Seating and Positioning
Seating systems are groups of wheelchair components that make contact with your child’s body to provide support in a sitting position. These individually prescribed components include the cushion, back support and postural supports.
Why is it important to have a good seating system?
Proper seating provides stability and helps your child comfortably participate in activities of daily living. Individually configured seat and backs can help accommodate physical problems, like spasticity or low tine, as well as help prevent pressure injuries.
How do I know which seating system is for me?
To effectively match your child with the proper seating components, we evaluate his or her physical and functional needs. Based on the evaluation, the clinical team crafts an individually configured seating system with your and your child's input.
The evaluation includes:
- Your child’s goals and challenges
- Your child’s current and desired function
- A hands-on physical evaluation to determine interferences with your child’s ability to sit
- Pressure mapping, which shows how pressure is distributed across your child’s cushion. This allows our team to identify high-pressure and low-pressure areas on your child’s cushion and make adjustments that provide pressure relief
- A trial period with the type of equipment the clinical team feels will accomplish your child’s goals
Materials
Our cushions, backs and supports are made of a combination of materials — typically foam, fluid, air and gel — that provide a stable, comfortable surface with properly distributed pressure. Some materials, like foam, retain heat more than others. If your child has to decrease heat retention because of heat intolerance or increased sweating, then this should be discussed during the evaluation process.
All cushions have covers, and many have a choice of covers that are designed to deal with heat build-up. For those with more severe incontinence issues, we offer heavy-duty fluid-resistant covers. All of our cushions and backs have fluid-resistant covers that are easily cleaned.
Additional Resources
NuDigest: Avoiding Pressure Injuries and Other Complications with Proper Seating and WC Systems
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