Patient mobility is one of the main aspects of recovery and wellbeing that every healthcare professional should be knowledgeable about. Likewise, if you’re a patient or senior who is trying to achieve enhanced mobility at home, you might be looking for ways to improve the way you get around the house, travel, and run daily errands. Improving mobility isn’t just about making it easier to move around, it’s also about ensuring safe mobility through the use of the proper techniques and equipment. In this guide, we’ll talk about some of the methods that patients can use to improve mobility:
Electric Wheelchairs
Owning an electric wheelchair or boot mobility scooter is by far the most reliable way to make your life easier when it comes to moving around the hospital or your home, shopping, enjoying a leisurely stroll, or interacting with family and friends. These highly useful and much-appreciated machines let patients move around effortlessly, using a convenient joystick-like control pad that’s always at their fingertips. If you want to learn more about this kind of wheelchair, you should consult with an expert supplier that says they specialize in electric models – the more choice you have, the better. You can also read about folding electric wheelchairs here.
Physical Therapy
Once a patient has a mobility scooter or electric wheelchair to help them move around freely without needing someone to push them or using their energy to push themselves, it’s time to start working on their physique very gently and gradually. Physical therapy will help to strengthen muscle groups and areas of the body that would otherwise stay dormant. Therapy is also important for encouraging a focus on fitness and physical activity during any recovery process, especially when improving mobility is the goal. The key to safely starting any physically therapeutic regimen is to work into it slowly and never overdo it.
Navigation and Scheduling Apps
Many hospitals and clinics have started recommending proprietary or third-party mobile apps that help patients manage and set appointments. Time management is essential in helping with patient mobility because it reduces stress by removing the uncertainty that comes with a hectic and unorganized schedule. When a patient is stressed about making their appointments, they could either forget or it could affect their mobility by causing them to stumble, forget their keys, or have other stress-related lapses.
Making the Home More Accessible
Once a patient is ready to go home, in many cases, they will still have some ongoing mobility issues. In such cases, it’s important to suggest any modifications or adjustments that can be made in the home to facilitate wheelchair access. Once a patient is able to move around in their electric wheelchair, the only thing that could deter their mobility at that point would be the inability to use their wheelchair in some areas of the home. In many cases, insurance providers will cover home renovations and additions that enhance disabled access. If the home cannot be made more accessible, the patient may want to consider utilizing the services of a caretaker or third-party housing provider for the duration of their recovery.
Using Technology to Overcome Obstacles
The medical app and device industry have really blossomed in the past three years, with many manufacturers and new brands releasing innovative solutions that help patients facilitate treatment, research, scheduling, communication with doctors, and all of the other tasks that patients typically have to deal with. As more ground-breaking technology reaches the market over the next decade, recovery factors like mobility, stress reduction and nutrition will become much easier processes for patients to manage.
The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.
