In March 2019, 74 year old Janet, from Barton-Le-Clay, suffered a severe stroke, leaving her completely paralysed on the left side of her body, including her leg, arm and eye.*
With Janet’s transition from hospital to home, her comfort became the priority. “My wife can’t stand, eats pureed food, has 4 double carer calls a day and sleeps in a hospital bed” described Janet’s husband Peter, “the important thing from my point of view was her comfort.”
Each day, Janet was transferred by hoist from her hospital bed to a standard wheelchair, “sitting in a wheelchair for more than 2 hours was very painful” said Peter. “The chair could not be tilted, there was no padding.
“If you can’t walk, you either stay in bed all day or come out into a chair of some sort, and if the only option is a wheelchair, that is not very enticing.”
At Seating Matters, we have known for some time that prolonged bed rest can have extensive negative psychological & physiological effects on the patient, therefore finding a solution to get someone out of bed is extremely important.
Read more about seating vs bed rest.
Peter also needed to transport Janet from her bedroom to the lounge every day, and back again, so knew he needed to find a chair that was comfortable, mobile and fitted between a normal doorway.
After endless searching online to find something suitable for Janet, similar to the chairs he had seen in the rehab centre where Janet had stayed, Peter finally came across Seating Matters.
“I had given up until Conor (local Seating Specialist) came to us” said Peter, “It was a god send. He left us a demo chair for 2 weeks and he showed us how to use it. I was able to call him with questions at any time.”
With the help of Janet’s Occupational Therapist and Seating Matters Seating Specialist Conor, the Phoenix chair proved to be the best option.
“The chair is comfortable and makes her feel psychology that she is out of bed and coming into her lounge. We then had a comfortable chair that could wheel through normal sized doors, she could go to sleep in it and that has made a tremendous difference to how we cope with the day.
“Without this chair, my wife would spend more time restricted in bed or being in pain in a wheelchair."
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If you know someone like Janet, find out how we can help you.
*Note - the purpose of this blog is to give an overview of the product with some tips to consider on its use. This is not intended to be a substitute for professional or medical advice, diagnosis, prescription or treatment and does not constitute medical or other professional advice. For advice with your personal health or that of someone in your care, consult your doctor or appropriate medical professional.
