How Mobility Products Provide Assistance

May 26
07:47

2011

Andrew Stratton

Andrew Stratton

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Mobility products can help individuals get around when there is some kind of impairment to their natural ability to move. Below, we address some of the concerns that are addressed by external forces to help them maintain independence.

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When an individual has trouble getting around,How Mobility Products Provide Assistance Articles he or she may turn to mobility products for assistance. There are arrays of devices designed to provide assistance as well as some alternative interventions. There are multiple reasons that people completely lose their mobility or have it recede. Life becomes more difficult without being able to transport oneself around independently. Luckily there are ways to help them regain their abilities or cope in other ways. Here are some things to think about:

- Reasons why people lose mobility: There are several reasons for partial or total loss of being mobile. As humans age, they tend to lose some of their physical functioning, especially if they have lived a sedentary lifestyle. Serious accidents or injuries are also to blame for issues in this area. Sports injuries are a common culprit for this as well. Back problems sometimes become so severe that walking becomes painful to the point of being impossible.

- Moving is necessary for a variety of reasons: Individuals who can't move their limbs or transport themselves independently physically must keep moving in alternate ways. Inertia can cause atrophy of muscles, breathing problems and bedsores. Depression may occur if this basic ability is lost. Whether these immobile individuals use products to assist their mobility or some sort of therapeutic treatments, something must be done to help them stay active and capable.

- Therapies: There are various types of physical therapy exercises to get a person either back on their feet or able to get around in some manner, such as using arms to propel a wheelchair or other adaptive device. Breath work with a therapist is helpful as well, in order to keep the diaphragm active and functional. Psychological therapies are also helpful for giving encouragement, coping tools and guidance in developing resilience strategies. 

- Mobility products: There are different products on the market to help people get around. Examples are wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, scooters, power chairs, lifts, ramps and carts. Wheelchairs can be powered manually or with a motor. These devices come in varying sizes in order to fit adult frames or be child sized. Outfitting a person's bathroom with grab bars and easily entered bathtubs and showers can also be helpful to allow a person to retain independence. Stairways are often difficult to maneuver for individuals who have physical challenges. Ramps or motorized stair-chairs can make life easier for these individuals.

- Exercise: Even if a person has lost mobile abilities in legs or arms, he or she should still get some sort of exercise in order to strengthen surrounding muscle groups. There are specific exercise machines designed to address various parts of the body.

When a person has lost some or all of his or her abilities to walk or physically get around, there are ways to assist him or her. Physical therapists, breath work, and psychological counselors may help with building muscles, breathing and developing emotional coping skills. Using adaptive devices and products will also be helpful as well as getting some sort of exercise in order to stay as fit and healthy as possible. Mobility products can help people retain their independence.