Cognitive Decline and Recliner Features
Cognitive decline and recliner features are important to consider when researching recliner features as it’s estimated that 50 million people worldwide* live with some form of dementia and rapid cognitive decline. This includes patients with multiple sclerosis, stroke, traumatic brain injury, encephalopathy, Huntington’s chorea, and reduced cognitive ability. When we think of the brain, it is a symbol or a conduit for our mental awareness, our ability to make decisions, communicate and our capacity to dedicate a ton of information to memory. What we don’t think about is the brains responsible for movement to perform the following independently;- muscle coordination to sit up straight,
- stand up
- walk,
- chew our food,
- lift our hands to our mouth
- hug a family member
- tie our shoes, to bathe ourselves, to drive a car, or to brush there teeth can only happen if the brain is appropriately communicating with the rest of the body.
Seating Recommendations
Ambassador lift chairs are known for their mobility and prolonged sitting accommodations. But the features are not limited to addressing just physical disabilities. Customised and unique traits of these recliners serve the needs of individuals with brain-related disorders and assist their caregiver.- Deep-seated positioning: Providing a deep-seated chair with bulky arm-rests for a person with reduced cognition means increasing postural stability, ease of getting out unassisted and reducing risk of falls. The chair can be placed in a recline position with the foot rest elevated, providing greater more security while reducing risk for pressure ulcers.
- Wide seating surface area: A wide surface area of the seated cushion gives the user plenty of space. Additionally, the seat cushion can be removed and replaced with pressure-relieving cushions for individuals who lack the cognitive capacity to move around or to shift their body weight from time to time. Alarms can be attached to sitting pads that go directly under the user.
- Remote controls: An Ambassador lift chair comes with one and two button remote controls to operate. Each operation (recline, standing, etc.) can be performed at the touch of a button and clearly labeled images. We also have a custom remote control for clients with further limitations on the hand movement or vision.
- Motor standing assistance: For individuals whose cognitive abilities are so limited that they don’t even know how to get out of the chair. Linak(medical grade) motor-operated (with back up battery)standing feature is extremely helpful. The recliner can guide the user from a sitting to a standing position slowly and smoothly. This takes the lifting burden and time off of caregivers.
