Arthur was brain damaged as a baby, leaving him non-mobile and non-verbal, and as he has grown, the family needed to make changes to their home.
His adaptations manager took a holistic approach, advising that whilst at the time Arthur’s parents could manage to carry him up and down stairs, that would not be safe nor practical as he grew. They needed a way to make daily life for disabled Arthur- and them- easier and safer.
The configuration of the staircase, with a tight bend at the top requiring a U-turn into Arthur’s bedroom, prompted her to prescribe AAT’s S-Max Sella stairclimber, following a joint assessment with AAT of the family and their home.
The battery-powered device features kinematic wheels front and back that raise and lower to ascend or descend at a pace set by the carer, an integral seat, and height-adjustable control handles.
To ensure Arthur was comfortable and safe, as he was only 6 years old at the time, AAT advised fitting the Sella with a booster seat; when he gets bigger, this can be easily removed, enabling the kit to adapt with him and to him.
“She said it was the right technology for us and she was right!
“We’ve had it two years now: it definitely has been the right tech as far as we’re concerned.
"It means either my wife or I can beetle up and down the stairs with Arthur.
"And it works as an upstairs wheelchair for us- we get to the top of the stairs, and just keep going into his bedroom, the bathroom or between the two.
"There’s none of risk we’d face if we had to transfer him from a stairlift into a wheelchair.”
Michael Norton, Arthur's father
Since being introduced some 20 years ago, AAT’s S-Max Sella has become the industry leader. With its impeccable safety record, thousands are now in use nationwide, in private and social housing, care homes, ambulances and hospitals.
You can find out more about the Sella stairclimber here: https://www.aatgb.com/s-max-sella/
