SPECIALIST SEATING CASE STUDY - RACHEL'S STORY

Rachel, 94, had arthritis in left knee and a history of falls. She mobilised with a walking frame and needed assistance for transfers.

Rachel was part of the intervention group within the research trial which meant that she was assessed and matched with specialist seating from the Seating Matters range.

Rachel’s old chair was not made to fit her size and the long seat depth and high seat height were causing her to slide from the chair and to be in a nearly horizontal position for long periods of the day.

Rachel had high pressure underneath small, bony load bearing areas like her heels, sacrum, shoulders and the back of her head. This was both very uncomfortable as well as being non-functional.

The caregiver’s main frustrations were that no matter how well they tried to position Rachel she would always slide into the posture shown in the image to the right, ‘bracing’ herself in the chair with this extended position. It then became very hard to assist Rachel to stand as she could not position her feet behind her knees in a ‘ready stand’ position or use the armrests for a propulsion and support. On assessment it was found that Rachel had no postural difficulties that would cause her to slide from the chair and it was purely due to the oversized seating that could not be adjusted to suit her needs.

It was decided that she should use a Seating Matters Monaco™ chair.

Rachel no longer slid in a near-horizontal position. She was able to easily maintain upright posture and recruit flexion at her knees and hips. Rachel felt that the chair was very comfortable and she became happy that she could enjoy a scone and cup of tea easily without fear of spilling it on herself or choking.

Prior to the provision of the Monaco™ chair, two caregivers were needed to assist her to a standing position. By using the adjustable angle seat on the Monaco™ which also improved her posture, this was reduced to one caregiver. She no longer needed to brace herself in the chair and her feet were fully loaded.

Since using the Monaco™ chair, which was made and adjusted according to her size, the risk of developing pressure injuries on the bony prominences she was forced to lie on previously, was significantly reduced as Rachel was spreading her body weight over a larger surface area, redistributing pressure.

To find out more about our Specialist Seating range please click here.