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Prevalence and Predictors of Need for Seating Intervention and Mobility for Persons in Long-Term Care*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 March 2010

Melissa C. Bourbonniere ,
Laura M. Fawcett ,
William C. Miller ,
Jennifer Garden  and
William B. Mortenson
Melissa C. Bourbonniere
Affiliation:
Students, Masters of Occupational Therapy, McMaster University (at the time of study)
Laura M. Fawcett
Affiliation:
Students, Masters of Occupational Therapy, McMaster University (at the time of study)
William C. Miller*
Affiliation:
School of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of British Columbia GF Strong Rehabilitation Research Lab, Vancouver, BC Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Evaluation, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute University of British Columbia Can-Do Research Unit
Jennifer Garden
Affiliation:
School of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of British Columbia GF Strong Rehabilitation Research Lab, Vancouver, BC
William B. Mortenson
Affiliation:
School of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of British Columbia Purdy Pavilion, Residential Care, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute
*
Requests for offprints should be sent to:/Les demandes de tirés-à-part doivent être adressées à: William C Miller, Ph.D., O.T., Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, Room 715, 828 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1L8. (bcmiller@telus.net)
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Abstract

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted to (a) determine the prevalence of need for wheel-chair seating intervention in two long-term care facilities in Vancouver, BC, (b) determine the extent of the residents' independent mobility within these facilities, and (c) explore the relationship between proper wheel-chair seating and positioning and independent mobility. The study population comprised 99 wheel-chair-using older adults. Four trained raters assessed need for seating intervention, using the Seating Identification Tool, and quantified extent and frequency of wheel-chair mobility, using the Nursing Home Life-Space Diameter. Results indicated that (a) there was a low need (overall 22%) for wheel-chair seating intervention in the two facilities, (b) half of the residents were independently mobile in their own rooms and on their units, but independent mobility decreased when greater distances needed to be travelled, and (c) the need for wheel-chair seating intervention was the only significant predictor of extent of independent mobility. These findings suggest that, where there are dedicated staff and equipment resources, the need for wheel-chair seating intervention can be minimized and independent mobility for long-term care residents maximized.

Résumé

Une étude transversale descriptive a été effectuée afin de déterminer la prévalence du besoin de places de fauteuil roulant dans deux établissements de soins de longue durée à Vancouver, en Colombie-Britannique; de déterminer l'étendue de la mobilité autonome des résidents dans ces établissements; et d'explorer la relation entre les places de fauteuil roulant appropriées et le positionnement et la mobilité autonome. La population étudiée comprenait 99 adultes âgés en fauteuil roulant. Quatre évaluateurs expérimentés ont estimé les besoins d'intervention en matière de places à l'aide du Seating Identification Tool (outil de détermination des places) et quantifié l'étendue et la fréquence de la mobilité en chaise roulante à l'aide du Nursing Home Life-Space Diameter (diamètre de l'espace vital dans les centres d'hébergement et de soins de longue durée). Les résultats ont indiqué qu'une intervention était moins pressante pour des places de fauteuil roulant dans les deux établissements; que la moitié des résidents pouvaient se déplacer de façon autonome dans leurs propres chambres et leurs unités, mais que la mobilité autonome diminuait lorsque les distances à parcourir étaient plus grandes; et que le besoin d'intervention en matière de places de fauteuil roulant était le seul prédicteur significatif de l'étendue de la mobilité autonome. Ces résultats suggèrent que, si l'établissement possède des ressources adéquates en matière de personnel spécialisé et d'équipements, le besoin d'une intervention pour des places de fauteuil roulant peut être réduit et que la mobilité autonome des résidents des établissements de soins de longue durée peut être maximisée.

Keywords

agingwheel-chairlong-term careintervention needsvieillissementfauteuil roulantsoins de longue duréebesoins d'intervention
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 26 , Issue 3 , Fall/Automne 2007 , pp. 195 - 204
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 2007

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Footnotes

*

The authors would like to acknowledge the participants for providing the data; site staff, occupational therapists, and Christina Ekegren for help with subject recruitment and data collection; and Sue Baptiste for co-supervision of the first two authors' masters of science research project in occupational therapy on which this work was based. Salary support for Dr. Miller and trainee funding was provided by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Institute of Aging, and the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research.

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