The second edition of Seating and Wheeled Mobility: A Clinical Resource Guide has been published and is ready for purchase. The 741-page, 33-chapter book with 54 authors is packed with information and will serve as the seating professional's bible to understanding how to assess an individual for a wheelchair and seating system, as well as guiding the reader through the entire procurement process. The book is divided into seven sections:
1. Postural Support, Pressure Management: Foundational Information
This first section begins with a thorough seating and mobility assessment, describing the interview and illustrating postural tendencies of the pelvis, spine, and lower & upper extremities. This is followed by a chapter describing the mechanisms of pressure injury development, followed by assessment methodology and intervention techniques, followed by case studies. Next is a chapter describing seating system categories and clinical indicators which defines supports and discusses properties and material of support systems.
2. Postural Support, Pressure Management: Clinical Applications
This section describes the concepts for 24/7 postural care management, followed by chapters focusing on intervention for hands-free sitters, hands-dependent sitters, prop-sitters, and interventions considering body location. Descriptive standardized measurements round out this section.
3. Wheeled Mobility: Foundational Information
Foundational information about the mobility base includes the mobility algorithm and detailed descriptions of power, manual, and dependent mobility.
4. Wheeled Mobility: Clinical Applications
The clinical application of wheeled mobility provides detailed information on how to configure a manual wheelchair for efficient postural control and efficient propulsion. Clinical reasoning and case studies are used to describe power assist and power add-ons. On Time mobility is defined focusing on readiness for children using power. Seat functions, alternative controls, wheelchair skills, and maintenance are included in this section.
5. Putting It Together: Specialty Applications
Specialty Applications include specific interventions for pediatrics, geriatrics, bariatrics, degenerative neurological individuals, and complex orthopedic clients.
6. Related Content
Related content includes aging with a disability, environmental assessment, wheelchair transport, standards for wheelchairs & seating, and documentation. The importance of incorporating outcomes and how to use them provides the seating professional with ways to document if the intervention worked as planned or needs to be changed.
7. A Look at the Past, Present, and Future of Complex Rehabilitation Technology
The final section is a compilation of research outlining the history of wheeled mobility and seating. It also discusses some futuristic ideas for intervention, encouraging manufacturers and engineers to continue on the path of innovation to enhance the world of wheeled mobility and seating.
As illustrated above, this book provides a thorough overview of the profession of wheeled mobility and seating with detailed descriptions for intervention for a variety of individuals across the lifespan. It would be a welcome addition to any seating professional's library.
The book can be purchased through Routledge.
With over 40 years of clinical practice as an OT, Jessica Presperin has worked in all sectors of the wheelchair and seating industry as a master clinician, supplier, manufacturing consultant, design representative, and educator. Dr. Presperin was a pioneer in the development of the profession of wheelchairs and seating in the 1980s and has spent the last two decades contributing to the research world to demonstrate evidence for knowledge translation in the clinic, advocacy, and product development. She is a RESNA and AOTA Fellow, serves on the Clinician Task Force, the Seating and Wheeled Mobility Committee for AOTA, and has shared her experiences internationally through publications and presentations.