Webinars

This educational session was designed to provide applicable concepts and strategies to clinicians involved in the assessment and prescription of seating systems and mobility devices. The focus will be on creating a process that enhances successful outcomes. Special emphasis will be placed on the value of the "hands-on" seating assessment, including what parameters to assess in both the supine and sitting assessment and when it's okay to skip the supine assessment. At its conclusion, clinicians will have improved skills and confidence in wheelchair assessment.

1 hour or .1 CEUs

The assessment process is performed with the rider (wheelchair user) and significant others to work with the clinical therapist, supplier, and sometimes the manufacturer to gather medical, physical, functional, and environmental information necessary to determine the parameters for recommending an optimal wheelchair and seating components. The assessment process for individuals requiring a wheelchair or seating incorporates medical history, home environment, transportation, MRADLs, physical & functional abilities, skin integrity, sensation, strength, range of motion, balance, neurological status, sitting posture, transfers, ambulation, wheelchair skills, and measurements. This webinar guides the participant through the process using an evaluation form for documentation, while providing a illustrated overview of the process. Download the evaluation form originally developed by Jessica Presperin Pedersen and Jill Sparacio.

1 hour or .1 CEUs

This session outlines the essential information (i.e. clinical presentation, level of independent function and body measurements) that must be recorded when completing a mobility assessment with an individual. Additionally, this session explains how the assessment results should be utilized to configure a rigid frame wheelchair to optimize fit and performance, while maximizing a client's function. Factors affecting wheelchair performance and rolling resistance will be addressed. Wheelchair configuration considerations related to function, such as transfers, transit, MRADLs, and how to address these will be reviewed.

1 hour or .1 CEUs

Understanding the impact of rolling resistance on manual wheelchairs is important in wheelchair prescription and set up. Minimizing rolling resistance in wheelchair configuration for an individual helps to maximize efficiency of propulsion, decrease the risk of repetitive strain injuries, and decrease the risk of sliding for individuals who foot propel. This webinar will define rolling resistance & inertia and and explain the impact of the two on forward movement and maneuverability. Factors that contribute to rolling resistance will be examined and evidence related to these factors will be highlighted. These factors include: the mass of the user and the wheelchair, weight distribution between the casters and rear wheel, size and type of tire and caster, air pressure/inflation, and surface over which the wheelchair is being propelled.

1 hour or .1 CEUs

This is a 1-hour live, in-person, virtual and/or livestream webinar designed for direct access therapists, suppliers, product representatives, and other seating and mobility professionals to enhance their knowledge and clinical application of the subject matter: translating concepts of wheelchair prescription to sport. The course reviews the athlete screening and wheelchair evaluation process for sports wheelchair prescription. Additionally, participants will review clinical decision-making associated with pertinent anatomic, postural, and biomechanical considerations to optimize wheelchair fit.

1 hour or .1 CEUs

The seat to back angle or a posterior, anterior, or lateral tilt can be incorporated into a seating system to provide increased opportunities for pressure relief, postural support, function, and participation. What benefits does an increased or decreased seat to back angle provide? When should it be adjustable? What are the benefits of fixed seat to back angles? What about tilt? How and why are tilt incorporated into a rider’s day? This session provides an overview of how tilt and seat to back angle recommendations can be incorporated into a stroller, dependent, or manual tilt wheelchair system. Available evidence and rider experiences will be shared to illustrate interventions focusing on seat to back angle and tilt.

1 hour or .1 CEUs

Expand your knowledge of typical hip development and the effect of biomechanical loading on the proximal femur. Explore what happens when loading is abnormal for children with cerebral palsy, how this information guides conservative treatment using postural care, and activities to minimize hip displacement and optimize function.

1 hour or .1 CEUs

A child participates in many activities throughout a 24-hour period. The wheelchair or mobility system is often addressed providing optimal transportation, opportunity for self-initiated movement, and positioning. Evidence has demonstrated the benefits of providing positioning intervention when a child is not in the wheelchair. Positions focusing on lying, sitting, and standing will be discussed. A 24-hour postural care program includes all activities the child might be involved in. This session addresses options for alternative positioning, toileting, bathing, and sleeping. Physiological and anatomical theoretical principles will be covered, incorporating how equipment can serve an individual's postural needs while promoting function and participation throughout a full 24-hour day.

1 hour or .1 CEUs

One of the key decisions to be made in the provision process of a power wheelchair is the wheelchair base. In order to make the most appropriate choice to meet a client's specific needs, it is essential to have an understanding of the various technologies and components that comprise a power wheelchair base. This course will provide participants with the opportunity to examine various aspects of power wheelchair bases beyond simply the position of the drive wheel.

1 hour or .1 CEUs

Providing a client with independent mobility through a power wheelchair can be life-changing for the individual. However, in many cases driving with a standard joystick is simply not an option for the client due to physical and/or intellectual limitations. The good news is there are numerous adaptations and alternative drive controls that can be utilized to drive a power wheelchair. During this one-hour educational session, participants will be introduced to a variety of equipment, adaptations, and concepts that may improve their clients' level of success with finding greater independence through power mobility.

1 hour or .1 CEUs

When selecting the most appropriate power wheelchair for a client, it is important to ensure that he/she can move his or her own body in space while utilizing the wheelchair. Power seating functions can provide the user with numerous benefits, such as the ability to independently complete weight shifts, reposition for improved respiratory and/or gastrointestinal functions, engage in activities of daily living, and provide an increase in the user's overall quality of life. The participants of this educational session will gain an understanding of the clinical application of power seating functions including tilt, recline, adjustable seat height, power elevating lower extremity supports, etc. Through the examination of these components, the clinician will acquire clinical reasoning skills and strategies for recommending power seating functions on a power wheelchair.

1 hour or .1 CEUs

This is a 1-hour livestream webinar designed for direct access therapists and suppliers to enhance their knowledge and clinical application of the subject matter. The molding process is used for children and adults who require accommodation due to non-reducible postures, active riders requiring pelvic and spinal support, and contact postural support for young children who have a postural tendency away from neutral. The panel discussion includes health professionals experienced in various skills of molded seating.

1 hour or .1 CEUs

Does a wheelchair back that supports the spinal curves make a difference in posture, propulsion, and functional activities? This webinar features Cindy Smith, retired PT, ATP from Craig Hospital in Colorado and Jessica Presperin Pedersen OT, ATP/SMS, Director of Clinical Education for Sunrise Medical and Research Scientist at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. They demonstrate the outcome measures that can be used in a clinic with inexpensive tools. The findings of the pilot study are shared with a discussion about which ones were significant or trended toward significance. These findings provided the impetus for a full multi-site study being performed at Craig Hospital, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, and Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation.

1 hour or .1 CEUs

This session briefly reviews the essential information that must be recorded when completing a mobility assessment with an individual and explains how the assessment results should be utilized to configure the wheelchair for optimal fit for the client as fit has an impact on function and performance. Other considerations related to function, such as transfers, transit, MRADLs, and how to address these in wheelchair configuration will be reviewed. Factors affecting rolling resistance and the performance of the folding wheelchair will be addressed.

1 hour or .1 CEUs

Proper head positioning is important for many reasons. From improving breathing, visual field, and heart rate to name a few; the benefits of good head positioning go far beyond aesthetics. The head support is not an accessory; it is a fundamental part of the positioning system. During this session, participants will be able to learn clinical strategies that will help them find the most functional positioning of the head in their patients. In addition, they will be introduced to a variety of head supports available in today's market, their purpose, and the clinical application for each option presented.

1 hour or .1 CEUs

This webinar provides education related to primary positioning devices including cushion and back supports and is designed for clinicians stiving to enhance their knowledge and clinical practice. It focuses on the properties/design intent and positioning capabilities of each seating and postural support. While considering common client characteristics, the participant will enhance their knowledge and apply the clinical value and application of each design.

1 hour or .1 CEUs

This course aims to reframe the basis for upright human posture as it relates to the three human postural orientations of lying, sitting, and standing. The developmental process linking these orientations, lying posture analysis with basic interventions, and analyzing risk versus benefit when considering lying posture care management will be discussed.

1 hour or .1 CEUs

Clinicians working in seating and mobility have a wider choice of seating materials, shapes, and technology than at any point in the past. Understanding the relationship between human biomechanics, seating shapes, and materials is essential for the most successful outcomes for clients with mobility needs. This one-hour session will review the key factors in posture, skin integrity & function, and how to provide seating technology to meet those needs.

1 hour or .1 CEUs