Permobil completes the seating puzzle with an uplifting postural supports presentation for Unicare’s allied health partners
Workshop: The Role of Postural Supports
- Not just an afterthought but the final piece in the seating puzzle
The Camfield, Burswood
Wednesday, 3 August 2022
“We need to correctly identify postural tendencies to identify the appropriate supports and points of control. When we understand the foundations, we can work towards solutions.”
It was a full house at our first Postural Supports Workshop with Permobil!
As part of Unicare Health’s efforts to lead with more industry collaboration opportunities, this clinical education workshop was designed to provide Unicare Health’s allied health partners with the skills and knowledge to better understand Bodypoint products and other common supports to improve postural outcomes.
Bodypoint offers a range of thoughtfully designed postural supports for wheelchair users. They are the only manufacturers of a full range of postural supports tested to ISO and ANSI/RESNA standards. As a global leader in wheelchair positioning supports, Bodypoint is available worldwide through an extensive partnership network of dealers, international distributors, and wheelchair manufacturers.
“Unicare Health offers Bodypoint supports through a specific dealer arrangement with Permobil Australia. We are glad for both our clinical education teams to be working together to provide our allied health partners with the necessary training to become better prescribers of these supports.“ #morethancare
We often spend considerable time assessing and looking at backrests and cushion solutions to meet someone’s seating needs. The final point of control is often a postural support accessory such as a pelvic positioning belt or harness. How this is positioned is essential to the postural position outcome.
In partnership with our friends at Permobil Australia, this Postural Supports Workshop was designed to review and discuss the importance of postural support positioning in relation to the functional requirements of a client.
This workshop was presented by Permobil’s Clinical Education Specialist, Tracee-Lee Maginnity, who delivered an uplifting session on postural supports and positioning, reviewing:
The foundations of proximal stability
The most appropriate style and positioning required for a pelvic belt to provide postural correction
The importance of postural support positioning in relation to the functional requirements of the individual
Range of Bodypoint products and other supports to improve postural outcomes
Tracee is a respected occupational therapist and speaker who has presented at seating and mobility-related events nationwide. She graduated from Auckland University of Technology with a BHSc (Occupational Therapy) in 2003 and has worked in various roles related to seating and mobility, including assessing, prescribing, and educating.
Tracee joined Permobil Australia in July 2019 as a Clinical Education Specialist, where she assists Permobil’s distributors, dealers and partners with product and clinical education, as well as educates others about Permobil’s range of products to maximise functional outcomes.
Bursting with energy, Tracee began her presentation by reviewing how postural supports relate to seating and positioning, and the challenges associated with them.
She then raced the audience into amusement by asking them to locate their own and their partner’s Anterior Superior Iliac Spine (ASIS), Anterior Superior Iliac Spine (PSIS) and Ischial Tuberosities (IT).
Following this exercise, Tracee discussed how various seat positioning such as posterior pelvis tilt, posterior-anterior tilt as well as pelvic obliquity can impact a user’s posture.
The room was filled with laughter as Tracee got clinicians to wiggle their way into different postures through a game of “Tracee says”.
“A stable pelvis is essential for stability, reach, safety, comfort and most importantly, independence.”
Using Bodypoint’s range of positioning belts and support belt buckles, Tracee demonstrated how clinicians can better locate and assess body points of control to achieve a neutral pelvis position for the user. She also introduced some easy-to-use, measuring tools that clinicians can make use of.
She then compared the differences between Bodypoint’s 2-Point and 4-Point Belts, reviewing pull positions, padding, size, positions, and placements and talked about the different style options available for Body point’s Pelvic Support Belt Buckles. Tracee discussed the most appropriate style and positioning required for a pelvic belt to provide postural correction and when this would be appropriate for an individual.
“We need to keep in mind WHERE users need the support.”
To assist users that require better upper body support, attendees also were taught how to use Bodypoint’s chest support options such as the Two-Piece Monoflex, One-Piece Monoflex, Evoflex as well as Chest Belt. Tracee noted that whenever anterior trunk support is needed or used, properly adjusted pelvic support should also be prescribed to allow movement and prevent shear.
Tracee also covered the various mounting considerations that are available and demonstrated how clinicians can mount a belt to assist with both posterior and anterior tilt positioning.
“Play is key. We should play with the products in different positions to get a proper understanding.”
Clinicians were also taught when and why to consider anterior trunk support solutions such as the PivotFit, Trimline Shoulder Harness, PivotFit Shoulder Harness as well as the Stayflex Chest Support to help maximise their optimal postural support choice for users.
This workshop also provided a demonstration of using Bodypoint postural supports on Juvo shower commodes and covered the latest technological advances in Bodypoint’s Aeromesh bath belt mounting options.
Questions and open discussions about Bodypoint products flooded the room.
Thank you
“We, at Unicare Health, love the work that goes into running an excellent training day. This collaborative effort with Permobil’s clinical education team was certainly rewarded with a wealth of knowledge that we and our allied health partners can share when working together to improve client outcomes.” #morethancare
We are thankful to Tracee-lee for facilitating this uplifting presentation, and Magdalena Love for helping with the practical sessions and fully appreciative of our ongoing friendship with the Permobil Australia team.
We would also like to thank everyone who attended for spending the afternoon with us and trust that you left with a good practical understanding of Bodypoint’s range of postural supports, as well as the confidence to assess and prescribe these supports to achieve better postural outcomes.
