Stories

How the HTS is Changing Lives

July 15, 2014 by Elena Noble, MPT

A young girl in a Rifton Hygiene Toileting System smiles at her therapist who knees down in front of her helping her get into proper positionSince the recent launch of our newest product, the Hygiene and Toileting System (HTS), we’ve been hearing from many parents, teachers and therapists how this product has improved the toileting outcomes for children with disabilities. Here’s a great example from a special education teacher at a school on the west coast.

“We love the HTS in our classroom. I have been using it with a student who has spastic cerebral palsy, and for whom other toileting systems just weren't working. We had heavily modified a more basic adaptive toilet and were considering our efforts to be the best it could get for this student. (She was voiding in the toilet about 25 percent of the time and rarely having a bowel movement at school.) But we were so wrong!

On the very first day the new Rifton HTS arrived in our classroom, we were able to set it up to suit this student. Set-up was so quick that we were ready to use it for our morning toileting routine. We transferred the student to the HTS using the Rifton Support Station and the tilt-in-space feature of the HTS. It was much easier to get her onto the seat and comfortably situated. She sat up straighter and was happier on this adapted toilet than on any of the other ones we had tried.

But more impressive than how she looked, this student actually voided in the toilet -- #1 and #2 -- on that first day. During the next two weeks, she continued to have bowel movements at every scheduled bathroom break. Because of this, her parents and all of us teachers are happy to report that she has been more comfortable and happier throughout the day.

In addition, after a couple of weeks of success using the HTS, this student's bathroom-related communication skills have also improved. She is mostly non-verbal, but has a clear yes/no response and can say some words when her body is optimally positioned. After two weeks of using the HTS, she started "asking" for more bathroom breaks when staff members would prompt her with a question. She voids 100% of the time when she has been asked if she needs to go and answers "yes!"

Also, because her body is so well supported in the HTS, she has been able to let us know that she is finished going to the restroom. She does this by clearly yelling "I'm FINISHED!"

We are so excited that Rifton created the HTS and that we had the opportunity to use it with this student. The strides she has made in a very short time are almost unbelievable. Thank you, Rifton!”

Rebecca Gross, Teacher

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