Brian's Story
Guy Wright, our in-house Product Specialist for the lower South Island shares a story about one of his clients, Brian, who transitioned from a Ki Mobility Catalyst 5 into a Ki Mobility Liberty – and how it changed his day to day life.
Brian was in a Ki Mobility Catalyst 5 but had begun to struggle to hold his head up as he got more tired throughout the day. This was impacting his mood and day to day comfort. Brian’s Assessor and I reviewed his wheelchair set-up and decided a Ki Mobility Liberty would be the ideal option for Brian to progress into from his Catalyst. A Liberty was ordered to Brian’s measurements – all our Ki Mobility Wheelchairs are custom made for each client’s needs and specifications - and we added a headrest for additional support and comfort.
Scripting the chair was a bit of a balancing act as we needed the seat upholstery to be a little bit shorter than usual as Brian likes to put his feet right back under the chair and we didn’t want any pressure from the upholstery on the back of his calf as he foot punts sometimes. A higher profile cushion was added to raise him up a tiny bit more. Brian’s long limbs were also accounted for with 65° legrests and armrests set to their lowest point possible without impacting on the wheel when tilted and still allowing for a tray. These small details can make such a difference to someone who is in a wheelchair all day and taking the time to get things right at the scripting stage is vital.
It’s always a privilege to work with skilled assessors, supportive families and
most importantly lovely clients. With Brian, from word go there was a twinkle
in his eye and definitely a smile on his face when we got him set up and moving
more effectively in his new Liberty wheelchair. Moments like these are what has
kept me involved in assistive technology for such a long period.
Brian was slipping forward into posterior pelvic tilt when foot punting which can be quite a common occurrence. The angle in the seat that is created when Brian drops back into tilt in the Liberty means he doesn’t slip forward as much now. When there is a partial stand transfer with Brian, there is a little bit of anterior tilt available which means, when the tilt is upright, it makes it far easier to get him into an assisted standing position – helping both Brian and his caregivers.
For Brian, when he tires, he drops his head down, which hinders independent movement and day to day activities. The built-in tilt helps by using gravity to keep his head back slightly, making it easier for him to maintain that desired upright sitting position. Brian is able to put the brakes on and off himself and sit comfortably for functional activities such as drinking a glass of water.
Brian along with his family and caregivers found the Ki Mobility Liberty a great solution and were also amazed at how compactly it can fold down. Keeping people independent and living their lives with dignity is what it’s all about!
