Prescribing seating for cognitively impaired users: exploring the risks
When prescribing seating, our aim is to meet the needs of the service user by prescribing a chair that will provide the right level of support, enable safe, easier assisted or independent transfers, reduce risk of pressure injuries and enable them to obtain and maintain a good sitting posture in the provided chair. However when a service user has a cognitive impairment and has poor risk awareness, additional risks are present. In this session we aim to outline some of these possible additional risks and how to overcome them to ensure the service user and their carers/family remain as safe as possible when the service user is seated in a chair that is there to meet their needs.
Learning Outcomes
- To outline clinical reasoning for chair provision to a variety of service users
- To increase awareness of risks to users with cognitive impairments/poor risk awareness when assessing and providing specialist seating.
- To out line some of the risk factors and interventions that can reduce risk to service users.
Meet our Experts
Jenny is a senior occupational therapist. She qualified in 1997 and completed her MSc in Neuro-rehabilitation in 2007. She has worked in Neurological Rehabilitation at the Battle Hospital in Reading, and the Rivermead Rehabilitation Centre in Oxford which became part of the Oxford Centre for Enablement in 2000. She moved into the Specialist Disability Service at the OCE from where she joined the Oxford MND Centre in January 2007.
Since August 2009 Jenny has been funded full-time by the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association to develop NHS wheelchair services across the UK, to improve wheelchair provision for people living with MND.
Since qualifying in 2006, Debra has worked as an occupational therapist in both community and in-patient environments. After three years on a mixed NHS and social care rotation, Debra moved to Brent local authority, where she worked for 5 years. In 2014 Debra split her role between managing her own caseload in the private sector and Barnet local authority’s equipment provision service. Debra now runs our seating assessment training programme.
People who watched this also watched...
Biophilia: Bringing the outside in
This webinar looks at what biophilic design is, how easy it is to use and the benefits of incorporating biophilic design elements into care home schemes.
Smarter 24-Hour care: applying clinical reasoning to seating and posture
This session will explore the essential components of conducting an effective postural assessment for seating, supporting clinicians to deliver well-informed, person-centred outcomes. It will examine the concept of clinical reasoning- what it is, why it matters, and the importance of taking a systematic approach when assessing for seating. We will consider the importance of using the correct terminology when recording gathered data and how best to present to clearly to justify equipment request.
The webinar will also focus on some examples of assessment findings and share clinically justification for decision making, sharing practical insights, tips, and best practices to strengthen confidence and consistency. Attendees will be guided through the process of gathering and recording critical assessment data, analysing key findings, and translating this information into clear, robust equipment provision recommendations that meet the needs of patients and clients.
Bed standards and side rail provision – post the deadline
Following the recent popular webinar which addressed the MHRA alert on bed rails and we have decided to focus on how areas are implementing the actions set out in the National Safety Patient Alert.
Based on the feedback from the previous session we will concentrate on risk assessment around bed rails, bed levers and turning devices mentioned in the guidance.