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...

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...

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 children with complex disabilities the transition from school to adult services can be brutal: therapy and equipment that is considered standard in the school suddenly disappears, funding evaporates, and families struggle to bridge the gap. But this is slowly changing. Many healthcare facilities now try to provide a seamless transition into this new stage of life with specialized and comprehensive...

An Unexpected Benefit   I work in a seating clinic in Asheville, North Carolina, and for years I’ve struggled with an intractable hurdle. For my patients with spinal cord injury or other neurological conditions I frequently use the custom seat cushions made by Ride Designs which involves the use of a seat simulator made of very soft crushable foam, similar to what a florist uses for flower...

Lifting and repositioning patients is a big part of healthcare, particularly for nurses and therapists. But how we do this is changing, based on the many studies that show how lifting patients manually without assistive equipment is causing staff injuries, lost days from work and decrease in care quality. The safe patient handling and mobility (SPHM) approach advocates for patient lifts and mobility...

Since our newest items, the Rifton TRAM and the New Pacer both have the capacity to support walking practice and have similar prompts, including arm prompts, trunk support, and walking saddle, therapists often wonder which to choose for ambulation or gait training. Because the TRAM does a lot more than gait training – it’s a three-in-one device that combines sit-to-sit...

Safe Patient Handling and Movement (SPHM) is becoming a byword for safety in nursing and rehab. Healthcare organizations are increasingly recognizing the crucial importance of developing and implementing programs that maintain the well-being of both caregivers and clients. This is because nurses and therapists are repeatedly involved in assisting patients in transfers or ambulation tasks that, because of...