Best Wheelchair Cushion?

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Best Wheelchair Cushion?

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My 91-yr-old mother who had been in Memory Care for only 2 months, fell on May 11 and broke her hip. She had the surgery to repair it and was in the hospital for 12 days and in skilled-nursing rehab for 3 weeks. She is not recovering from the left hip break as easily as she did when she broke the right one three years ago. I know...she is older and weaker and three years deeper into her dementia. She may not walk again but we are having home health physical therapy visit her at Memory Care.

When I took her back to her Memory Care facility, she was wheeled over to the TV area where most of the residents were at that time and I went to her room to unpack her things. When I next saw her, she was slouched down almost completely flat and sliding out of her wheelchair! This is the wheelchair that Medicare provided when she left Rehab. When I tried to reposition Mom, the caregivers came over and lifted her to an upright seated position.

I went home and, next thing I knew, I was getting a call from the Memory Care facility. You guessed it. Mom had slid out of her chair on to the floor landing on her butt. No caregiver witnessed it and no telling how long she had been on the floor when a caregiver finally noticed her!

Medicare (and rehab facility) provided her with a crappy cushion that is slick vinyl on the top for ease of cleaning, but makes it hard for Mom to sit up straight. She also broke her pelvis in this last fall which makes it even more uncomfortable for her to sit.

Does anybody have a recommendation for a cushion that would prevent Mom from sliding out of the chair? If anyone has a loved one that had this same problem, what did you do to fix it?

Medical Equipment and Supplies Mobility Product

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There are wheelchairs that have higher backs and the back can be tilted so it is more difficult to slump forward and out of the chair.
there are also wedges that can be used to prop her to one side or the other if she tends to lean.
Restraints can not be used in a facility so tilting the chair and wedges are the best option. Sometimes a chair alarm works. Attached tot he back of the blouse and the chair if the connection is broken an alarm will sound. Some facilities allow alarms, others don't
My Husband was on Hospice and they provided a high backed wheelchair as well as later a Broda Chair that allows for more easy positioning of the sides and arms of the chair. It almost looks like an old fashioned Wingback Chair. So the "wings" help prevent a person from sliding and slouching.
This did not actually address the cushion part of your question....
I would ask the PT when they come to evaluate her for the type of cushion she should have or if possibly a different type of chair will help.

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When this happened to my Mom the PT at rehab made a small wedge to put under the seat cushion. This helped until Moms core strength was becoming too week and she progressed to a Broda type chair. It’s really important to keep your Mom from sliding even just a little as skin is so fragile it can tear.
Here’s a good article regarding two types of chairs that could help.
Hope your Mom is doing ok now.

https://seniorsflourish.com/broda-vs-geri-chair/

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Look into a Roho cushion. Medicare paid for my moms. It has individual air pockets and can be inflated or deflated depending on your moms comfort and needs. It can be expensive so make sure you get a prescription from her doctor. It also helps with preventing pressure sores and/or healing them. I wish I could post a picture but just look up Roho cushion.

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She's right my mother-in-law has one Medicare pay for it helps with her on her tailbone in ulster and doesn't slip off

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Are you using the foot rest. They help, I kept a washable absorbent bed pas on moms chair. Never had an issue with her sliding. Does the wheelchair have a seat belt? If so use it.

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Can't use seatbelts in the facilities, as it's considered a restraint and isn't legal.

Dumb, I know.

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My mother did exactly the same thing, sliding off the chair. OT can give you a mat to place on her chair which makes it impossible for her to slide off. It has a special surface to it and prevents someone sliding. It worked with my mother.

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It's called Dycem. Wonderful stuff with lots of uses.

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Rovu

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When I was shopping for comfort gear for my mother, I couldn’t do better anywhere for anything than SpinLife In Ohio.

I did everything then, over 15 years ago, entirely online/by phone. The phone contact was the bestI’ve ever had FOR ANY PURCHASE.

They may have changed staff since then, but hopefully not the service.

Give it a try.

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If your mom wears polyester clothing then she is probably more apt to slide off the material of the cushion. You perhaps need a rubberized cushion cover. Also if she falls she fracture her pelvis and/or hips. There is a bubble bottom that is available that is worn to help protect against these fractures if she falls, but I am not sure what it is called or how inconvenient it may be.

Also, Medicare usually will only cover a wheelchair and/or cushion every five years.

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When my mom was in a wheelchair and I was shopping for cushions, I saw seatbelts you could buy to hook on each side. Also if your mom will be in the wheelchair long term, consider the cushions with the cut out for the tailbone. It will help with pain of sitting all the time and bed sores which you can get from sitting all the time. Also, try getting a cushion with a fabric cover so there is less sweating.

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I will have to check what moms cushion is but before we received her custom chair we purchased a cushion on Amazon that had a pommel in between the legs (google wheelchair pommel cushions). It worked better than a wedge for us.
Her custom chair is a tilt n space so it can always have a little tilt so she does not slide out. Our in home OT also suggested those non slip rug mats that you can cut and place under the cushion to help the cushion stay in place better to not slip.

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My wife was also slipping out of her chair. Tried various cushions, all to no avail. Finally just used a standard Bed Cushion wrapped in a towel or a protective covering. Problem solved.

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I bought a Gel Seat Cushion from Amazon. It helps with the pressure put on the tailbone from sitting for long periods. It stays put in the wheelchair.

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Make sure she can sit with her feet comfortably on the ground with the cushion in place. We ran into issues with mom in her wheelchair because she has short legs. When it became obvious that she was going to be in her wheelchair .ost of the day and not get her mobility back, i got her a pricey very cushy gel cushion. But when she tried to use her feet to propel the wheelchair she had to slouch to do so. So I had to move to a thinner cushion. It does have a purported nonslick surface, and so far its worked out ok. I dont know but some fabrics may be slicker than others also.

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For reasons that make no sense, first of all, wheelchair seats are far too low to the ground and it is so hard to get up. And the seats are "flat" whereas if the front part of the seat that comes up underneath your thighs/knees was raised an inch or two - butt going down a bit lower than the part closer to the knees - it would keep her fro sliding off. You can use towels to make something like a padding or a roll to put under the front of the pillow. This will lessen the chances of slipping off. I do this with many of my chairs and it works.

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For my husband, I use a good gel cushion and put a fuzzy cloth one one top. Using both helps him get out of the chair easier, and the fuzzy cloth is not slippery,

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They do have cushions that are covered in fabric...but best bet is that they put a strap into the chair that fits around her waist, so she can't slide down. (My husband, who was a quadriplegic got that attached from in-home Hospice.) It's just like a seat belt from the car, and would prevent her from sliding down. If the facility doesn't want it seat belts used, ask if you can sign a permission slip for her (assuming you have POA for her). Does she also have a back cushion for the chair? Probably would help, especially if she is a short person. Good luck and I'll pray for your Mom's safety.

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Imho, do not use a vinyl cushion especially if your mother wears polyester clothing. Get a wheelchair cushion that is fabric and the wheelchair back should be slightly tilted back. More importantly, that is quite concerning that a caregiver finally noticed your mother on the floor. How very inept.

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See if you can get a very low wedge type cushion to place in her chair. The small end goes to the back and the thick end in towards the front. That may help. She also may need physical therapy to work with her to strengthen her muscles in her core so she can sit upright,

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https://www.pressuresorecushions.com/

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I use an office chair cushion and I buy the spongey shelf liner it’s a $1 a roll at Dollar General I put it between the seat and cushion and between her bottom and cushion. I also use it under her plates and bowls so they don’t slide on her while she is eating. Hope this helps? Good luck and God Bless:)

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