Adaptive Mobility and Positioning Blog

Our team of therapists and educators works together to provide opportunities for functional mobility to our students throughout the school day.The challenges we face include a variety of health diagnoses, behavioral management issues, and cognitive and physical deficits. These situations require team problem solving for safe and efficient physical management of the student while maximizing participation in...

We have nothing but praise for the Rifton TRAM! As the rehab services manager for a children’s hospital in Honolulu, I am amazed at how this product enables us to deliver rehab services. Our goal is to provide the highest quality care to children with a variety of neuromusculoskeletal conditions and other healthcare needs. The TRAM proved itself to be an effective and safe method to mobilize one of...

Contributed by Rachel LeBlanc. Our Dad, Grandpa Jim, suffered a stroke at age 85 and lost most of the use and control of his left side, especially his left arm and leg. We soon faced the fact that he was no longer able to walk or stand, and began learning how to move him from his bed to a wheelchair or the commode, and back. The toll this took on our backs and shoulders was immediately apparent. Right at...

Contributed by Kathleen Riley PT, ATP Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Charlotte, North Carolina I work in a school system with a variety of students with physical needs that require individualized consideration for safety in the restroom. We use a variety of equipment to assist with transfers and managing their personal needs. We’ve recently had success with the Rifton TRAM with several students...

A few years ago we welcomed a non-traditional student – we’ll call him Jay – at Lincoln Developmental Center (LDC) where we work. Most of our students have had a development disorder since birth; most are undersized and fit well into traditional equipment, but Jay sustained a traumatic brain injury at the age of 14 and arrived at LDC at the age of 17, fully grown, with limited positioning...

As a day hab assistant at Cerebral Palsy of Westchester County I help adults with severe disabilities in their activities of daily living – toileting included. We use adaptive equipment every day to support our clients’ activities, but I never expected a piece of equipment to completely transform someone’s life like the Rifton TRAM. This device is a brilliant solution to our...

Over the weekend we were treated to one of those heartwarming stories that never get old. Augie Nieto, indefatigable ALS survivor, fulfilled a pledge to walk his daughter down the aisle at her wedding. This remarkable accomplishment was made possible by Augie’s determination coupled with the Rifton TRAM. Rather than try to describe the scene, watch this segment from The Today Show and then read the...

I have this habit of looking in a new garment or pair of footwear to see where it was made, and I’m comforted when I find the mark of American craftsmanship and manufacturing. But that doesn’t touch the assurance we need when we are sourcing devices for the members of our society for whom only the best is good enough. That ‘best’ is delivered by our own citizens’ hands, and...

The Keren Malki Foundation in Israel In 1997 Malki Roth wrote an article for Exceptional Parent magazine about caring for her two-year old sister, Haya Elisheva, who had severe mental and physical disabilities. The article was called “Never Lose Hope!” Four short years later, 15 year old Malki was killed in a senseless and tragic suicide bombing at the Sbarro restaurant in Jerusalem, Israel...

Kandi Elmore likes her independence. And a good challenge. At the age of 43, Kandi has a long history of creating change. Diagnosed as having cerebral palsy with spastic quadriplegia before the age of two, Kandi faced an uncertain future. But with a positive attitude and her mother’s unwavering support, Kandi grew up a determined young girl who challenged boundaries and unwittingly became one of...