Disability Care

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...

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...

Using 24-Hour Postural Care to Combat the Twin Foes of Gravity and Time The word “posture” often conjures memories of being told to “sit up straight” as a kid – but that is not what we are talking about here. Postures that are used persistently as a habit will have a huge impact on the lives of people with motor disabilities – and not for the best! While most of us...

The Day School at The Children’s Institute is an approved private school in Western PA.  We have 186 students with 27 classrooms. We provide a school program for students with multiple disabilities and for students with autism. All of our students present with severe disabilities affecting motor control, cognition and/or behavior. We have been using MOVE (Mobility Options Via Education) here at...

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...

A Therapists Perspective Hygiene care—particularly horizontal diapering—for people with severe disabilities can be time-consuming and taxing for the caregiver especially if it involves the traditional changing-table transfers. While changing tables are commonly used for young children and seldom pose problems, as children grow older (and heavier) the process becomes increasingly demanding. As...

As an occupational therapist, one of my main goals has been to foster independence in my patients. For one, Randy, this independence centered on the area of hygiene and self-care. When I first met Randy he presented with developmental delays and underlying musculoskeletal impairments that affected his ability to move independently and perform age-appropriate transfers and functional activities. In standing...

Bakersfield ARC (BARC) MOVE for Adults program is the perfect solution for supporting adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. On my first visit to Bakersfield, California, in 2008 to take the MOVE (Mobility Opportunity Via Education) Basic Provider’s course, I was introduced to BARC. The center had just become a MOVE certified adult model site for visitors to see firsthand how the...

Therapists, teachers and parents are well aware that children with cerebral palsy and other disabilities can face more challenges (and pose more challenges) than the average child. This can be particularly true during mealtimes. Feeding problems commonly associated with disability include dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), and gastro-intestinal reflux (spitting up frequently) as well as oral...

As an Occupational Therapist I view toileting as a functional life skill, not as an interruption to the day. The product that makes this possible is the Rifton Support Station. For each of the more than twenty students on my caseload I incorporate a toileting objective on their IEP.  And for those students using the Support Station, I will work with them once a day for their toileting routine. I never...