PT/OT Workers’ Compensation Providers and the Rifton TRAM October 03, 2017 by Elena Noble, MPT
A therapist smiles at a young man standing in the Rifton TRAM patient lift acquired with a workers compensation grant.
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...
PT/OT Using Adaptive Equipment to Foster Participation in Vocational Settings August 04, 2017 by Connie Johnson, PT, DScPT
A woman with disabilities stands in a red Pacer gait trainer to access her vocational work in a sheltered workshop.
Physical therapists have long advocated for the use of standers and gait trainers to support the mobility, accessibility and health needs of youth and adults with mobility impairments including education of families/school teams and use of equipment in activity programs. Use of gait trainers, standers and other mobility devices allow individuals mobility they would not be able to achieve due to...
How To’s Features and Benefits of the Wave Bathing System
A caregiver holds a shower want as she prepares to bath a young boy with special needs in the Rifton Wave adaptive bathing system.
For people with significant support needs, bathing is essential to health and hygiene. However, transfer difficulties and the lack of appropriate supportive equipment often make it one of the most difficult tasks for families and caregivers. If you care for someone who needs help with transfer and you don't have an accessible shower, your options for bathing aren't great – either bathroom...
Tips & Advice Hygiene, Health and the Rifton Wave August 01, 2017 by Lori Potts, PT
A young girl smiles happily while wearing her swimsuit as she reclines in the Rifton Wave bath chair.
When we make bathing easier, our clients are healthier. The new Rifton Wave, a thoroughly reimagined bath chair, improves the bathing and showering experience for both the client and the caregiver. Here’s a great resource on the features, benefits and medical necessity of the Rifton Wave- a bath chair that can restore the dignity and yes, even the pleasure in the bathing experience.
Tips & Advice Lifespan Care for People with Disabilities May 23, 2017 by Elena Noble, MPT
resources adults developmental disabilities
Providing activity and mobility interventions for young adults with disabilities after they leave the school system is important, particularly for maintaining quality of life. Unfortunately this outlook is not shared by everyone. A physical therapist working with young adults with developmental disabilities wrote this to me after her efforts to get adaptive equipment for her clients had been...
Tips & Advice Four Field-Tested Approaches For Toileting with the TRAM April 11, 2017 by Lori Potts, PT
A drawing showing a caregiver using the Rifton TRAM to help transfer a person with disabilities onto the toilet.
The Rifton TRAM is a remarkably simple solution for toilet transfers, ensuring safety and dignity for both clients and caregivers. Here are four approaches developed by clinicians in the field to accommodate different body types and impairments. Download the pdf Method 1 For client with good trunk tone and weak lower extremities View Slideshow   Method 2 For clients with moderate weight bearing...
Tips & Advice Medicaid Funding for Adaptive Tricycles February 22, 2017 by Elena Noble, MPT
The Rifton Adaptive Tricycle in black
As most of you undoubtedly know, for children with disabilities exercise such as cycling with a special needs tricycle can be therapeutic as well as fun. Cycling may provide a variety of health benefits unavailable through other medical interventions. For example, children with severe mobility limitations may have few, if any, other options for strengthening their cardiovascular system. In fact, cycling...
Tips & Advice Step by Step Toileting with the TRAM October 05, 2016 by Lori Potts, PT
A therapist helps a student walk down the hall in a TRAM to the restroom for toilet transfers.
David Anderson is a senior physical therapist with the New York City public school system. His school obtained a Rifton TRAM to help with toileting a particular student. After some trials, he and the school OT determined the best methods for using the TRAM for this purpose and created a set of instructions for the paraprofessionals working with this student. David shared it with us and we found it so...
News Announcing the Rifton Wave September 19, 2016 by Sam Durgin
A young girl with special needs smiling in a pink bath chair while her caregiver helps her with this activity of daily living
Hygiene and health go together. When we make bathing easier we have healthier clients. So we’ve always been interested in how we can improve our bath chair, and we have been collecting product design ideas for a long time. We’re happy to announce the launch of our all-new Wave system, a thoroughly reimagined bath system to make bathing or showering better—for the client and for the...
Tips & Advice Toileting in Schools with the TRAM July 05, 2016 by David Zoller, PT
A physical therapist uses the Rifton TRAM for toilet transfers for a student
Using the Rifton TRAM for toileting can make a huge difference for both students and staff, providing both safety during transfers to the toilet and dignity and privacy for the student. Because students with disabilities have a wide range of needs, there are many ways to use the TRAM for this purpose. Here are some methods we’ve found here at Socorro,  presented as three case studies. (I&rsquo...
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