preferable for those individuals who are still able to walk but are unable to carry themselves under their own strength over extended distances, say on a trip to the nearby park or the shopping center, for example. The medical scooter’s design is quite reminiscent of the established scooter with a driver seat located above a center running board and with a handlebar array located in front of the occupant. The design of the personal mobility scooter reflects the reality that the driver is not necessarily expected to stay on board the vehicle once they have arrived at their destination, with the swivel seat design permitting an easy mounting and dismounting of the vehicle passenger area. Finally, there is of course the electric or motorized wheelchair. The motorized wheel chair is a genuinely enabling mobility device for those physically disabled individuals who would be facing a grave challenge if they had to manage a manual wheel chair across longer distances, especially in the more uneven terrains that they might come across in their neighborhood. Prior to working in health care I had some appreciation for the benefit of the motorized wheel chair, still I did not realize the finer points of such a chair’s abilities: many motorized wheel chairs are equipped with the ability to tilt far back placing the occupant in an almost supine position, which is helpful in reducing pressure on the lower buttocks area (something very important to anyone dealing with pressure sore issues). As well, powered chairs can be equipped with the capability to be fully operated through only the use of a puff straw, empowering a severely disabled operator with a superior level of control over their own chair. After working with a number of quadriplegics, I have genuinely come to appreciate just how much of a difference such enhanced mobility can make in their lives.
Clearly my work in the Community healthcare setting has exposed me to a number of empowering personal mobility devices both within and outside of the home. From electric lift chairs to powered wheel chairs, I have been privy to the everyday use of many personal mobility devices. When all is said and done, I would have to say that I consider myself fortunate to have ended up in an occupation which has given me the chance to increase my own awareness of the daily challenges facing many of those in my own community.
