Medifab welcomes you to our stand at the ATSNZ Disability Expo from the 6th to 7th of July!

See our huge range of disability equipment for all ages featuring the following new products:

Don’t Miss Out on the Medifab Highlights in the Seminar Program!…

Lying and Seating: More Linked than you think! – Presented by Joana Santiago

Wednesday 7 July 1.45 – 2.30pm, Room 1

Poor postural care can have severe and life-threatening complications for people who have a limited ability to change position. Wrong postures combined with the force of gravity impact the body shape negatively and can be linked with the development of postural deviations. There is a growing body of evidence demonstrating that night-time positioning is beneficial to people with mobility impairment, particularly when considered as part of a 24-hour postural management programme. Occupational therapists have a distinct role in the assessment and provision of night-time positioning equipment and need to be skilled in assessment as well as knowledgeable about postural management and the equipment available. One can argue that a successful intervention is highly dependent on a careful, systematic assessment process. With this session we will support clinicians with their clinical reasoning by highlighting crucial steps and considerations to reference throughout the process. A practical and useful tool will be provided to assist with data collection.

Complex Seating Case Examples and Anecdotes from around the World! – Presented by Bruce Mascull

Tuesday 6 July 3.15 – 4pm, Room 1

Faced with demanding caregivers of a client with advanced scoliosis and lacking head positioning… a very complex client with an almost-impossible goal to achieve a maintained posture for oral feeding… a devasted family emotionally distraught over their son’s wheelchair seating re-quirements being given up by the wheelchair seating service… Join Bruce on an exhilarating expedition to discover the postures, the challenges, the solutions and the inspirational personalities and stories that have motivated us. This presentation will open your eyes and heart to wheelchair positioning outcomes around the world that you may never have imagined possible. Discover a diverse range of individual case examples showing how positioning has been maintained and benefitted. Learn about unique experiences and outcomes achieved with asymmetric cases. You will expand your seating and positioning knowledge and understand some of the methods that will make it easy for you when you are faced with a similar challenge!

Understanding the use of belts, harnesses for postural support in seating – Presented by Henry Bertulfo

Tuesday 6 July 3.15 – 4pm, Room 2

The importance of achieving postural alignment and stability with wheelchair users cannot be overstated. This directly impacts their comfort and function, which in turn enables them to optimise engagement in activities of daily living. A good sitting posture is a result of balancing the body in relation to gravity. To achieve this, a well configured and appropriate wheelchair and seating is a must. Effective seating starts by providing a solid base of support to promote pelvic and trunk stability, which is accomplished by stabilizing the pelvis on a firm surface with pressure distributed throughout the buttocks and the full length of each thigh, and the trunk is supported on the back or sides to maintain alignment of head and spine, and a level shoulder. Feet are supported, facilitating weight bearing on both sides as much as possible. While this presentation will focus on the use of anterior trunk, pelvic, and foot support, it is important to consider this in the context of the whole seating system, understanding the critical role each of this seating components plays to achieve several broad goals of seating: (1) enhancing posture, comfort, physiological maintenance, and skin protection; (2) preventing injury; (3) accommodating existing deformity; (4) supporting activities of daily living, and engagement in meaningful activities.

The ATSNZ Seminar Program will have more than 20 sessions for therapists and people with disability and their families. From product demonstrations to new techniques for client assessment the free education offers insight into what’s new in assistive technology. Access full details here.