Research has shown that many of the people actively involved in caring for a disabled child are often unaware of both the consequences of body shape distortion and the fact that it is avoidable(1).
Correct positioning is about keeping someone safe and comfortable, about improving their quality of life. And it matters: protecting the body shape reduces the need for complex care provision. Poor posture affects range of movement, energy levels, breathing, digestion, sleeping. Those all put more pressure on carers.
Getting it right is a hugely complex subject, not helped by lack of research proving the value, and the numerous commissioning organisations involved in the process.
There is the further complicating factor that to deliver any benefit, it has to be right 24 hours a day, every day.
There are key things to consider when starting the process from the end-users perspective i.e. the disabled child and his/her carers.
They need something that provides correct positioning, correct support and allows the child to interact with his/her environment better. They need something that is stable, comfortable and adjustable: what works one hour, one day may not the next!
One of the biggest problems in getting it right lies in that variability.
Almost every type of specialist paediatric seating is, in one way or another, fixed. It may have been manufactured precisely to the child, to deliver the correct postural position.
But that position was correct at that precise, single moment in time…..
That is where vacuum technology comes in. Unique to AAT’s Stabilo range, it empowers the care team to precisely, minutely adjust the seating to maintain correct, comfortable, supported posture at every moment in time- 24/7, 265/year.
Applying vacuum technology to the concept off a bean bag, the exact contours required of the cushion can be fixed, to position the child comfortably and correctly without pressure points.
The “lightbulb moment” of the system is that, as/when needed- whether an hour later, the next day, the next week, the next month- whenever needed, the shape can be quickly and easily adjusted. At home, by the carer.
With the diversity of cushion shapes and sizes, the one system delivers 24-hour care. Manufactured from breathable neoprene, Stabilo cushions simply wipe clean to maintain hygiene if exposed to secretions, spillages etc.
Standard cushions can add stability and comfort to the pelvic or thoracic areas of a wheelchair. They can cushion hips, elbows, wrists, ankles, neck. They can add comfort and support to the head. They can form bean bag seats on the floor. They can be precisely shaped to deliver mattress-sized support during the night. Their structure and fabric means they can add sensory stimulation, even transmitting vibrations.
They can mould so closely to the body to give your child a hug.
Stabilo cushions can even achieve the stability and support for your child to sit next to you on the settee, for a cuddle or to watch TV together….
If that wasn’t enough, if there isn’t a standard shape that meets your specific needs, don’t worry. Whilst we’re big enough to offer nationwide service, we’re small enough to appreciate what matters. We have the manufacturing flexibility and capability to make a bespoke, “one off” cushion for you.
Want to know more? Click the link: https://www.aatgb.com/posture-cushions/
(1)https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/postural-care-services-making-reasonable-adjustments/postural-care-and-people-with-learning-disabilities#fn:3
There is an answer to the problem: AAT’s Grande infinitely remouldable posture cushion.
In essence a mattress-sized beanbag, unlike alternative fixed-mould systems, Grande can be quickly and easily formed at home, by the care giver(1).
You can adjust the shape as little or much as needed, as often as needed, depending on the activity- whether using a smart tablet through to physiotherapy.
You can form Grande to create abduction and adduction wedges.
The child is correctly and comfortably positioned in every position, without pressure points, from upright to prone and everything inbetween.
Grande delivers constant support and stability, even during extension or spasm.
You can even fold Grande to create a chair on the floor, a seat on the settee, optimising inclusion in daily life.
As it's manufactured from neoprene, you can wipe Grande clean. Its construction also enables transference of sound and vibration, providing sensory stimulation.
Grande is also light enough for you to move it from room to room.
The combination of Grande’s benefits means the child is able to enjoy time out of their wheelchair as part of a 24-hour care programme. Anecdotal evidence reports reduced levels of fatigue, reduced levels of frustration and improved range of movement.
“For children requiring postural management, Grande can be an essential answer to many seating problems, because of its diversity of use, high degree of musculoskeletal support and ease of adjustment,” says Peter Wingrave AAT Director.
Find out more about AAT’s Grande vacuum posture cushions here: https://www.aatgb.com/grande/
or the complete range here: https://www.aatgb.com/posture-cushions/
(1) subject to appropriate training
The report builds on a BRE study that similarly claimed investment in preventative steps to make homes safe would reduce the 1million+ accidents on stairs(2) – the second most common hazard in homes.
AAT the stairclimber people say the cost in time and money is not as great as adaptations professionals perceive, if they look beyond the ‘norm’.
And such an attitude enables multiple clients to be supported from one solution.
Provision of an S-Max Sella stairclimber aka stair climbing wheelchair, especially with AAT’s unique Universal Back accessory, makes stairway access safe for anyone who has, or cares for someone, with reduced mobility- be it an elderly partner through to a child with complex needs.
Unlike the conventional answers for help with stairs, the S-Max can be operational in the home within days of the need being identified(3).
There is no need for the usual processes that cause delay such as a structural survey, specialist installation etc.
The battery-powered portable Class 1 Medical Device also leaves the stairway free for other members of the household.
When not in use, it folds away, optimising living space.
Unlike fixed alternatives, the stairclimber/ stair climbing wheelchair can also enable the user to access outside spaces.
When the original recipient no longer needs it, the S-Max can be re-prescribed to another.
Tio further help adaptations professionals, AAT will manage the whole process. It will assess the client and the home to determine suitability, deliver and set up the S-Max, train the care-giver to LOLER requirements. AAT will also service the equipment to meet the provider’s legal obligations and manage the allocation process between users.
Further details of S-Max and AAT’s support for housing providers can be found @ https://www.aatgb.com/s-max-sella/.
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Key is your child’s ability to relax. That comes down to their seating, particularly an alternative to the rigidity, structure and confines of their wheelchair.
A unique concept, vacuum posture cushion seating- Chilli Bean- delivers a raft of benefits. The concept is based around a mouldable seat, a bean bag.
The application of vacuum technology enables the shape of the seat to be precisely and minutely fixed for your child. Once the required moulding is created, a pump removes the air between the beans, in effect locking them into position.
What makes it unique is that the shaping can be infinitely adjusted- at home, by you and the care team. No need to wait for re-assessment, new moulds to be made…your child’s comfort is continued and continuous. So the mould can be finitely adjusted according to daily requirements and/or as your child grows.
The bean bag design means the seat moulds around your child. They are sat in it rather than on it. It hugs them. This imparts spatial awareness and a feeling of security. This soothes anxiety and encourages social interaction.
Your child is comfortable, which helps reduce involuntary spasm, hypertension, extension restlessness, agitation, spasticity, dystonia. Comfort aids relaxation.
As you can precisely mould the seat to your child, you can ensure correct joint alignment. This has positive outcomes for secondary contractures, joint trauma and fatigue.
Because the seat can be precisely contoured to your child, and adjusted quickly and easily, it reduces the risk of pressure sores.
The construction also means it can transmit vibration. Pop a sound box underneath, and the cushion becomes a sensory aid. The choice of music and rhythm can influence your child’s activity and mood.
Made from an advanced neoprene, the cushion is breathable and wipeable, helping ensure continued comfort.
Jodie Bostock is one mum who has seen the benefits.
Her son Daniel was brain injured at birth. He requires round-the-clock care support for his condition: he has Cerebral Palsy and a gastrostomy, his back arches, his legs do not bend but his body exerts strong movement and his muscle pattern changes through the day.
The family’s OT suggested a Chilli Bean vacuum mouldable positioning system.
“It’s an amazing piece of kit. It’s the one piece of equipment Daniel has that really added value to his and our lives,” comments Daniels’ mum Jodie.
“It has had such a positive impact on the whole family, it gives us such freedom. We know Daniel is correctly and safely supported without restraint, we can adjust it ourselves as he needs. Because it’s basically a lightweight bean bag, we can move it round the house wherever we need, even into the garden. We can even have family movie nights: his brother will sit on the floor next to Daniel.”
And those all make your life better, and family life better.
Find out more here:https://www.aatgb.com/chilli-bean/
AKA the stairclimber people, AAT has championed the idea for years.
Good choice of equipment, that is well-designed and well-made, means it is more durable and does not need replacing.
An added benefit, often overlooked, is that OT's can often (in appropriate circumstances) re-prescribe (recycle, re-issue) to another client: one initial capital purchase can thus support several people.
AAT says its S-Max stairclimber aka a stair climbing wheelchair is a case in point.
The battery-powered portable Class 1 Medical Device can be used on almost any staircase and by most people- children and adults- with a mobility impairment(2).
Unlike its alternatives (through-floor lift, stairlift) the best value is enhanced in that it requires no structural survey, installation, nor ‘making good’.
The adaptation provider benefits from savings on time and labour costs. The client and their family- who are already facing upheaval and lifestyle changes- have minimised disruption .
“Foundations states there needs to be more such recycling.
“It makes financial sense. We are doing everything in our power to help: we’ve introduced a scheme whereby we will collect the stairclimber, store it for the social services department or social housing provider, service it, and then support in its re-allocation to its next recipient- all for <£1000, so within the scope of ‘minor works’. And within a matter of days, compared to the weeks or months going the conventional DFG route.”
Peter Wingrave, AAT Director
Many local authorities are already applying the concept, including Leeds City Council, North Yorkshire County Council, Hertfordshire County Council and Essex County Council.
AAT’s S-Max is the #1 selling stairclimber, with thousands now in use nationwide, building on the equipment’s 20+year heritage and impeccable safety record.
Full details of AAT’s support services for adaptations teams can be found here: https://www.aatgb.com/ots/.
(1)https://www.foundations.uk.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/The-cost-benefit-to-the-NHS-arising-from-preventative-housing-interventions.pdf, https://www.foundations.uk.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/HOUSING-ASSOCIATIONS-HOME-ADAPTATIONS-AND-INDEPENDENT-LIVES-v2-small.pdf
(2)Subject to assessment by a trained professional, and that there is a trained care-giver to operate the Device
Teenager George Merry has quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy. He struggles to sit unaided and tends to stretch and extend his body. His family have always found it difficult to ensure he is seated correctly and comfortably unless he is in his wheelchair.
Discovering an innovative foam positioning system- AAT’s Gravity Chair- has changed that.
Indeed, mum Karen and George’s siblings made use of the Gravity Chair when George wasn’t using it!
The Gravity Chair looks like a gaming chair but is purpose-designed to support people with complex motor and sensory issues, learning difficulties, autism, ADHD and more.
The deep, inclined seat provides a low centre of gravity providing a natural, stable and comfortable position.
High arm rests support the elbows forward; this helps reduce muscle tension in the shoulders and enables fine motor control activities. Snug lateral supports help maintain seated symmetry.
The structure of the seat accommodates the occupant’s muscle contortion without risk. It helps ease discomfort from spasm and involuntary movement.
Gravity Chair provides a safe and non-restrictive seating option to ease deformities and contractures. An optional tilt wedge can finitely adjust inclination of the Chair to individual user needs.
Comments Karen: “Because Gravity Chair looks like a gamer chair, my 17 year old would enjoy using it to play his Xbox on! I’ve tried it too: it was more comfortable than I expected and provided good support for my lower back.
“However, of course Gravity Chair does offer a lot more than that.
“George really enjoyed sitting in the chair and was extending himself as much as possible, because he is cheeky like that! The angled wedge that comes with the chair meant we were able to tilt it. This gave George the ability to still extend himself but gave him the space- and stability- to do so.”
Find out more about the Gravity Chair Foam Positioning System, and how to book a free, no obligation assessment by visiting https://www.aatgb.com/gravity-chair/.
New developments are making it easier to deliver those benefits in a domestic setting, without the cost and disruption of a major adaptation.
They are already proven in practice, with care teams reporting improved user experience and condition as a result(2).
And the same developments in equipment bring advantages to the care delivery team too.
Our Aqua Liberty is the first- and only- bathing system for people with impairments that fits any person, any bath.
Its unique design means it can be precisely tailored to each individual, irrespective of physical and/or neurological conditions, stabilising head, trunk and pelvis precisely and protecting limbs and joints.
Thus, the bather is correctly supported during immersion, in comfort. Blood circulation is improved, joints are offloaded, pain is relieved: the bather is more able to relax. Should the bather suffer from spasm or extension, the Aqua Liberty system can protect susceptible joints from injury.
Infinitely adjustable, Aqua Liberty comprises a sectional base with seat, back and side panels which is secured with ‘suckers’ onto the bath precisely where required. Remouldable cushions are attached to the base panels to achieve the exact, comfortable, pressure-free support.
The diversity of cushions and their unique ability to hold their shape yet be easily reformed to exactly fit and support without pressure points enables Aqua Liberty to deliver a comfortable bathing scenario for almost any bather.
After the hydrotherapy session, the system is quick and easy to remove, freeing the bath for other members of the household or residential unit. It folds neatly and compactly away, optimising space within the bathroom- often at a premium.
The quick-drying cushions can be removed from the Aqua Liberty and used to provide postural support as/where needed.
“The aquatic environment has broad rehabilitative potential, extending from the treatment of acute injuries through health maintenance in the face of chronic diseases.(3), to quote Becker,” says Peter Wingrave AAT Director. “Aqua Liberty is a game-changer in enabling the hydrotherapeutic benefits of immersion to be delivered to clients at home, without major cost nor disruption to the living environment.”
In 95+% of client assessments for Aqua Liberty, it has achieved positive results. Further details and videos of the system plus a form to book a free, no obligation assessments can be found @ https://www.aatgb.com/aqua-liberty/.
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The World Health Organisation (WHO) has published new guidelines on wheelchair provision as it forecasts an increase in the 80m people worldwide who already need support with their mobility and movement.
The document has prompted AAT, the stairclimber people, to support the Guidelines’ recommendation for training of users and their carers.
It's also prompted to AAT to highlight the options for dealing with steps and stairs for wheelchair users.
“Despite the drive to make society accessible and inclusive, we don’t live in a world all on one level. With our growing population, ageing population and more people of all ages including children needing wheelchairs according to the WHO, it is a primary need that steps and stairs need to be considered, if people are to attain the full benefit of mobility a wheelchair aims to deliver.”
Peter Wingrave, AAT Director
AAT’s innovative S-Max delivers one, safe solution.
The portable, battery-powered device can be attached to most all wheelchairs to enable the user to be safely transferred up, down stairways. There is no need to get out of their chair, and no effort for them or their carer. It turns the wheelchair into a stairclimbing wheelchair.
S-Max can accommodate users up to 160kg (25st), and climb or descent 300 steps from a single charge whether used indoors or outside.
For the operator, the German-engineered unit has been cleverly designed with a high tipping point, bringing stability and security.
As standard, AAT provides full operator training to LOLER criteria.
As a result even the most petite person can safely and effortlessly move any wheelchair user, from child to obese adult up, down stairs and steps.
Because S-Max is a stand-alone piece of equipment, it can be easily removed and attached (recycled, re-prescribed, re-issued) to a different wheelchair as needed. This helps fulfil best value practice.
“Kit such as S-Max enables Wheelchair Services to fully deliver on the WHO guidelines. The wheelchair is part of the solution to giving people back their mobility but any variation in level they encounter- at home or in the wider world- is a problem without some means of going up or down. For genuinely joined-up services, as per the WHO guidelines, this needs to be taken into the equation,” adds Peter Wingrave
Full details of S-Max can be found on AAT’s website https://www.aatgb.com/s-max/ where a free, no obligation assessment can also be organised.
A revolution is taking place in how safe access on stairs can be addressed.
Already the UK’s #1 provider of safe stairway access with our market-leading S-Max Sella, we are now at prototype stage for the latest incarnation of our revolutionary Universal Back- a clip-on version.
Universal Back Clip-On means the battery-powered portable Sella stairclimber/ stair climbing wheelchair system can easily adapt to each user- now and in the future- without any additional support accessories.
AND the entire unit can be easily folded away, making the most of living space for the rest of the family.
We believe the development will revolutionise fast, effective prescription for stairway access. The S-Max Sella/ Universal Back Clip-On will become the ‘go to’ option.
“It genuinely delivers a ‘cradle to grave’ answer,” says Peter Wingrave, AAT Director. “That single combination can manage the risk of safe stair access/transfer for almost every client with mobility impairments. It has the adjustability to precisely and comfortably support almost every user, from infant to geriatric.
“The implications and potential are vast. Its prescription can facilitate a short-term solution to discharge someone from hospital. It can be a long-term method of making someone’s home safe and avoid their requiring a costly and disruptive home adaptation or going into care. And it has the in-built flexibility to quickly and easily evolve with them over time.
“We have growing numbers of disabled children. We have growing numbers of elderly with all their associated conditions- arthritis, MND, Parkinsons- which impact their stability and mobility. We have a lack of suitable accessible housing. S-Max Sella was already a game-changer with its relevance in recycling/re-issue. The Universal Back Clip-On takes that to a new level, enabling one core piece of kit to help many people over its life, with the integral adaptability to change with them.”
The prototype – unveiled at Kids2Adultz- will enable Occupational Therapists and adaptations professionals to physically see the concept in action before the final product is launched in the coming months.
The prototype will be just one of the exciting developments for daily life with special needs kids and adults that AAT will have at Kids2Adultz. Others include the unique Aqua Liberty supported bathing system, and the new accessories just introduced for the Gravity Chair foam positioning system.
We are launching an innovative service specifically for social housing organisations, aimed at making the social housing stock work for everyone, making homes more accessible, without any structural alteration.
The service centres around our #1 selling S-Max Sella stairclimber (aka stair climbing wheelchair) combined with the unique Universal Back accessory.
The combination means that almost anyone with a mobility issue- the most common impairment felt by the 6.2million social housing tenants who are disabled- can access all levels of their home and get safely in and out of a MOU (multi occupancy unit).
It means many inaccessible homes become accessible, enabling the SHP to balance the needs of the tenant and its housing stock for less than £1500/tenant(1)/without Disabled Facilities Grant funding.
Importantly, the S-Max Sella requires no installation nor structural fixing. Thus in individual homes there is no need for structural survey and in MOUs- which account for more than 35% of housing stock, there is no impact on common parts.
The equipment can be recycled/ re-issued to other tenants when no longer needed by the original recipient.
Our service is a flexible package with options including assessment of the tenant and their home to determine suitability, provision of the equipment, training of the tenant’s carer(s), annual service & maintenance of the equipment in line with LOLER regulations, and management of the social housing provider’s stairclimber stock.
Buying in to our service means the housing provider makes inroads into compliance with the Equality Act Section 36, and the new Building Safety Act with regard to safe, fast evacuation of disabled tenants.
In essence, the S-Max is a portable kinematic, battery-powered device that ascends or descends steps, at a rate set and controlled by the carer. AAT’s Class 1 Medical Device certified stairclimber will execute 300 steps from one charge.
AAT’s Universal Back accessory can clip-fit to the unit if required to provide supplementary support to each user’s needs.
“Adopting a strategic plan such as utilisation of our facility enables the SHP to cost-effectively meet the needs of the tenant for little outlay and no disruption to the housing stock.
“It means a tenant with reduced mobility in an upstairs flat is no longer housebound. Their safety in the event of fire is protected. It potentially extends the scope of available housing.”
Peter Wingrave, AAT Director
Established 20 years ago, we have built a reputation as the stairclimber people. Thousands of units are now in regular use throughout the UK and have an impeccable safety record. AAT GB is the only supplier in its sector with the depth of kit and service to support SHPs in its obligation to disabled tenants.
For further details of the S-Max Sella and Universal Back visit: https://www.aatgb.com/mobility-stairclimbers/.
For further information about the social housing service, email sales@aatgb.com or telephone 01978 821875.
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