|
The integrity and function of your wheelchair
cushion is critical to its ability to protect you from pressure
ulcers, a deadly option all of us can do without.
This SpinTip will help you determine when
your cushion is in need of replacement. There are two areas you
have to assess vigilantly:
The integrity of your skin,
and
The integrity and function of your
cushion.
Integrity and Function of Your
Cushion
Check your cushion daily for signs of malfunctioning and for
its ability to support you so that you do not have excessive
pressure on your ischials or other bony points.
Here is how you can check the integrity
and function of these three types of cushions.
- Air Cushions: Be sure the
cushion does not leak. If there is significantly less air in
the cushion at the end of the day than the beginning, or if
you have to refill it every few days, it may need to be
replaced. Know how to check for the proper amount of air in
the cushion. The manufacturer or a
therapist should be able to
tell you how to do this.
- Gel Cushions: You have to make
sure that the gel is protecting the skin over your ischials.
Ask someone to put his or her hand under the gel bladder of
the cushion. This may be awkward, but be creative in making
this happen so that you can know if the gel is doing what it
should do. Your friend should be feel the gel under your
ischial, and not your ischial. Oftentimes, the gel will
migrate away from your ischials and cause you to 'bottom out'
on the firm base of the cushion or on the upholstery of the
seat. Check the cushion for leaks. Check the gel for fluidity
and for lumps or inconsistencies in the gel.
- Foam Cushions: As with gel
cushions, you have to make sure that the foam is protecting
the skin over your ischials. Ask a friend to put his or her
hand under the foam while you are sitting on it. He or she
should feel if there is soft foam under your ischial bone. If
you 'bottom out', that is, your ischial bone goes right
through the foam and onto the seat upholstery, your cushion
may need to be replaced. Some foam cushions will 'take a set.'
That is, they will form themselves to your body, and will not
recover or bounce back into their original shape. This often
indicates that the foam has deteriorated and is not cushioning
you as it should. Usually these cushions become hard to the
feel.
Some cushions are made up of several
materials. It is the materials directly under your ischials that
you must consider first.
|
