Mobility Decline Prevention
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Modules - Mobility Decline Prevention
Wheelchairs as Mobility Restraints: Predicators of Wheelchair Activity in Nonambulatory Nursing Home Residents
Sandra F. Simmons, John F. Schnelle, Priscilla G. MacRae, and Joseph G. Ouslander, 1995, in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society; 43:384-388.
Nursing homes could encourage very frail, nonambulatory residents to be more mobile by making their wheelchairs more user-friendly and offering them organized practice in wheelchair propulsion. The 65 nonambulatory residents in this study rarely propelled their wheelchairs, although 70% were physically capable of doing so. Wheelchairs that were either dysfunctional or inappropriately fitted to the residents' size were a major barrier to wheelchair use, affecting 46% of the residents. Additionally, none of the residents could unlock their chairs, either due to difficulty locating the lock or lack of sufficient strength to move the lock. Simple wheelchair modifications can overcome some of these problems, and wheelchair exercise programs, similar to walking programs for ambulatory residents, may lead to increases in endurance, strength, and mobility.
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