Already, almost 1million people have dementia. Half of the UK population will be dealing with dementia in our lifetime(1).
Only 7% of our homes have key accessibility features such as a ground floor WC.
Dealing with dementia and its impact mobility and movement means that even something as mundane as going up, down stairs- to bed, to bath, to use the toilet- becomes difficult.
It can even be potentially dangerous.
You can manage the risk, quickly and easily.
And you can do it without any of the delay usual with a home adaptation, and without impacting on how others in the household can use the stairs.
Our S-Max Sella stairclimber/ stairclimbing wheelchair is a portable, mobile unit that folds compactly away when not in use.
Class 1 Medical Device certified, Sella provides a proven, safe, supported way for you, the carer, to take the dementia patient up and down stairs- and beyond.
Familiar routines can be preserved. Mobility and movement around the home is restored.
You don't need to transfer your loved one from the Sella at the top or bottom of the stairs. Sella continues the journey onwards to whichever room, further improving safety.
Sella is battery-operated. Each charge delivers sufficient power to undertake 300 steps. You have complete control over the speed.
You can pause the step process en route. Sella automatically smoothly brakes at the top of each riser to maintain complete operator control.
We support your Occupational Therapist in assessment of the home environment, dementia sufferer and their carers to ensure all are comfortable with the kit.
We also set up the Sella to suit each person involved and train you in how to use it.
Julie Murray was given a Sella to help her with her husband Robert who has dementia.
Their OT realised the only way the family could get Robert up, down stairs to bed and bathroom was on son Harry’s back!
Julie says, “The Sella has changed our lives! It’s made daily life so much safer. It has meant I can keep Robert’s routine, life, as normal as possible, getting him up to bed.
"With only having one toilet at the time, upstairs, the Sella meant I can get him there in time.
"And even with a wetroom downstairs now, the Sella is still in daily use, getting Robert up in the morning and to bed at night.”
Full details of Sella, including how to book a free, no obligation assessment, can be found here:
https://www.aatgb.com/s-max-sella/.
(reference: (1)https://dementiastatistics.org/about-dementia/prevalence-and-incidence/)
You may also be interested in:
https://www.aatgb.com/deal-with-steps-and-stairs
Developed in conjunction with Occupational Therapists, AAT’s new Universal Seating System means just one system simplifies stairclimber prescription and re-issue.
It adjusts quickly and easily to safely support clients with the top-selling S-Max Sella stairclimber, whatever their requirements, initially AND as they change over time. It improves safety on stairs for users young and old.
The System features a core range of four sizes of back panel with adjustable lateral, hip and head supports and harnessing and two sizes of seat. The seat depth is also adjustable, meaning the client has appropriate and comfortable support whether child or adult, and, from the carer’s perspective, constancy for the stairclimber’s centre of gravity and balance point.
This flexibility means almost any user from infant to adult up to 100kg/ 15st can be safe and supported on stairways without the need to prescribe and purchase/fund numerous different accessories for each person.
It also enhances the equipment’s ability to adapt to the client as their needs change without funding of additional accessories.
The adjustability of the System extends the stairclimber’s already proven ability to be re-issued/re-prescribed to another client.
Further, because it is quick-release design, the Universal Seating System can be easily removed and the stairclimber folded compactly down and away when not in use. This frees often limited space within the home for daily living and occupations. It leaves the stairway unrestricted for the other members of the household.
The Class 1 Medical Device certified Sella is Britain’s top-selling stairclimber. The German-engineered machine is itself adjustable- handle height and climb speed- to suit individual operator preference. It is light weight so easy to manoeuvre, not just up and down the stairs but onwards throughout the home with no need to transfer from the Sella.
The Sella can be used on almost any staircase, without need for installation. With the number of Sellas already sold to local authorities (almost every Council in the country has at least one), OTs have a practical, fast and cost-effective way to manage the risk of stairs.
"The Universal Seating System/Sella combination is transforming prescription of stairway access already,” says Peter Wingrave, AAT Director.
"It’s great for OT’s: it means they can manage the risk of stairs for almost anyone with mobility issues- fast: the kit falls within Equipment Stores’ ambit so no need for the delay of DFG funding. It’s portable, so no need for installation. Its flexibility means that it’s quick and easy to re-prescribe to another user. Plus, our nationwide team will support the OT in assessing the client, carer and environment, and train the carer(s) to ensure the set-up is correct for all involved.
"It’s great for the users: it makes staircases safe for the client. It’s easy for the carer to use. And it folds away when not in use.”
To arrange a free assessment, contact AAT via LiveChat on the website www.aatgb.com, fill in the form on the website: https://www.aatgb.com/s-max-sella/
email sales@aatgb.com or telephone 01978 821875.
Staff at a Yorkshire assisted living complex can deliver dignified, safe, supported personal hygiene to a man with dementia via the Aqua Liberty bathing support system.
The gentleman lives in supported accommodation and receives 24 hr care.
He has recently been diagnosed with dementia and has complex mental and physical disabilities.
He is non-verbal and is hoisted for all transfers. He has high muscle tone in his arms and legs which mean he benefits from being immersed in water.
He previously enjoyed baths when he lived at home, and this is something his family told the care team that he loved.
Since moving into supported accommodation and being diagnosed with dementia, staff had been unable to support him to shower as he became distressed when the water hit his body. He would hit out at the people supporting him.
When staff tried to lower him into the bath via the ceiling track hoist, as soon as his body contacted the water, he was becoming distressed.
The solution has been strip washing daily on the bed- distressing for the man due to the number of movements required whilst he was lying on the bed.
The Occupational Therapist involved in the man’s case, Julie Snowden from Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust, felt that there were some issues with proprioception and him feeling unsafe and disorientated when he didn’t know where his body was in space.
He also needed postural support as his core stability was poor, and benefited greatly from the feeling of being safe and ‘cocooned’.
Julie suggested trying AAT’s Aqua Liberty vacuum posture support system, hoisting him slowly into the bath with the bath cushion already in place.
Aqua Liberty is the only vacuum support cushion system that fits any bath and any user.
It is also unique in being developed in the UK in partnership with individuals with a disability and Occupational Therapists.
The lightweight adjustable system comprises a central, flexible backpiece that fits any bath. It is quick and easy to secure into position, and to remove.
Any of a range of “mix and match” vacuum posture cushions is then easily attached to the backpiece, to provide infinitely remouldable, adjustable pressure-free support for the bather.
In this case, a Comfortable Plus cushions was used. Combining a corset and and seat in one, the Comfortable Plus Duo delivers correct torso and pelvis positioning, stabilising him vertically and laterally, holding him in place without pressure.
By making use of vacuum technology, the infinitely variable cushion can be precisely moulded, shaped by carers to deliver optimal comfort as needed, without pressure points.
a positive outcome:
“Although he initially became slightly worried, once his body came into contact with the bath cushion and he was sitting in it, he became visibly relaxed. Staff were able to support him to bathe for the first time! Bathing with the Aqua Liberty is now an essential part of his routine; a bath helps him to relax, reduces muscle tone, aids digestion and is something he now thoroughly enjoys.”
Occupational Therapist Julie Snowden
To find out more about the Aqua Liberty system, including booking of free no obligation assessments, visit https://www.aatgb.com/aqua-liberty/. There, you can also arrange a free trial of the system, and ask any questions via LiveChat.
