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/
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
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/.
Young Logan has numerous disabilities which affect his digestive, respiratory, nephrology, immunity and neurological systems.
The diversity makes finding equipment to support him difficult, as what alleviates one issue may exacerbate another.
For more than five years, Logan has suffered from chronic sleep difficulties, now diagnosed as a combination of several related breathing disorders, obstructed breathing and sleep apnoeas.
His mother Wendy would have to sit and hold him upright for hours to help his airway, a situation made worse by his low muscle tone.
The prescribed sleep system was complex: with Logan’s hypermobility, low muscle tone and intermittent dystonic episodes, he would simply ‘break free’ from the positioning cushions and restraints. The hook-and-loop straps would wake him and cause sensory overload. No other alternatives were suggested.
With Logan’s independent physiotherapist, the family began researching sleep systems, and discovered our Grande mattress.
Wendy requested our free, no obligation assessment: in the initial demonstration, Logan snuggled down and fell asleep as soon as he was laid onto it.
The family immediately purchased one; we loaned them the demonstration model for Logan’s profiling bed whilst their own was manufactured and delivered.
Made from an advanced breathable and washable neoprene, our Grande mattress is in essence a rectangular bean bag.
Easily precisely moulded to the shape needed, the caregiver can- at home- fix the contours by removing the air inside with an easy to operate electric pump.
This precisely supports the child or adult without pressure points.
Using this process, the Grande can be quickly adjusted or re-shaped as required: Wendy refines Logan’s Grande shape every few days to change his position and dips a corner to create a wall to secure his feeding pump.
“It can be very frustrating for parents as sleep is so very important, especially for children who are medically complex and need their rest to simply give them strength to keep fighting their battles.
"The vicious circle of lack of sleep, extreme tiredness and worsening symptoms is often overlooked and not appreciated. Notwithstanding the huge impact that sleep deprivation has on parent carers, especially those like us whose children require 24/7 care.
“Logan still wakes when he's in pain and we therefore still have some unsettled nights, but his obstructed breathing has significantly improved since using the Grande Mattress.
"The mattress fits into his profiling cot bed and we can still use the profiling without any difficulties. Despite Logan’s sensory difficulties, the pump operation doesn’t cause him any problems.
"The ‘hollowness’ of the Grande allows vibrations and sounds to reverberate through the mattress which Logan founds soothing.
“The Grande can be moulded onto the sofa, or into a chair: it’s a huge bonus when equipment can have a dual purpose.”
mum Wendy
More details, and a quick-fill form to book a free, no obligation demonstration assessment can be found here: https://www.aatgb.com/grande/.
