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Power Mobility and Safety Concerns Power mobility improves participation in daily activities as well as activities for people in long term care. These devices also raise safety concerns, which must be addressed. Rather than exclude residents with a specific diagnosis from the power mobility option, which may be considered prejudicial risk management, most participants opted to adopt an approach based on teleology and let all residents try out the device. Mobility A power mobility device allows those with limited ability to move about their community or home and participate in daily living activities that are otherwise impossible for them. These devices can cause danger not only to the individual using them but also to others who share their space or environment. Therapists in occupational therapy must examine each client's safety requirements to provide the most appropriate recommendations regarding powered mobility. In an exploratory study (von Zweck 1999), OTs from three residential care facilities within the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority conducted qualitative interviews with residents about their power mobility use. The goal was to create a framework that could allow for client-centred power movement prescribing. The findings revealed four main themes: (1) power mobility meaning, (2) learning road rules, (3) red flags safety concerns and (4) solutions. Power mobility can boost the quality of life of people with mobility limitations. This is because it allows them to participate in everyday activities at home and in the community. Self-care, productive and leisure occupations are vital for mental and physical health of people who are older. For many with advanced illnesses, power mobility offers a way to participate in these important activities. Most participants found it unacceptable to remove the resident's chair since this could cause a huge change in their life or course of action, and ultimately stop them from pursuing the same activities that they were doing prior to the progression of their illness. This was especially the case for those in the facility 1 who were in a position to use their chairs for short durations and were forced to rely on other residents to move them around the facility. Another potential solution was reducing the speed at which residents drove their chairs, however this raised a number of concerns, including a lack of privacy and impact on other people in the community. The most drastic solution to security concerns was to take away a resident's wheelchair. Safety Power mobility allows disabled people to get around more freely and take part in a wider range of activities and complete errands. With the increased mobility comes an increased chance of accidents. These accidents could result in serious injuries for some. This is why it is vital to consider the safety of your client before suggesting that they use a power mobility. First consider determining whether your client is able to safely operate their power chair or scooter. Depending on the nature of their condition and their the condition of their current health, this might require a physical examination by a doctor or occupational therapist, and an interview with a mobility expert to determine if a particular device is appropriate for them. In some cases your client may require a vehicle lift to be capable of loading and unloading the device at their home, workplace or community. Another aspect of safety is learning the rules of the road. This includes sharing space with other wheelchair users, pedestrians and the drivers of buses or cars. This was a theme that was mentioned by the majority of participants in the study. Some people learned to drive their wheelchairs on sidewalks instead of driving in crowded areas or on curbs (unless the wheelchair was designed for this). For others this meant driving more slow in a crowded area and watching out for pedestrians. The final and least preferred option was taking away the chair of a person. This was seen as two-fold punishment: losing independent mobility and preventing access to facility and community activities. This was the viewpoint of the majority of those who were able to remove their chairs, including Diane and Harriet. Participants also suggested that residents, family members, and staff be educated on the safe use of power mobility. This could include teaching basic driving skills (such as which side to walk on in the hallway) and encouraging residents to practice driving when they go outside and helping them understand how their behavior affects other people's mobility. Follow-Up The ability of a child and their willingness to participate in life can be greatly affected by a device for power mobility. There isn't much research on the experience that children have when learning to utilize these devices. This study employs the pre-post method to investigate the impact of 6 months' experience with one of the four early power mobility devices on the children in school with severe cerebral palsy (CP). Qualitative interviews were conducted with 15 parents and pediatric occupational and physical therapists. url revealed three key themes. The first, 'Power in mobility explained the ways in which powered devices changed more than just the locomotor abilities. The process of learning to drive a motorized mobility device is often an emotional and transformative experience. The second theme 'There's no cookbook' revealed that learning how to use a mobility device was a process that took place in a continuous manner over time. The therapists were asked to determine what was feasible based on each child's abilities and requirements. Throughout the training and post-training phases, therapists were also required to be patient with parents and children. Therapists and parents alike emphasized the need to assist families celebrate their successes and resolve issues that arise from the training process. The third theme, “Shared space”, looked at how the use of the power device can affect other people's lives and interactions. The majority of the participants in this study believed that one must always be considerate of other people when using their mobility device. This is particularly true when driving in public spaces. Participants also said that they've witnessed situations where property of someone else's had been damaged by the use of a motorized device or a person had been injured by a driver who failed to yield the right of way. The results of this study suggest that socialization and power mobility training for preschoolers with CP can be done in certain classroom environments. Future research should continue to investigate the training and outcomes for this type of intervention for children with CP. This could lead to more standard training protocols for children who have CP.