Access home and away for Alexander thanks to stairclimber

The doors to “normal” family life at home and away were shut to the Nelsons because of son Alexander’s reliance on a wheelchair. Our Sella mobility stairclimber has changed that.

Alexander has severe epilepsy, Lennox Gastaut Syndrome and global development delay affecting his cognitive, learning ability and motor skills.

As a result he relies on a wheelchair to get around. He is, and always will be, reliant on others for daily living, including all transfers. Also, his capability can be affected by his seizures, meaning Alexander sometimes requires hoisting to support safe transfers. Access at home and away is restricted.

Alexander's limitations have also meant the family had to carry him up and down stairs. Mum and dad have experienced a few “near misses”.

They were getting increasingly worried about safety.

However, Alexander’s medical conditions and the design of the house meant a stairlift was not an option.  Nor would a through-floor lift be a straight-forward solution because of the property’s structure: that would have been very disruptive and costly, requiring structural changes to the family home. 

The Occupational Therapists' Answer- "a light bulb" moment for access at home and away!

The family’s Occupational Therapist, Fran Richardson, had an idea.

She suggested a mobility stairclimber, and arranged for us to visit and assess Alexander, the family and the home environment to see whether a Sella stairclimbing wheelchair would work.

We found in our assessment that Alexander could transfer from his wheelchair onto the stairclimber with only some support, and was relaxed when going up, down the stairs on the Sella. 

As Alexander tends to sit cross-legged, we have accessories the mobility stairclimbing wheelchair to maintain correct and safe posture, and his comfort. We included a large seat with a ramped pelvic pad, small head rest, thoracic pad plus a lap belt and dynamic harness to supplement the standard integrated arm rests and seat. 

Because of these additions we made, the accessories be easily altered to ensure his continued safety as he grows, stability and comfort with no need to change the core equipment.

When Alexander is transferred into the Sella stairclimber, the technique and process is similar to that used to transfer him into his functional chair or shower chair, maintaining consistency for him and his family. 

If Alexander needs to be hoisted into the Sella stairclimber, the unit’s brakes are applied and it reclined against an appropriate support, thereby replicating a tilt-in-space chair and facilitating good transfers. 

Alexander's mum says:

“We love the stairclimber for Alexander. He’s comfortable and happy in it. And, because it is not fixed to the structure of the house, it allows us the flexibility not only to use it at home but away- we take it with us when we visit family or go on holiday.

“AAT has been brilliant in their attention to detail setting up the stairclimber to suit Alexander, with the advice and hands-on training. And we know we csn contact them if we have any questions or issues.”

“AAT has been brilliant in their attention to detail setting up the stairclimber to suit Alexander, with the advice and hands-on training. And we know we csn contact them if we have any questions or issues.”

Our Sella stairclimbing wheelchair is now the UK’s biggest-selling stairclimber. The Class 1 Medical Device certified equipment is unique in its sector in that, when the original recipient no longer needs it, the Sella can be prescribed (re-issued) to another user. 

When coupled with our pioneering Universal Seat System, we can help Sella accommodate almost every additional postural support the user may need whilst using the stairclimber, further helping make best use of available resources and budgets.

Full details of the Sella stairclimber, including how to book a free, no obligation demonstration or assessment, can be found at http://www.aatgb.com/s-max-sella.

You can find out more about mobility stairclimbing wheelchairs here:http://www.aatgb.com/mobility-stairclimbers/