AAT GB highlights vacuum posture cushion as solution to postural care complexity
AAT GB says it is aiming to simplify the complex process of postural care provision with its Grande vacuum posture cushion, as it addresses concerns over inconsistent access to support.
According to the Royal College of Occupational Therapy (RCOT), addressing postural care should be a pre-requisite of occupational therapy, yet it remains a postcode lottery.
AAT GB says the issue is further complicated by limited awareness among professionals, the breadth of issues posture management affects, the involvement of multiple disciplines, and the range of equipment and funding streams needed to achieve round-the-clock support and correction.
Its Grande vacuum posture cushion delivers almost all sedentary and supine positioning support required during the day or night, meaning only one health professional needs to prescribe it.
The mattress-sized cushion can be precisely moulded and fixed by caregivers to provide correct support whether the user is sitting or lying during the day, or sleeping at night. Grande can be used as a mattress for resting, sleeping or physiotherapy, or folded to create a seat, whether stand-alone, on a chair, or on a sofa.
Its construction also means it is tactile and easily transmits sound waves, allowing it to double as a conductor for sensory stimulation.
The technology used in Grande is based around the principles of a bean bag, enabling precise shaping. The beans contour accurately to the required body shape and, by attaching a pump, the air between the beans is extracted to fix that shape at the preferred degree of firmness.
This shaping can be as detailed as required, providing correct stabilisation with minimal pressure and allowing for pommels, wedges, and hollows for feeding tubes. AAT GB says there is no need for restraint, even during dystonic episodes or hyperactivity.
The company adds that the frequent re-plumping and repositioning associated with conventional cushion-type posture systems becomes a thing of the past. To re-shape Grande, air can simply be allowed back in before the cushion is moulded again, whether for a simple adjustment to body position and comfort or a complete reconfiguration.
Peter Wingrave, AAT GB Director, says: “The role postural care plays in the health and wellbeing of disabled people and their carers is acknowledged, but the way our health service is structured, delivery is fragmented. Yet addressing it would have a huge impact not only on the people who need it, but on the demand for associated NHS services.”
“If just one healthcare professional thinks outside the box and looks at something like Grande, that answers the specific issue they have for a client but simultaneously could answer other issues for that client, surely it must be considered?”
Nottinghamshire County Council’s adult social care and health department allocated stairclimbing wheelchairs from AAT GB to offer a green-friendly alternative to having to build major home adaptations.
