The 17 year-old has complex disabilities, including seizures and being non-verbal. Her parents Melissa and Darren themselves have health issues.
They were finding it a risk getting Rhianna up and down stairs.
But the design and size of their house meant it was not viable to use the conventional solutions- a stairlift or through-floor lift.
Rhianna’s Occupational Therapist at Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Trust found out about AAT’s Sella stairclimber. She reached out to us for assessment support.
Our Sella worked!
See how the Sella stairclimbing wheelchair works here: http://www.aat.com/s-max-sella/
In Medequip’s stores for Kirklees’ Council, a Sella stairclimber was available. Some of the accessories needed to ensure Rhianna was sat secure and properly supported as she needed were also there.
As a result, using the re-issue capability of the stairclimber, Rhianna’s carers can now transfer her up and down the stairs without risk to her or themselves.
Melissa and Darren can safely pause the stairclimbing process should Rhianna have a seizure en route.
Our re-issue facility for stairclimbers is unique within the sector.
Our re-issue means that- where appropriate- necessary, reasonable and practical changes can be made to make stairs safe for someone with reduced mobility, for <£1000/ £650 pa(1).
There are no structural alterations nor permanent restriction of the stairs for other members of the household.
You can find out more about our re-issue opportunity here: https://www.aatgb.com/taking-steps-to-reduce-adaptation-delay-for-650-recycle/
Mum Melissa says:
“It’s been a real life saver! Rhianna’s face shows that she enjoys it, and it’s made the world of difference to us all.
“It was a bit scarey to start with at the top of the stairs, but AAT trained us fully in how to use the stairclimber safely.
"If Rhianna has a seizure, we just stop until it’s passed and we can resume.”
Adds our Gareth Brown ,
“Rhianna requires significant support to sit. We had most of the accessories she needed in stores @ Kirklees, so there was only need to purchase a couple of small additions.
"Her access to all levels of the family home has been made safe, including assessment, equipment and training, for around £1000- a fraction of the cost of other solutions, had they been viable.”
(1)Sella purchase price £4650, re-issue x 3 @ £995/ re-issue= £2985/12 years (lifespan of. Sella) = £636/annum.
The core re-issue package (£995/re-issue) includes client assessment and full training of two carers.
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Imagine not being able to enjoy the immersive experience of bubbles in the bath, relaxing in warm water.
For a group of young adults with learning disabilities and neurological impairments that pleasure is now a reality, tailored to their individual needs.
It’s the result of determination by their Occupational Therapists at the Royal Hospital for Neuro Disability to find a suitable way to enhance their sensory experiences.
The residential ward at the Hospital has a specialist bath with sensory lighting and bubble jets. The very limited functional ability of many of the ward’s 12 residents meant they were unable to benefit from the bath.
Many of the ward residents had not been in a bath since early childhood. Their complex postural needs and behaviours posed significant difficulty in supporting them safely in the water. Their care teams had to ensure they did not slip, slide or injure themselves on the hard sides.
At a Kidz to Adultz exhibition, the OTs saw AAT’s Aqua Liberty infinitely adjustable bath support system, arranged a trial- and now have the answer!
Aqua Liberty is the first supported bath seat that fits any user and any bath. It comprises AAT’s innovative variable vacuum posture cushions secured to a base. The base features adhesive cups for quick and easy attachment to and removal from the bath itself. This means the seat system does not slip or slide.
The bath seat cushion is precisely moulded to each user, holding its shape without pressure points to support them correctly and appropriately in the water, and adjusted if required by the OT team.
Optional lateral panel to provide side cushioning are also available.
Senior II Occupational Therapist Continuing Care Service @ the Hospital, Ginnie Garlick says:
“Being shaped around them, Aqua Liberty is supportive and comfortable.
"We’ve had great success with it, and, with new residents onto the ward, have repeat ordered.
“The ability to access the bath, experience being immersed in warm water and interacting with the bubbles has greatly enhanced the quality of life of our residents. It offers them a lovely sensory experience.”
You can find out more about the Aqua Liberty infinitely variable bathing system here:https://www.aatgb.com/aqua-liberty/.
And if you want to know how other users have found Aqua Liberty, click here!
Aqua Liberty is only one of our bathing support options. You can find out about others here:https://www.aatgb.com/bagel/
For OTs to achieve the goals of Housing Without Delay, making stairways accessible is therefore a critical priority
Only AAT can deliver stairway access without delay.
The Sella stairclimber, AAT’s top-selling model, is typically funded through equipment budgets and requires no installation. This means:
All that’s needed is a PEOP assessment to ensure suitability.
Unlike fixed stairway solutions, the Sella is fully portable. It can be used across multiple staircases—indoors and outdoors—enhancing both physical and mental wellbeing for the client.
Its design also reduces the need for transfers between seats, wheelchairs, and stairlifts. Once the stair transfer is complete, the carer can continue onward without moving the client from the Sella, supporting the carer’s wellbeing as well.
Most local authorities already own at least one AAT stairclimber. When no longer needed by the original user, it can be re-prescribed, recycled, and re-issued quickly and affordably.
The total cost—including PEOP assessment, servicing, and 1:1 carer training—is under £1,000. This enables timely preventative action without major capital expenditure.
No other stairway access provider offers this level of flexibility and value.
🔗 Learn more about AAT’s stairclimbing solutions: www.aatgb.com/s-max-sella
🔗 Explore the Housing Without Delay initiative: Foundations UK
REFERENCES
(1)https://www.foundations.uk.com/beyond-adaptations-launching-housing-without-delay/
(2)https://bregroup.com/press-releases/bre-report-finds-poor-housing-is-costing-nhs-1-4bn-a-year/
(3)https://www.rospa.com/campaigns-and-fundraising/current-campaigns/safer-stairs
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
The Thompson family is adopting tech to help cope....
The family's way to overcome the barriers is our S-Max Sella stair climbing wheelchair.
Young Grace can get around the house safely, even with mum Claire’s own condition which affects her mobility, using our stairclimbing wheelchair.
Grace’s life-limiting condition- NAA10 Ogden Syndrome- means she has global development delay, hypotonia, and involuntary movement.
The 1 in 11 million- life-limiting condition that means Grace is- and will always be - completely dependant, unable to sit up alone or walk.
Grace is unable to sit or hold herself up, walk or talk.
Because no-one knows her lifespan, there is a limit to the mobility equipment that can be funded via usual channels such as the NHS or social services.
The family found the design of their home meant a stairlift was not practical nor appropriate, especially with the harnessing Grace would need to use it safely.
Having seen our Sella in action at a disability show, mum Claire approached the Georgia Leigh Ogden Foundation which helped fund the purchase.
We not only delivered the Sella, but set the accessories to perfectly support Grace and trained the family in the stairclimber’s safe use.
We showed them how to adjust it to suit each person operating it, whether Grace’s mum or dad.
Claire says: “We knew if we wanted Grace to remain in her home we would have to find a way to get a stairclimber,”
“With her involuntary movements, we were becoming concerned for her safety going up and down the flights of stairs, as I have a condition that limits my mobility.
“The stairclimber has changed Grace’s life. She’s able to get up and down the stairs safely. I find it so easy and light to use, it is truly incredible”.
Our battery-powered kinematic S-Max Sella safely and smoothly transfers Grace between levels in the home, and onward to wherever they need to be- bedroom, bathroom, lounge….
The high balance point and PowerStep feature means the smallest carer can easily operate and control the Sella, even pausing, stopping en-route if needed.
Strong yet lightweight and completely portable, the Sella not only conveys its passenger up, down steps and stairs but onward to destination- bedroom, bathroom, lounge, garden…
Our range of accessories enable the Sella to accommodate safety and postural support as Grace grows or her needs change: options address seating and harnessing requirements from head to toe.
Thus, one piece of mobility equipment- that is Class 1 Medical Device certified- offers a universal solution, that can be used with children of all ages.
The Sella provides a timely, cost-effective preventative solution, managing the risk of possible falls or injuries, supporting the family to live life without impacting or limiting living space.
And, when not in use, it folds compactly away, optimising often limited living space.
Our Sella can often by provided via the Occupational Therapist within the NHS or local Authority from Equipment Stores: indeed, most councils across Britain now have at least one in their equipment portfolio and the machine is the UK’s #1 selling stairclimbing wheelchair.
More details of Sella and range of accessories, plus the ability to book a free, no obligation assessment, can be found here: https://www.aatgb.com/s-max-sella/.
Unlike the conventional beanbag seats, the ground-breaking seat can be quickly, easily, infinitely remoulded at home, by YOU (the care giver).
Chilli Bean seat for special needs children eliminates the stress of a child being uncomfortable or incorrectly positioned. It assures perfect, pressure-free, support each time.
It's because it uses vacuum technology. So carers can adjust the seat themselves, at home.
There is no need to wait for a new assessment, or a new mould to be produced and delivered.
To our knowledge, there is no other paediatric postural support system like Chilli Bean available to UK occupational therapists and special needs parents.
Chilli Bean uses vacuum technology to form, fix and adjust the bean bag into the required shape, rather than being a fixed mould.
We fully train the care giver(s) in the re-shaping process.
So you can quickly execute any re-moulding or minute adjustment- at home, as soon as your child needs.
You don’t have to worry about incorrect positioning nor pressure points.
Chilli Bean works by attaching a hand pump or the whisper-quiet electric pump to the bean bag to extract the air between the beans, fixing them into the exact shape required.
You can create and form pommels or lateral wings. You can set the firmness/ rigidity to your child’s comfort whilst achieving the security and stabilisation needed.
Chilli Bean gives you mm-precise support and comfort, without pressure points, all the time, every time- 24 hours a day.
Chilli Bean’s neoprene surface provides sensory stimulation and is wipe clean.
It’s also easy to place additional sensory devices below to provide vibration or sound.
Thus your child’s comfort and correct support is constant.
You have no delay waiting for re-assessment, re-measuring and a new mould to be manufactured and delivered with its associated additional cost.
Peter Wingrave, AAT Director:
“Chilli Bean is a revolution in postural support systems. The infinite, at home re-moulding of Chilli Bean makes it an appropriate, reasonable and best value proposition for any healthcare professional needing postural seating for clients with physical or mental disabilities.”
Adds Jane, whose son Fred has a Chilli Bean:
“What works for Fred one day may not be suitable the next. The Chilli Bean is perfect: we’re able ourselves to finitely adjust the contouring and firmness of the seat to make Fred properly supported. It’s the first time we’re chilled about his comfort, we know with the Chilli Bean it’s easy to make even tiny alterations whenever he needs.”
Full details of Chilli Bean, including how to book a free, no obligation assessment, are on AAT’s website @ https://www.aatgb.com/chilli-bean/.
You may also be interested in:
https://www.aatgb.com/chilli-bean-infinitely-remouldable-posture-and-comfort/
https://www.aatgb.com/how-to-improve-postural-support-for-specialneeds/
We are stepping up to the challenge with a raft of measures to educate social housing management and staff on ways they can help residents, whether they live in a flat, house or bungalow with steps outside.
The measures include running a free of charge training session on one way to address the limitation of lift/stairs/steps, via utilisation of a stairclimber (stairclimbing wheelchair).
Our session includes initial support advice for the tenant as to their options in terms of disability equipment/adaptations, demonstration of the equipment and its various options and accessories.
It further covers how the equipment can safely be deployed to enable access without obstructing common parts.
When social housing providers purchase an AAT stairclimber, we will train staff, the recipient and carer(s) in how to use it and will set up the stairclimber for the user.
When the tenant no longer needs it we will take the stairclimber back, service it, then repeat the process for the next recipient.
“More than half (54%) of social housing renters have a disabled member of the household and mobility is the most common impairment.
"Social housing providers have a duty of care for their tenants to enable them free access to and from their homes. Having appropriate training and measures in place to deal with the problem is therefore paramount and fundamental” says Peter Wingrave, AAT Director.
“Our stairclimber is a unique solution in that it is portable, requires no installation and is not fixed to the home in any way.
"It can therefore quickly ensure a tenant CAN get in and out of their home, and around it, safely, enabling them to live their daily life and reducing risk to their mental health.”
AAT’s S-Max can travel 300 steps from a single battery charge- equivalent to a 20-storey block of flats.
The standard unit can be easily attach to most common wheelchairs. The Sella version incorporates an integral seat with support arms and harnessing for optimal safety for the passenger.
Using a stairclimber, the disabled tenant becomes able to get in and out of the building, into their home and into the outside space and beyond.
It's becoming increasingly popular to use stairclimbers in social housing- be it local authority or Housing Association and is proven in practice from East London to Yorkshire.
Stairclimbing wheelchairs are a cost-effective, non-disruptive way of enabling the tenant to remain in their home.
And they help social housing providers meet their legal obligations and to provide safe access/exit, whether short- or long-term.
Our stairclimbers have an impeccable safety record stretching back over 20 years.
Full details of AAT’s offering for professionals and the S-Max stairclimber can be found on https://www.aatgb.com/ots/
*https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/651bed026a6955001278b1c8/Disability_support_and_social_housing_-_wave_2_focus_group_Resident_Panel_report.pdf
Noah has been unable to sit in the bath for over half of his life because of the level of support he needs in keep him safe in the water: he has complex needs, including dystonia and fragile bones which impact on his muscle control.
Nor has he been able to participate in many of the activities shared by the rest of the family, including canoeing and sailing with his dad on holiday.
That has all changed since his parents Sheila and Sam discovered the Aqua Liberty supported bathing system on the recommendation of their Occupational Therapist.
Aqua Liberty centres around a base and vacuum posture cushion.
The base can be quickly and easily attached to any bath, and just as easily removed to allow the rest of the household to use the bath.
The cushion is AAT’s Stabilo infinitely adjustable Comfortable Plus cushion, moulded to the exact support shape and fixed using vacuum technology.
Unlike other moulded support systems, Stabilo holds its shape once fixed for weeks yet can be easily and quickly altered as needed- at home, by the family/carer(s).
And because the cushion is detachable from the Aqua Liberty base, it can be used beyond the bath.
This added benefit meant that when the family went on holiday, Noah was more able to fully participate, including water activities.
At the Children’s Sailing Trust’s Trevassack Lake, Noah was able to use his Comfortable Plus cushion in the canoe , enabling him to sit comfortably, safely and properly supported, and go out on the water with his dad for the first time- something previously only the preserve of his brothers.
Noah's mum Sheila:
“We had initially been assessed for the cushion to enable Noah to access our bath, previous seating solutions did not allow for Noah to stretch out his legs and at times the dystonia he suffers from can cause his legs to kick out, if restricted he is prone to fractures. The cushion for us was a no brainer!".
“When we took the cushion on holiday with us, Noah’s smiles said it all. He was able to access the water with his dad and brothers and have fun!
"Particularly special for us as it enabled Dad Sam to take Noah out on the water which is something he does with Noah’s brothers.”
We are so confident about the benefits of Aqua Liberty that we offer free, no obligation assessment/demonstration, bookable on line @ https://www.aatgb.com/aqua-liberty/.
Where relevant, changing the mindset from providing a person to providing equipment that does not need Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) funding could radically reduce the number of people waiting for care support. It could cut the cost of care.
With the continuing lack of staff, people in need are left struggling to live daily life with any degree of quality.
As importantly, the staff themselves are exposed to greater risk as their workload increases.
Unpaid carers too are being put at risk by having to manage without support.
By using the right equipment- where relevant- to reduce the reliance on carers-paid and unpaid- mean that clients would be more independent and have a better quality of life.
Strain would also be reduced on the care workforce, enabling them to deliver better quality of care for those instances where kit is not appropriate.
Using equipment would reduce the risk of unpaid carers injuring themselves lifting, moving, handling. These actions put further strain on the paid care workforce who have to step into the breach.
And it needs to be the right equipment- that achieves the end purpose for the client, safely, and that can be expediated without delay.
Says Peter Wingrave, AAT Director:
“There is a mindset within social care that if someone is struggling with stairs, then you put in a stairlift (or a through-floor lift). Yet that requires DFG funding, which takes months, years to fulfil.
"Inbetweentimes, the client is left with a compromised living space and little or no privacy if a bed has been moved downstairs- assuming that can be done- or their access to areas of their home- bedroom, WC etc- is wholly dependant on the availability of a carer- paid or unpaid- to help. It also puts that care giver at risk.
"“Most local authority equipment stores have at least one stairclimber, that can be delivered to the client, and their caregivers trained on its safe operation, within days.
"Thus the risk to all parties is minimised, fast and cost-effectively. The need to provide paid care is reduced/eliminated.
"As an added bonus, when that client no longer needs it, the stairclimber can be re-prescribed (recycled) to another, achieving best value and best use of resources from every relevant perspective.”
Our mobility stairclimber is battery-powered devices that help people with impairments safely and comfortably navigate stairs with the support of a carer.
Unlike alternative equipment that is fixed to the structure of the home, our stairclimber is portable. So, when no longer needed by the original recipient, someone else can use it.
We offer a free, no obligation assessment service to determine the relevance of its kit for each potential client, including their care-giver and staircase.
We have an unrivalled safety record for its equipment, stretching back over 20 years, with thousands in regular use up and down the country.
Full details are available on our website www.aatgb.com/sella.
Rather than being a fixed plastic mould, Chilli Bean uses vacuum technology to create and hold its shape.
It means parents, staff, care-givers can themselves form, fix and adjust the Chilli Bean into the required shape, as soon as needed.
The child’s comfort and correct support is immediate, constant, and free from pressure points.
There is no delay waiting for re-assessment, re-measuring and a new mould to be manufactured and delivered with its associated additional cost.
Chilli Bean works by attaching a hand pump or the whisper-quiet electric pump to the bean bag to extract the air between the beans, fixing them into the exact shape required.
Pommels or lateral wings can be created and the firmness/ rigidity set to the child’s comfort whilst achieving the security and stabilisation needed.
Chilli Bean delivers mm-precise support and comfort, without pressure points, all the time, every time- 24 hours a day.
Further, Chilli Bean’s neoprene surface provides sensory stimulation. It’s also easy to place additional sensory devices below to provide vibration or sound.
Explains Peter Wingrave AAT Director:
“Chilli Bean is a revolution in postural support systems. The infinite, at home variability of Chilli Bean makes it an appropriate, reasonable and best value proposition for any healthcare professional needing postural seating for clients with physical or mental disabilities.”
Adds Jane, whose son Fred has a Chilli Bean:
“What works for Fred one day may not be suitable the next. The Chilli Bean is perfect: we’re able ourselves to finitely adjust the contouring and firmness of the seat to make Fred properly supported. It’s the first time we’re chilled about his comfort, we know with the Chilli Bean it’s easy to make even tiny alterations whenever he needs.”
Full details of Chilli Bean, including how to book a free, no obligation assessment, are on our website @ https://www.aatgb.com/chilli-bean/.
