Adaptive Mobility and Positioning Blog

In a profile published this month in the influential trade publication Mobility Management, staff writer Laurie Watanabe highlights the multi-tasking capabilities of the Rifton TRAM, citing its role as a gait trainer, a lift, and a transfer device. She quotes therapist Margaret Arnold on how the TRAM is helping people with a multitude of disorders or conditions, and tells the story of a brain injury...

The Rifton TRAM offers unique recovery opportunities in rehab, homecare and school-based settings with its capacity for supported ambulation, seated and sit-to-stand transfers.

Jim Bennett formed his company to help people stay in their homes longer and more safely. Originally serving the greater Phoenix area, ADL Solutions has since expanded to serve clients statewide and even further afield. Because ADL has been supplying so many TRAMs to their clients we wanted to find out more about Jim’s operations and how his clients were benefitting from the TRAM. What are the most...

Why Worry about Lifting? In the healthcare setting, manually lifting or transferring patients causes musculoskeletal injury for both staff and patients. As a result, many healthcare facilities have implemented “no-lift” or “zero-lift” safe patient handling (SPH) policies requiring the use of mechanical lifts for all patient transfer and positioning tasks. The results have been...

The Rifton TRAM provides a lot of flexibility within our school setting for standing, walking, and transfers.  Mostly it is used for safe transfers that would typically require a two-person lift.  However, in one of my schools it has provided a great solution for two students who needed more flexibility in their standing and walking routines at school. Here are two examples: Case 1:  This...

Since the Rifton TRAM came out just four weeks ago we have been getting frequent requests for a sample letter of medical necessity for this item. Because the device offers the unique functions of seat-to-seat transfers, sit-to-stand transfers, and supported ambulation, justification is more complex and each function of the Rifton TRAM needs to be considered thoroughly in the letter. So by popular request...

As a physical therapist in the home care setting, I am always looking for new and innovative ways to improve a patient’s ability to perform functional mobility and activities of daily living (ADL). Improving mobility and ADL performance helps prevent bodily deterioration, reduces caregiver stress, and enables the patient to stay at home longer before requiring institutionalized care. One of my most...

For those of us concerned with rehab following central nervous system lesions, the last ten years have been exciting. There has been extensive research focused on the brain and its neuroplastic properties, and it’s changing the way we think about treatment. Specifically, recent research has encouraged gait rehabilitation – task-specific and repetitive. We all recognize now that ambulation...

In the summer we shared a blog post about the use of Therabands with the TRAM from Linda Rusiecki, a physical therapist at the Blodgett Hospital in Grand Rapids. Watch Janette Tazzia and Linda Rusiecki tell about Janette’s recovery from a stroke that left her partially paralyzed.

The Rifton TRAM is a great addition to our skilled rehabilitation department, especially for those patients with neurological deficits. One therapist can safely assist a patient in the TRAM through a functional mobility progression starting with sitting balance on the edge of the bed, standing tolerance, posture and then gait normalization. In the past, many of these therapeutic activities needed multiple...