AD – Physiotherapist October 2013
We have been using the Sit to Stand Trainer in the LTC home where I work for approximately 3 years now. The most drastic changes are seen with residents who are starting to have leg weakness and that can no longer stand up without some sort of physical help. Having the sling under them to give them a boost of even as little as 10 pounds and the handle to pull themselves up with makes such a huge difference!
When a resident starts to have difficulty standing on his/her own, or, by the transfer safety assessment is soon to be deemed needing a mechanical lift for transfers, this is the best time to get them started. This is where you will see the difference.
The other big difference I saw is that residents with cognitive difficulties, who have forgotten how to stand, are assisted with a very good physical cue, by having the sling underneath their bottom. We have a resident who no longer remembers how to stand on his own or with verbal cues and even with physical, manual cues, doesn’t stand up. With the sling underneath him, however, he goes up into standing and then we let him stay standing for up to 5 minutes and even do side-to-side weight shifting with him. The hardest thing to do with this gentleman is to get him to sit back down again. I think that he just enjoys standing so much that he doesn’t want to sit back down. He is no longer transferred manually; he is transferred with a lift at all times because of his reduced cognitive function. I am absolutely certain, however, that with the assistance of the Sit to Stand Trainer, we are helping him maintain some leg and trunk strength and usually the standing also helps his digestive system.
We have also used the Sit to Stand Trainer with a gentleman who hadn’t stood/walked in more than 3-4 years. He still had active leg ROM, just not enough strength to walk. He loves using the Sit to Stand Trainer. We started him with 30 lbs of assistance (it really doesn’t take much because the pounds of lift are strategically placed right where they count) and with time, we were able to wean the amount of assistance down. This is where you will see a difference.
Nancy Miles, OTR/L
Rehab Services Manager
Signature HealthCARE of Spencer County
Ms. M is an 80 year old with an extensive medical history and history of falls. She has been at our facility for 3 years. For the past year, due to weakness from a heart attack, she has had to use a wheelchair for mobility. Within the past 3 months, Ms. M has gone from transferring with Max Assist x 2 people to Min Assist x 1. Therapy has been using the new Sit To Stand Trainer with her!! Approx 2 weeks after sustaining a wrist fracture, she is already able to walk 10-15 feet with a platform walker and is building her Upper Extremity exercise routine!
Ms. M is a hard worker who has proven that although she was down, SHE WAS NOT OUT!!
Way to go Ms. M and Therapy Team!!
Caregiver & Patient, Good Samaritan Hospital, St. Croix Valley:
Caregiver:
Pt is a 72 Y.O. female who came to Good Sam after a hospital stay for a pretty substantial CVA. Left sided paralysis as well as neglect. She spent roughly 120 days here. She is discharging to home with her husband and home care.
Patient:
Speaking about the NeuroGym Sit-to-Stand trainer: This piece of equipment is absolutely wonderful; it was able to do the work of three nursing aides. Even without the use of my left side I was able to progress and gain some independence. This was a big reason that I am able to go home. After my home care I am looking forward to returning as an outpatient to use the Sit-to- Stand Trainer and maybe progressing to the NeuroGym Bungee Mobility Trainer. This is something I wouldn’t have thought was possible. This equipment is truly lifesaving.
Deborah K Franklin
Director of Operations – Florida Living Options
Chairman, Florida Health Care Association
Hello Friends,
It is seldom that I will assist a vendor to do their business but I am so impressed with this equipment that I want to pass this on to you. We are using both the Sit-to-Stand Trainer and the Bungee Mobility Trainer and have successfully assisted some residents that could no longer stand to actually walk again! Therapists in both of my SNFs are very impressed with the equipment. We pair the Bungee Mobility Trainer with the Wii and the success is better than anything I have seen. Just an FYI – I don’t have anything to do with this company other than having purchased their equipment and the owners being passionate and sincere so I thought I would help.
Chris Chirumbolo, MPT, GCS
Executive VP of Rehabilitation Services
Carespring Healthcare Management
Loveland, Ohio
Indianspring of Oakley admitted a resident 2 years ago for long term care. She had been requiring use of a mechanical sit to stand lift from admission due to her inability to stand. Her inability to stand was from severe OA in her left knee. She had not been able to stand without maximal assistance by the staff from another LTC facility.
In November 2011, the resident was on a basic seated exercise program and one of the therapists trialed her on the body weight supported sit to stand trainer. She was able to stand with 60 lbs of counter weight and could stand for 2 minutes. She loved it.
We obtained a PT evaluation and spent much of the first few weeks using the device to promote training of the sit to stand movement, static standing tolerance activities and some weight shifting. Over the next several weeks, we incorporated other PT related exercises and gradually decreased the counterweight forces on the device.
By the end of January, the resident was walking over 100 feet with a rolling walker and was transfering with contact guard assist. The nursing staff did not require use of the sit to stand lift anymore and was easily being assisted with her ADL’s throughout the day.
Currently, she is now on a maintenance walking program and has a significant improvement in her quality of life. The patient is ecstatic.
Lori Coleman, PT, WCC, RAC-CT
Director of Clinical for Serenity
Signature Healthcare
Louisiville, KY
The Neurogym Sit to Stand trainer has been a valuable addition to the treatment options with my prior company. In my role as Divisional Director of Rehab with Life Care Centers, we installed and trained our staff on the use of the sit to stand trainer. It allows the therapist to work on sit to stand and instead of the therapist doing the lifting of the patient, the therapist can grade the assistance from the weights and facilitate appropriate alignment and sequencing of the movement. This is a great tool for patients with cognitive impairment as well as those who are goal driven in therapy. Because the patient controls the initiation of movement and the timing, it allows patients to feel more independent.
I look forward to adding this equipment to more facilities next year.
Graham Cobb MD. DDS. MSc.
Assistant Professor
Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry
Western University:
I would like to let you know how pleased and grateful my family was for the technology offered by Neurogym in the rehabilitation of my late Grandmother. Her return to function and ability to regain her independence were paramount in the improvement of her quality of life in her last years.
Like for so many seniors who have a hip fracture over the age of 75 death comes within a few years as a result of incomplete rehabilitation of the normal activities of daily living and the resultant medical complications related to stasis and immobility. In the last 4 years of my grandmother’s life she underwent 3 major hip surgeries. Frustrated by lengthy stays in hospital and then subsequent lengthy stays in hospital rehabilitation centers, she was constantly depressed. I often think if it wasn’t for strong family support and pressure to keep fighting she may not have rehabbed from her first fracture and subsequent total hip replacement. In fact, she never did return to full strength.
Unfortunately, a year after her total hip arthroplasty she fell again and fractured the contralateral hip. Her formerly strong leg, now fractured, made rehabilitation even more challenging. Making matters worse, this second fracture was very oblique and unstable and it was recommended that she be totally non-weight bearing for 6 weeks from the time of injury. Displaced from her home again for an extended and inopportunely long rehabilitation she eventually stopped progressing. Facing recommendations to move to a nursing home our family decided to have her return home with home nursing where she would work with a Neurogym “Sit to Stand” trainer. Within a few weeks she was back on her feet again, ambulating around her apartment. We couldn’t believe how quickly she recovered. The combination of core strengthening in conjunction with balance and stability allowed for the most important thing – the return to functional movement.
I believe had she initiated early therapy with assistive trainers such as the “Sit to Stand Trainer” and the “Bungee Mobility Trainer” earlier in her recovery it would have significantly shortened all of her hospital stays, and extended her life.
She was able to live out the rest of her life in her apartment with her independence, with her pet, and with her family close by.
Thank you Neurogym!
Debbie Rollins, Site Manager
Hastings Manor, Belleville, ON:
The following are the testimonials from our Residents Council on behalf of the residents of Hastings Manor:
Believe me, I’ve used the exercise equipment and it works
The equipment is very beneficial for a lot of people – they keep coming back.
I like the bungee mobility trainer, it gives me the freedom to walk on my own again.
That bungee mobility trainer is very good – it’s certainly helped me a lot!
The exercise equipment we got, we’ve made good use of.
The residents truly enjoy the opportunities presented to them by the equipment in our Physio department.
Ginette Whittingham, Facility Administrator, Ottawa, ON:
I’ve been in long term care for 16 years and this is actually the first time that I can see a piece of equipment impact so much the self esteem and the quality of life.
Gail Lascelle, Restorative Care RPN Extendicare West End Villa, Ottawa, ON:
Nothing short of a miracle is how I describe the response of one of the residents to the NeuroGym Sit-to-Stand Trainer. As the name implies, the machine helps people stand from a sitting position. With the use of counter-weights, it strengthens weight-bearing muscles and increases standing stability and endurance, the weights being reduced as the person gains strength. However, for one of the residents in particular, it has provided so much more. Charles (whose name has been changed to protect privacy) was a big man who had been the quintessential lawyer. At 6’4″, 240 lbs, the octogenarian was larger than life, confident and with a dignity that commanded respect. Then a severe fracture and a diagnosis that he would never walk again brought him crashing down to earth. Movement that he had taken for granted was no longer possible. For every transfer, he needed the use of a mechanical lift, or ‘baby cage’ as he resentfully called it.
Faced with the impossible, we decided to try Charles on the Sit-to-Stand Trainer starting with 100 lbs of counter-weight. Within a couple of months he had progressed to 80 lbs then 30 lbs then no weight at all. Charles can now get up from the bed and also transfer to a toilet with the use of a simple pole. He can even walk the full length of the hallway with a platform walker.
Being able to get up has also resulted in many other benefits. Charles, who suffers from bowel obstructions, has had fewer setbacks and since training on the Sit-to-Stand his breathing has improved.
What we have given him can’t be measured. Yes, he’s regained his mobility, but he has also regained his self-worth and dignity.
While the Sit-to-Stand undoubtedly helps improve mobility, it is also vital for promoting independence and boosting client confidence. I’ve seen it give both residents and staff a whole new outlook on life. It gives residents the feeling it’s not the end of life in long term care but a different life.
J. Ronquillo, Restorative Care Department, Casa Verde Health Centre, Downsview, ON:
I am glad that Casa Verde Health Centre has provided our department with the innovative NeuroGym equipment which makes standing and ambulation exercises with residents less difficult, decreases the risk of strain, is safer and more stable for me and for them. There are residents who are hindered from doing exercises because of safety or behaviour issues or who require more staff to accomplish the task when using just ordinary walkers. Having the NeuroGym equipment enabled us to focus more on these residents for their exercise needs. They become more confident when using them.
Mr. D, Resident of Casa Verde Health Centre, Downsview, ON:
The first time I walked using the Bungee Mobility Trainer after a long time of not walking, I woke up the following morning feeling much stronger. My feet are more useful now and my steps more secure. Walking is an easy task for me now and I’m more at ease when doing it. It gives me motivation to try harder. I was even able to walk around the building after a few sessions using the NeuroGym equipment.
Mr. S, Resident at Casa Verde Health Centre, Downsview, ON:
This machine gives me a chance to finally stretch my legs and back in a way where I feel secure and safe. I finally can walk without the fear of falling. I feel complete independence while I walk. I feel like I am in charge!”
M. Guram, Restorative Care Aide, Casa Verde Health Centre, Downsview, ON:
Seeing the confidence build in a resident while using the Bungee Mobility Trainer is priceless.
The motivation that the residents have while using the Bungee Mobility Trainer shows me as a caregiver that they feel secure and safe and not afraid. As a caregiver, the residents using this equipment would most likely not be walking because of safety reasons for the the resident and the caregiver. But seeing what this equipment has done for may of our residents like building their confidence, and motivation along with the feeling of independence while they walk along the hallways, seeing them smile as they walk in front of other residents and staff makes their day and also ours.
Greg Almas, Head Coach of the Club Fitness Centre, Shalom Village, Hamilton, ON:
Shalom Village is a community of services for older adults. Built in their neighbourhood, Shalom Village provides supportive housing, long-term care, or “Shalom for the day” programs. Included in our community is “The Club”, an innovative fitness centre for people over the age of 70. With over 170 members, a big attraction of the club is its spirit, where members strive to remain independent and confident. The NeuroGym Bungee Mobility Trainer has added significantly to this spirit. Using the Bungee Mobility Trainers, clients can now participate in “upright” activities, such as modified soccer and golf, just to name a few. What a feeling to be literally back on their feet! While participants are preoccupied with the fun of it all, they are strengthening their side balance and core as well as their hand-eye-coordination. A marked improvement is when they can reach for the ball or swing the club without falling off to the side.