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Power Mobility and Safety Concerns Power mobility enhances participation in daily activities and activities for people who are in long-term care. The devices can also create security concerns that need to be addressed. Rather than exclude residents with certain diagnoses from the use of power mobility that could be considered prejudicial risk management, most participants preferred to take the teleological approach and let everyone trial the device. Mobility A power mobility device enables people with limited ability to move about their home or community and participate in daily living activities that might otherwise be not accessible to them. These devices can cause danger not only for the person who uses them, but also to those who are in their surroundings. Occupational therapists must be aware of the safety requirements of each client before making recommendations about powered mobility. In an exploratory study (von Zweck 1999), OTs from three residential care facilities within the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority conducted qualitative interviews with residents regarding their power mobility use. The objective was to establish an environment that allowed for client-centred power movement prescribing. The results revealed four main themes: (1) the meaning of power mobility, (2) learning the rules of the road, (3) red flags concerning safety, and (4) solutions. Power mobility can improve the quality of life for individuals with limited mobility. This is due to the fact that it allows them to take part in daily activities at home as well as in the community. Participation in self-care or leisure activities, as well as productive ones is vital to physical and mental health for older adults and for many people with progressive diseases power mobility can be a way to continue participating in these important activities. The majority of participants felt it was unacceptable to remove the resident's chair since this would cause a major disruption in their life story or course of action, and ultimately stop them from continuing to engage in the same activities that they used to do prior to their disease progression. This was especially relevant for those in the Facility 1 who had only been able use their power chairs for a brief period and were now reliant on others to push them. Another option is to slow down the speed at which some residents drive their chairs. However it could create several issues, including privacy and the impact on the rest of the community. In the end, taking away the chair of a resident was thought to be the most drastic and least desired solution to security concerns. Safety Power mobility allows people with disabilities to move around more easily and participate in a greater variety of activities, and even do around. With increased mobility comes an increased risk of accidents. green power can cause serious injuries for certain. It is crucial to consider the safety of your clients before suggesting the use of power mobility. The first step in determining safety is to determine whether your client is safe to operate their power scooter or power chair. This could include an assessment of physical health by a doctor or occupational therapist or a mobility specialist, depending on the nature of your client's impairment and their current health. In certain situations, a vehicle lift will be necessary to allow for your client to unload and load their mobility device at home in the community, or at work. Another aspect of safety is to learn the rules of the road. This includes sharing space with other pedestrians, other wheelchair users, and drivers of trucks, cars or buses. Most participants in the study discussed this topic. Some people learnt to drive their wheelchairs along sidewalks instead of driving in the midst of crowds or on curbs (unless the wheelchair was specifically made for this purpose). Others drove more cautiously and kept an eye out for pedestrians in a crowd. The last and least popular alternative was to take away the chair of a person. This was viewed as a double punishment that would result in losing mobility independently and preventing access to facilities and community activities. Diane and Harriet among others were among those who were stripped of their chairs. Other ideas suggested by participants included educating other residents, family members and staff on the safe operation of power mobility. This could include teaching driving basics (such as the right side to walk on in the hallway) as well as encouraging residents to practice driving when they leave, and helping them be aware of how their actions affect the mobility of others. Follow-Up The ability of a child and their willingness to be a part of the world can be greatly affected by a device for power mobility. There has been little research on the experience that children experience when they learn to use these devices. This study uses an approach that is pre-post to study the effects of six months of use using one of four early power mobility devices on the children in school with severe cerebral palsy (CP). Qualitative interviews were conducted with 15 parents as well as pediatric occupational and physical therapists. Thematic analysis identified three main themes. The first theme, 'Power to move', described the ways that using the power of a device affected more than just the child's motor skills. The experience of learning how to drive a powered mobility device is often an emotional and transformative one. The second theme 'There's no recipe book' showed that learning how to make use of an equipment for mobility was a process that unfolded in a way that was cyclical over time. Therapists were required to discover what was appropriate for each child's needs and abilities. During the training phase and afterwards, therapists needed to be patient with children as well as parents. Parents and therapists alike described the need to help families celebrate their successes and solve problems associated with the process of training. The third theme, “Shared space”, examined how the use of an electric device can affect other people's interactions and lives. The majority of participants in this study felt that a person should always show consideration for other users when using a mobility device. This was particularly applicable when driving on public roads. A few participants also mentioned that they had encountered situations where someone else's property was damaged due to the use of an electric mobility device, or where a person was injured by a driver who failed to yield right-of-way. The results of this study show that socialization and power mobility training for preschoolers with CP can be done in a variety of classroom settings. Future research should continue to investigate the training and outcomes of this kind of intervention with young children with CP. This could eventually lead to more standard training protocols for children suffering from CP.