10. Ensuring Comfort

Regardless of the clinical benefits, a chair may not be used if the user is not comfortable1.

Comfort should be the main objective when prescribing specialist seating. Ensuring comfort, which includes energy conservation and pain management, is essential for successful prescription as it can ultimately improve quality of life for an individual.

Good positioning can promote comfort and decrease fatigue2, which can increase tolerance of a desired seating position that is essential for consistency and compliance. Specialist seating and the way in which it is set-up can be effective in both inhibiting abnormal muscle tone and in accommodating its sequelae3, which can have a significant impact on reducing pain levels.

This video discusses the importance of comfort and how it can impact on an individual’s ability and desire to use any prescribed seating. You can also watch a video from Debbie Bissell (Specialist Occupational Therapist) to see why she chooses CareFlex and read about her case study where a CareFlex chair successfully met her client’s needs in our Case Studies section.

You can read more about the University of Salford’s published research in our Clinical Evaluations section.

References:

  1. Bartley C, Stephens M (2017) Evaluating the impact of WaterCell® Technology on pressure redistribution and comfort/discomfort of adults with limited mobility Journal of Tissue Viability 26(2):144-149
  2. Cook AM, Hussey SM (2002) Assistive Technologies Principles and Practice St Louis: Mosby
  3. Herman JH, Lange ML (1999) Seating and positioning to manage spasticity after brain injury Neurorehabilitation 12(2):105-117