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/
Many SEND units and schools are turning to our unique Gravity Chair postural and sensory seating to provide support. Gravity Chair helps achieve a stable, safe place that makes the child feel secure.
Gravity Chair features a deep, inclined seat providing a low centre of gravity to naturally encourage a stable, non-restrictive seating position.
High arm rests support the elbows forward helping reduce muscle tension in the shoulders and enabling fine motor control activities.
Snug lateral supports help maintain seated symmetry.
The structure of the seat allows muscle contortion to be accommodated without putting the occupant at risk.
The Percy Headley Foundation’s Northern Counties School now has three Gravity Chairs, after trialling one for a pupil with highly complex needs including autism.
Michelle McCafferty, Occupational Therapist, commented, “I am overwhelmed at the success of Gravity Chair. We’re over the moon at the difference the chair has made.”
Clare Mason, Children’s Occupational Therapist @ Sefton Carers Centre/ Alderhey regularly prescribes a Gravity Chair: “When children feel safe, secure and comfortable their muscle tone relaxes, allowing them to focus and enjoy play activities.
"They may still require support, but to engage all children need to be comfortable above everything else.
"Children who require supportive seating spend many hours strapped in functional seats and wheelchairs using harnesses or chest straps.
"Gravity Chair can give them seating away from all that. It is comfortable and uncomplicated to use, provides good postural alignment and helps keep children calm and regulated.”
Gravity Chair is just one of our tools relevant for SEND units and schools. Other equipment includes our range of infinitely remouldable vacuum posture cushions including the unique Chilli Bean seat (https://www.aatgb.com/chilli-bean/).
We are so confident we have an answer to help create a positive, safe learning environment for children with special needs that we are offering free no obligation assessments.
Full detail of AAT’s range, and a quick-fill form to book a free, no obligation assessment, can be found on here: https://www.aatgb.com/gravity-chair/.
ENDS
(1)https://futurecarecapital.org.uk/latest/number-with-hidden-disabilities-soars
Find out more about Percy Hadley here:https://www.percyhedley.org.uk/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=20956024933&utm_term=percy%20headley&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3vvi19bphgMVdY1QBh0DMwzdEAAYASAAEgJ06fD_BwE
Bath-time- it’s an everyday activity, not just for hygiene, but for aquatherapy, for relaxation. Then blood circulation is improved, joints are offloaded, pain is relieved. We all know, all too well, that objective is not so easy to achieve, causing stress all round.
Especially so when bathing someone with special, complex needs
Use of innovative vacuum technology, applied to the bean bag concept, can transform bath-time, making it fun and beneficial physically and emotionally.
The vacuum technology removes the air from the “bean bag”, fixing the shape to perfectly support your child in the bath without any uncomfortable creases or pressure points.
Depending on each child’s specific considerations determines which is the most appropriate bean bag solution.
Options include a version that fits like a doughnut over the child’s shoulders (Bagel), and one that is in essence a mouldable seat (Aqua Liberty).
The bagel transfers buoyancy to the child’s chest, thus enabling them to free-float in the water without restriction nor restraint, and without risk of their face turning into the water.
It stabilises the head and neck, leaving limbs free.
It is therefore much easier to wash the child’s whole body, optimising hygiene.
Giving the child the opportunity to float without restriction enables them to move as freely as possible within the bath. Thus you improve their blood circulation, encourage positivity and relaxation and enable exercises.
At the same time, you prevent torsional movements in water, ensuring safety during hydro therapy.
Alternatively, if the child needs stability, support and maybe even joint protection in the bath, the unique Aqua Liberty means they can still reap all the benefits of bathing in comfort.
Focussing around a purpose-designed base (developed in conjunction with Occupational Therapists), the appropriate vacuum posture cushion(s) are secured in place to hold and support the child as they need, in comfort. The system can be used in any bath.
The combination of back, seat and side cushions can be configured for each child, and the cushion(s) moulded to their exact comfort, stabilisation and support.
The back and seat cushions simply hoop and loop attach to the base, providing a stable, free from pressure seating position in the bath; the side panels can be attached wherever needed alongside the inside of the bath to offer protection to joints and limbs, particularly in the event of spasm.
The neoprene surface prevents the child from slipping too.
After bath-time, the system can be easily removed for other member of the household to enjoy the bath. The cushions can be used beyond the bath too- in whatever other seating the child uses.
Karen Merry has used the Aqua Liberty for her teenage son George, who has Cerebral Palsy. She says: “George loves a bath. Until we tried Aqua Liberty, we had to keep George’s sling on the in the bath as he is not able to sit up in the bath without support. Because we can mould it exactly to his shape, he was extremely relaxed and comfortable in it.”
Find out more about our bathing solutions:https://www.aatgb.com/bathing-solutions/
With its unrivalled market penetration and expanded team of professional assessor, engineers and trainers, AAT has a unique ability to help OTs maximise use of available equipment to manage the risk of reduced mobility and stair access, for clients of all ages.
The AAT S-Max Sella is the most widely used stairclimber/stairclimbing wheelchair in the UK, with thousands already purchased by local authorities.
AAT has now doubled its team of service engineers/trainers, giving OTs “the boots on the ground” to effect safe stairway access within days, for <£650/year(2).
AAT offers FREE NO OBLIGATION assessment(3), providing the OT with detailed clinical reasoning as to the suitability of its #1 selling S-Max Sella stairclimber for the client, their carer(s) and their environment.
When no longer needed by the original recipient, S-Max Sella can be easily recycled/ re-issued to other clients.
Thus, AAT’s nationwide assessment, service engineer and trainer teams means that the OT can re-prescribe supported by an AAT assessor, the kit be thoroughly checked and serviced, and the carer(s) trained in its safe use ensuring stairway access- all enabled within days and for <£1000(4).
In 90+% of scenarios where stair access needs addressing, the S-Max Sella stairclimbing wheelchair can deliver a safe and appropriate solution.
The Sella is Class 1 Medical Device certified. It can be quickly and easily accessorised for each client- from a young child to an elderly bariatric person with dementia.
The standard unit can navigate almost all typical staircase widths and designs.
Battery powered and portable, there is no need for the delay of a structural survey, alteration nor installation, nor stairway impediment for other occupants of the house or block of flats.
As it is not fixed in any way to the home, there is no “making good” when it is removed and re-prescribed to another client, further optimising its cost-efficiency.
“Children’s and adults’ social care together make up the majority of core funded local authority expenditure(1),in some cases, up to 50% of the entire Council budget! Adult social care is the largest single area of core funded expenditure for local authorities in England. SEND services have increased by 115% in the nine years up to 2023,” says Peter Wingrave, AAT Director.
"The reality is that maximising use of existing equipment must be an over-riding consideration. In one of the most common areas to address- stairs- no other company has the ability nor capability to support OTs and effect a personalised, practical solution that can be so easily and cost-effectively re-prescribed.”
Full details can be found on this website: https://www.aatgb.com/ots/.
ENDS
References:
(1)https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/43165/documents/214689/default/
(2)S-Max Sella purchase price £4650, re-issue x 3 £3000/ 12 years= £637/annum.
(3)UK mainland
(4)Including full service, training of carer(s). Excluding any additional accessories
Gravity Chair, the unique foam positioning system that is already proven to achieve a safe, stable environment for severe and complex motor and sensory impairments, is now available in a choice of colours.
Blue, green and pink compliment the standard grey.
We've specifically chosen the colours for their role in positively influencing a child’s emotions, reinforcing feelings of harmony and calm that Gravity Chair delivers via its innovative design, harnessing the natural forces of gravity.
The deep, inclined structure of Gravity Chair naturally “hugs” the child and encourages a stable seating position without any harnessing.
Gravity Chair reduces muscle tension whilst accommodating muscle contortion and spasm.
Our range of accessories enable the seat to be perfectly set up for each child and make it more than “just a chair”. These include wedges, head rests, lateral supports, rockers, abduction pommels and therapy tables, all designed to reduce anxiety and encourage engagement.
Clare Mason, Children’s Occupational Therapist @ Sefton Carers Centre/ Alderhey is just one fan of Gravity Chair. She comments: “When children feel safe, secure and comfortable their muscle tone relaxes, allowing them to focus and enjoy play activities.
"Children who require supportive seating spend many hours strapped in functional seats and wheelchairs using harnesses or chest straps.
"Gravity Chair can give them seating away from all that and is in my experience always positively received by the children and their parents.”
Adds AAT Director Peter Wingrave: “Adding colours into the mix of benefits that Gravity Chair brings further encourages the positive feelings that children experience when using the chair. It adds another dimension to their comfort and relaxation.”
Full details of the Gravity Chair foam positioning system can be found @ https://www.aatgb.com/gravity-chair/.
Unlike alternative (fixed mould) specialist paediatric seating, the precise shape of the Chilli Bean can be adjusted as soon as needed, at home, by parents*.
AAT’s Chilli Bean uses revolutionary vacuum technology.
It means Chilli Bean can be infinitely altered, immediately, to guarantee the child’s continued comfort and correct position.
There is none of the cost, nor delay, of re-assessment, measuring and ordering of a new mould.
The child’s correct, supported posture is maintained consistently and constantly.
By removing the air between the ‘beans’ of the seat, Chilli Bean’s exact form is fixed.
As/when the child needs even a slight adjustment, the parent can quickly and easily allow a little air back into the seat, re-mould as needed- be it a tiny alteration or significant re-shaping- and then fix the new moulding.
Occupational Therapist Rosana Barbosa comments, “Other beanbags need professional casting, which makes it difficult to adjust them once the client’s postural needs change. Chilli Bean can be easily readjusted by anyone trained to do so. I’ve already recommended it to other team members, who have also begun specifying Chilli Bean.”
Adds Peter Wingrave, AAT Director, “With fixed mould seating, each new casting has to be paid for. That means a child is potentially sitting incorrectly and/or uncomfortably for days- or weeks- whilst the funding for the new mould is approved and the new mould is measured, produced and delivered. Chilli Bean has no such ‘hidden’ costs: all it takes to re-mould is a little time.”
Chilli Bean’s purchase price- across the range of sizes- is competitive and comparable with other mould paediatric seating. AAT includes assessment of the child and training of parents as part of the package. Thus there are no additional financial costs as the child grows, their condition and postural needs vary.
Full details of Chilli Bean can be found on AAT’s website @ https://www.aatgb.com/chilli-bean/.
ENDS
*subject to training.
One of the four fundamental words governing adaptations is “appropriate”. The stairs are potentially one of the most dangerous areas of a home, so due diligence must be applied when prescribing any equipment for use thereon.
AAT GB, the UK’s largest and only nationwide supplier of stairclimbers (stairclimbing wheelchairs) is advising OTs to check that their suppliers are as professional and concerned for the client as they are when choosing any method of enabling a disabled person to transfer between floor levels.
That includes the suitability of the equipment for each combination of client and home environment.
It goes beyond: the support given to the client by the supplier- the setting up of the equipment to suit them, explaining/training them in its correct operation so they are comfortable using it, and its service/maintenance.
"Failure to provide appropriate equipment and support has consequences.
“We have become aware in recent weeks of several situations where stairway access solutions have been sold without due care being exercised, where the kit is either inappropriate for the circumstances and client, or its use has not been properly explained to the client. In one case, an elderly lady was just sent the product alongside a video on how to use it. We know of another where the lady was too small to safely get on and off the stairlift even on its lowest setting: she was literally having to almost jump on and off at the top of the stairs!
“It’s people’s safety and independence we are talking about. OT’s need suppliers who exercise the same level of professionalism as they do. It should never be about getting the sale. It’s about the complete service- before, during and after the equipment has been provided.’”
Peter Wingrave, AAT Director
AAT was the UK’s first provider of stairclimbers; 20+ years on it has more than 3500 in daily use up and down the country.
It is the only nationwide supplier that as standard assesses each potential client and their staircase to ensure its relevance, then re-visits the client to set up the stairclimber to their personal preferences/needs, explain how it works, and in advance train them (free of charge) in its safe use- however long it takes.
It is also the only nationwide supplier to have a team of in-house trainers and engineers as large as its sales team, so it can deliver a holistic service that ensures every client is fully confident in the kit.
Full details of AAT’s offering for OTs can be found here: https://www.aatgb.com/ots/.
Inevitably children grow, conditions evolve. That means what works one day may not the next, they may need additional or different support for an activity.
We are central to helping meet those needs.
We give Occupational Therapists and parents a single source they can trust to advise, assess and support the child.
We've developed a range of unique holistic solutions work individually or combined to help make daily life better- 24 hours a day.
Our stairclimber can attach to a wheelchair or have an integral seat to make going up and down stairs safe. Our revolutionary Universal Back clip-fits to the unit to correctly support the child as needed and can be easily altered as the child grows.
To ensure optimal comfort in the wheelchair- or anywhere else the child may be sat- our vacuum posture cushions mould precisely as required. And it empowers parents to infinitely vary the shape according to what’s needed.
The diversity of size and shape address every eventuality, from an arm support through to a mattress.
At bath-time, our Aqua Liberty takes the posture cushions to another level, supporting, cushioning in the bath without the constraints of a sling or a carer holding them.
If anxiety, hyperactivity are issues, our Gravity Chair provides a calming environment that is proven to enable the child to engage.
“It’s about putting what each child needs at the heart of what we do. That’s why we offer free, no obligation assessments, so everyone involved is comfortable with what will work, without pressure. We have carefully chosen our products so that there is a synergy between them, covering all aspects of daily activity. As far as possible they evolve with the child, so parents do not have to keep learning how to use new equipment- one less thing to worry about!”
Peter Wingrave, AAT Director
We have a heritage stretching back over 20 years, working with Occupational Therapists, education and healthcare professionals and parents.
Knowing how difficult daily life can be without the right support, we endeavour to undertake the initial assessment within two weeks and has a nationwide team of assessment support professionals to manage the whole process, from assessment to delivery of the equipment and training in its correct use.
Chilli Bean, from AAT, transforms domestic paediatric seating.
At home, quick and easy remouldability means the child’s comfort is achieved 24 hours a day.
Rather than using a fixed plastic mould, Chilli Bean uses vacuum technology to form, fix and adjust the bean bag into the required shape.
We fully train the care giver(s) in the re-shaping process, so they can quickly execute any re-moulding or minute adjustment. Mum, dad can do it at home, as soon as the child needs.
Thus their child’s comfort and correct support is constant. 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.
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.
“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.”
Peter Wingrave, AAT Director
“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.”
mum Jane
Find our more: https://www.aatgb.com/chilli-bean/
Announcing a new service, that assures constant, pressure-free comfort and postural support and correct alignment, 24/7: bespoke cushions.
The service builds on our specialised manufacturing capability, which already produces standard cushions in shapes from a thin arm support to a full-sized mattress.
We can cost-effectively produce our unique Stabilo vacuum posture cushions, in any shape or size, to your individual order, should none of the standard cushions quite meet the client’s specific posture support/correction/alignment issues.
The nature of Stabilo construction- from advanced neoprene- coupled with the vacuum technology, means its cushions can be formed exactly as needed- even bent, curved- and the precise contours for each client maintained.
The vacuum technology extracts the air from the cushion, precisely moulding and fixing the exact configuration of the posture support without any pressure points. Even the degree of firmness can be minutely set.
Because of the way the shape is fixed, there is no need for the frequent re-plumping inevitable with conventional cushions. The vacuum technology holds the shape for weeks at a time.
Should any adjustment be needed to maintain comfort, this can be executed and controlled by the carer/care team.
There is no additional cost if/when re-shaping is needed, just a few seconds of time.
Further, the advanced neoprene material contains no latex, is non-combustible and breathable. It can be wiped clean.
The custom order facility is already being utilised. An OT needed a means of making a client comfortable who had little/no ability to hold their head up, so their chin was on their chest. Working with the OT, AAT designed and produced a C-shaped Stabilo cushion, that can be easily put in position and removed, whilst delivering comfort and postural support.
"Every person, and how their illness or impairment affects them, is unique. “Comfort is fundamental to their ability to cope with daily life. It impacts on their- and their carer(s)’ physical and emotional health & wellbeing. Now, with our bespoke service, Occupational Therapists, physiotherapists have the ability to deliver that comfort, cost-effectively.”
Peter Wingrave, AAT Director
Full details of the Stabilo concept and how it works, and the opportunity to arrange a free, no obligation assessment, can be found on AAT’s website @ https://www.aatgb.com/posture-cushions/.
