What is specialist seating?
Specialist seating can be defined as tools that help manage or improve a person’s posture when seated. Postural management is the use of any means to promote comfort, prevent postural deterioration, reduce pain or fatigue and therefore improve quality of life and wellbeing.
When a person is seated poorly, they risk developing pressure ulcers and other severe physical complications. Any specialist seating needs to ensure an individual’s posture is maintained to reduce the likelihood of these sorts of complications arising. Tilt-in-space mechanisms have been developed in seating in order to offload pressure, provide a stable sitting position to improve function, which in turn can relieve fatigue and maximise comfort for those with poor mobility who may be seated for long periods.
Specialist seating aims to:
- Promote comfort.
- Decrease fatigue.
- Improve normal movement patterns
- control abnormal movement patterns
- Promote good health and wellbeing
- Improve interaction and social inclusion
At Exeter Disability Centre, we understand the importance and intricacies of good postural management. That’s why we have taken steps to be able to provide our customers with the very best products, and the very latest innovations. That’s also why we’ve put together a seating team, with former NHS trained professionals to help those in need. We strive to maintain our position as the best in the field, that’s why we can offer:
The latest products from some of the best specialist seating manufacturers in the industry.
A specialist seating team, which includes a Rehabilitation Engineer and an Occupational Therapist.
Seating assessments in-house, as well as home visits for demonstrations or postural assessments.
A fully functional showroom filled with rise and recline chairs, specialist wheelchairs, powerchairs, beds and more.
Specialist seating isn’t always for a specialist need, quite often someone will come to us who is beginning to find it difficult to walk, or to stand up after being sat for long periods. They may have aching joints or arthritis. They may be perfectly capable people, just getting to the point where it’s getting uncomfortable moving around.
That is sometimes the hardest step, it’s not easy accepting that you need help, that you’re finding it difficult or that someone who has been independent their whole lives, finds themselves struggling. Let me assure you of something right now, once you’ve decided you’re going to do something about it, you’re already halfway there!
It’s a wonderful thing, providing a chair that relieves pain after years of discomfort. We have, in the past assessed people and prescribed a chair, only to find out later on that they are more active during the day because the chair they purchased has meant they are no longer in constant pain when seated, and the riser function means that they no longer struggle to get up. So, all that effort has been removed from their day. That’s one of the great things about specialist seating, its a rewarding experience, knowing you have genuinely helped someone.