When parents or caregivers are confronted with the fact that their child will need a mobility aid for an extended period of time, they are also confronted with a myriad of choices, questions and concerns. Most of these questions evolve around one main question: “How can I make sure that the clinical and therapeutic needs of my child are met, while we can still go places easily?”
30 years ago paediatric mobility aids were hard to come by. Most were scaled down versions of adult wheelchairs that were very heavy, non-folding and looked remedial. To overcome the inconvenience and limitations of moving around with these products, parents started using commercial strollers to get around which did not provide the right kind of therapeutic support necessary for children with a disability.
Mobility aids should meet therapeutic goals for seating, positioning and the well-being of the child, while still meeting the caregiver’s needs of convenience, ease of use and transportability. The chair’s look and feel are also extremely important to both the family and therapist so that a child can easily socialise with everyone in their environment.
Modern therapeutic pushchairs have come a long way in the last few decades and nowadays combine the convenience, aesthetics, features and light weight of commercial strollers with the therapeutic seating & positioning components, individual adaptability, and durability of a medical wheelchair. Therapeutic pushchairs are built with resilience and usually provide years of growth adjustability without the need for additional features. There are also many options for customisation and user friendly adjustments to address the clinical needs of each child.
Download this handy chart. It compares the uses and benefits of commercial strollers and therapeutic strollers which are an important part of the care of a child, particularly when they are not quite ready for a wheelchair.
