Permobil white paper shows the mental and physical benefits of standing power wheelchairs
Wheelchair manufacturer Permobil has published a new white paper examining the clinical, functional and psychosocial benefits of power standing for children and adults.
In an announcement, Permobil stated that its global research and clinical teams identified 363 publications for a “structured literature search”.
It said that nine project collaborators reviewed 41 publications from 2010 onwards and included usage data from Permobil Connect and an internal survey to summarize the findings for this white paper.
Top takeaways from this research found that standing power wheelchairs can have positive effects on pressure relief for skin, bone mineral density, and bowel/bladder function in users.
It found that individuals benefit from improved mental health, self-esteem, and the increased ability to communicate and perform daily activities.
Children were also enabled to better participate in social and educational activities, as were adults in both work and community settings.
Chuck Witkowski, President of Permobil Americas commented: “As the originator of the standing power wheelchair, Permobil has been the leading innovator of this technology to therapists, ATPs, and end users for over four decades.
“This research clearly summarizes how standing functionality positively impacts the everyday life of our end users.”
The in-depth report looks at why users should have access to a power standing wheelchair to not only minimize the health risks of sitting, but to improve their overall health, performance of activities of daily living, social interactions, and mental well-being.
The news announcement said the white paper builds on RESNA’s 2013 position paper on standing devices by introducing evidence focused on standing power wheelchair research and including data on the use of the standing function from Permobil wheelchair users worldwide.
Karin Leire, Vice President of Research & Innovation at Permobil added: “Thanks to the clinical team, we were able to preface the evidence by first explaining the effects on specific body systems and functions (ie. skin, bladder, communication, range of motion).
“We were then able to provide clear evidence of the benefits of standing connected to each function and showed the impact for both children and adults.”
To download the white paper, click here.
Earlier this year Permobil introduced a new Voice Assistant feature to its MyPermobil app, enabling wheelchair users to access key wheelchair information verbally while at home or on the go.
