Our Grande vacuum posture cushion delivers almost all sedentary and supine positioning support required day or night.
So just one health professional need prescribe.
Caregivers can precisely mould and fix the mattress-sized cushion to correctly support whether sitting or lying in the day or sleeping at night.
You can use Grande as a mattress for resting, sleeping or physiotherapy, or folded to create a seat- stand-alone, on a chair, on a sofa. You address numerous posture management requirements.
We've made Grande so it is tactile and easily transmits sound waves, so it can double as a conductor for sensory stimulation.
The technology we use is based round the principles of a bean bag, giving the precise shaping inherent in the concept. You can contour the 'beans' precisely to the body shape you need.
By attaching a pump, you extract the air between the 'beans' , fixing that shape with the preferred degree of firmness.
You can detail the shaping as required. So you achieve correct stabilisation with minimal pressure and even allowing for pommels, wedges, hollows for feeding tubes. There is no need for restraint, even during dystonic episodes or hyperactivity.
Your need to frequently re-plump/ position becomes a thing of the past.
To re-shape, you simply allow air back into the Grande and mould as necessary, be it a simple adjustment for body position and comfort or a complete reconfiguration.
“The role postural care plays in the health and wellbeing of disabled people and their carers is acknowledged, but the way our health service is structured, delivery is fragmented.
"Yet addressing it would have a huge impact not only on the people who need it, but on the demand for associated NHS services,” says Peter Wingrave, AAT Director.
“If just one healthcare professional thinks outside the box and looks at something like Grande, that answers the specific issue they have for a client but simultaneously could answer other issues for that client, surely it must be considered?”
More details about Grande and its role in 24-hour postural management can be found @ http://www.aatgb.com/grande/.
References:
(1) https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/03080226221148414
Chloe, 19, cannot walk because of her condition. She relies on a dynamic stand device- an Innowalk- for aerobic exercise and joint mobility. But she struggled to sit comfortably and gain the full benefit of the equipment because of her spine curvature.
Physiotherapist Lisa Clapp, from Reach Rehab Physiotherapy, works with Chloe and knew of our Comfortable Plus Duo adjustable posture cushion.
Lisa proposed it as an option- subject to assessment.
Comfortable Plus Duo is essentially a bean bag that can be fixed into shape to support and stabilise the head and torso without pressure points, thereby effectively reducing the risk of pressure sores.
Once moulded to the contours required, air within is extracted via pump to fix the “beans” into shape. The process means it can be quickly and easily adjusted, at home, to accommodate finite adjustments to comfort, whether on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.
Comfortable Duo Plus can be similarly moulded to provide the required stabilisation to hips and pelvis. It even allows formation of a pommel.
Chloe is supported and comfortable when using the Innowalk with her Comfortable Plus Duo. She can use it for longer, and with greater ease, enhancing her mobility, circulation and aerobic exercise.
We trained Chloe’s mother Donna in how to shape and adjust the cushion and fix it to the correct contours without pressure points. Donna can ensure the cushion always perfectly supports Chloe, with a process that takes just a few moments.
Says mum Donna:
“The Comfortable Plus Duo has been a game changer! Chloe loves it, which makes her physical therapy easier and improves her mental health. It keeps its shape so well too: I don’t have to alter the shape very often at all.”
Added Lisa:
“AAT’s Comfortable Plus Duo has been pivotal in Chloe being able to obtain the benefit of her Innowalk. We can precisely adjust it to support her back and hips, with the right degree of firmness to hold her, comfortably, in the correct position.”
More information about Comfortable Plus Duo can be found at https://www.aatgb.com/comfortable-plus-duo
Further reading:
https://www.aatgb.com/how-to-make-sitting-comfortable-plus
https://www.aatgb.com/moulding-to-guest-needs-delivers-holiday-happiness/
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/.
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.
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
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/.
ENDS
References:
Bagel- the simple way for unrestricted support in the water. Makes bath-time safe and fun.
One of the biggest restrictions for anyone with limitations- and their carers- when bathing or participating in aqua therapy is achieving strain-free support in the water.
AAT’s Bagel removes that restriction.
It restores the person’s ability to free float without any risk of head immersion by stabilising and supporting their head above the water without restricting their body.
Utilising innovative vacuum technology, you can precisely and infinitely mould the core cushion to each user. Hook and loop straps secure the cushion in place, thereby positioning the buoyancy on the chest and torso. This relieves pressure on the neck and head, ensuring safe, proper stability and relaxation whilst immersed in the water.
As a result, it enables all areas of the user’s body to be easily reached and cleaned during bathing, and allows full movement and thus flotation benefits of hydrotherapy to be enjoyed.
"Bagel supports all involved to get the most out of basic ADLs such as bathing or aquatherapy.
It ensures the client receives the full benefit of their hydrotherapy or bath experience, by having the safety and freedom to free-float.
“As importantly, it relies the carer of the physical strain of having to support them- particularly an issue in bathing, when you’re trying to balance properly supporting the head above the water, over the side of the bath, and perform the hygiene routine.”
Peter Wingrave, AAT Director
Find out more and book a free, no obligation assessment here:https://www.aatgb.com/bagel/
Bagel is just one element of AAT’s innovative support solutions to help with water-based scenarios. Details of the full range of options are available here: https://www.aatgb.com/bathing-solutions/
For anyone involved in the care of children with complex needs and muscle weakness or asymmetry, it is a constant problem to ensure they are always correctly positioned, stabilised, supported and abducted.
Our innovative Chilli Bean instantly removes those concerns. It balances posture AND function.
Utilising pioneering vacuum technology, it is easily infinitely adjusted and re-moulded- at home, by the care giver.
Whether a minute adjustment to optimise pressure-free comfort and support, or a complete re-shape, the alteration can be executed within seconds, and at no cost.
Chilli Bean is a waterproof, wipe-clean, breatheable bean bag. Using the vacuum process to extract the air from the bag, the beans are fixed into the exact shape required.
The process allows for detail formation of pommels or lateral wings whilst giving all the security, stabilisation and comfort needed without restraint.
It therefore provides an ideal solution for seating, plus a secure base for physiotherapy.
Because we fully train the carer in the re-shaping process, there is no need for the child to be put through the discomfort and delay waiting for a fresh assessment, casting for a fixed mould system, and the ensuring time waiting for that re-shaped mould to be produced and delivered (often only to find in the intervening period, the exact dimensions have changed again so it still does not fit comfortably and correctly).
A pressure-mapping service further ensures the Chilli Bean is validated to ensure the support is constant across the body, with no points to cause sores.
Chilli Bean’s neoprene surface provides sensory stimulation. It’s also easy to place additional sensory devices below to provide vibration or sound.
As Chilli Bean can be wiped clean, it can be taken into equipment stores if/when no longer needed, and re-issued, thereby delivering further positive amortisation and optimisation of care budgets.
“Chilli Bean is a revolution in postural support systems. Anyone who works with children and adults with physical limitations knows that what suits in terms of positioning one day may not work the next. Yet fixed mould alternatives can take weeks, if not months, to be adjusted.The infinite, at home variability of Chilli Bean makes it an appropriate, reasonable proposition for any healthcare professional needing postural seating for clients with physical or mental disabilities.”
Peter Wingrave, AAT Director
“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. 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.”
Jodie Bostock, whose son Daniel has a Chilli Bean
Find out more, and book your free, no obligation assessment:https://www.aatgb.com/chilli-bean/.
Remember the pleasure as a child of sitting in a bean bag, and having a wriggle so it fitted you just right? Then you moved, and it all went pear-shaped….
When living with a child with special needs, repeating for them that pleasurable experience (before you moved) is even harder.
Or is it?
“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. 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”
Just a taste of what’s to come if you read on….!
As the comment above testifies, getting the correct postural support for your child with special needs makes a huge difference to your child- and to you and the rest of the family.
The root of the problem is the balance between comfort, support and stability. We need to mould the seat so it exactly mirrors their body, then holds that shape, to support them, correctly.
However, if your child is not sat in EXACTLY the same position even minutes later, the shape is at least uncomfortable, at worst failing to correctly support their posture. To get a remould takes days, if not weeks or months: time when your child is uncomfortable, in distress.
In an ideal world, you would be able to tweak the seat shape to restore that comfort and correct postural support.
You would be able to do it yourself, in seconds, at home, and eliminate all the distress to your child- and you- of seeing them in discomfort or pain.
Chilli Bean is that ideal world.
It combines the essence of a bean bag with the ability to lock the “beans” into position, just by removing the air inbetween them.
It’s a process that takes seconds. A process you can do yourself (with appropriate training). It’s a process that can be done whenever you need, whether it’s a minute adjustment needed one day, or a major re-shape because they’ve had a growth spurt or a significant change in condition.
Because of the way Chilli Bean supports your child comfortably, deeply and securely, there’s no need for any restraints.
Chilli Bean gives posture AND function, even for the most complex needs.
Its lightness of weight means you can move it around easily- bedroom, lounge, garden…
Its shapeability means you can flatten a side yet instil the rigidity for it to support devices, snacks. It hugs your child, instilling a feeling of stability and security, of wellbeing.
You can pop a device underneath to add sensory stimulation via rhythms, or sound.
Its neoprene surface means it “breathes” yet wipes clean.
“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. 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.”
Jodie Bostock, mum of Daniel. Brain injured at birth, Daniel 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.
“As soon as I saw how it all worked I instantly thought of clients whom I felt would benefit. I was very impressed. 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.”
Rosanna Barbosa, physiotherapist
Hip stabilisation and correction without pressure is often difficult to address for physiotherapists and occupational therapists, requiring complex prescription of a combination of postural support cushions.
The introduction of Base Doro https://www.aatgb.com/base-doro-2/ eliminates that complexity.
It delivers a single cushion with prominent pommel provides posterior and lateral support on any chair or wheelchair.
The innovative vacuum technology within the cushion means it is infinitely variable and adjustable, enabling exact, pressure-free support for the whole pelvis.
The strategic pommel enables abduction of the legs. Side lateral panels that extend beyond the hip girdle help stabilise and correct the whole pelvis.
An integral neoprene strap provides complimentary safety when in use.
The stability and security for the user can also encourage torso movement during daily activities, thus helping increase strength for some musculoskeletal conditions.
Base Doro can be precisely set up for each person, and quickly and easily adjusted as needed. Based on the beanbag concept, a pump removes air to fix the cushion to the exact configuration of each user and hold them without pressure.
Any progressive change- however slight- required to maintain support and comfort can be undertaken at home, by the care-giver (with appropriate qualified training). There is no need for lengthy and costly re-moulding.
Available in four sizes, Base Doro can be used with all clients from child to adult.
The cushion’s technologically-advanced breatheable neoprene cover can be wiped clean to maintain hygiene; its integral elasticity has the flexibility to “immerse” the buttocks without friction.
A hand pump is supplied as standard. Optional accessories include an electric pump, mounting strap and flexible foam-padded cover.
“Base Doro takes seated support to a new level. To our knowledge, nothing else gives, in just one cushion, the degree of support, and infinite variability to each person (client or patient). It will make postural seating prescription much simpler, easier- and cost-effective- for Occupational Therapists. Just one cushion can turn almost any chair into a postural chair and ensure appropriate support for wheelchair users. It delivers transferrable comfort.”
Peter Wingrave, Director AAT GB
Base Doro compliments the range of vacuum posture cushions already available from AAT, including the Comfortable Plus Duo seat and back support, Chilli Bean seat and Grande mattress.
Free no obligation assessments for Base Doro, any or all of the range of vacuum posture cushions, and AAT’s complete range of daily living aids can be booked here: https://www.aatgb.com/base-doro-2/
