Case Study - Sorrento

Profile. 
A 25 year old man with a spinal injury, stand transfers with assistance and a risk of pressure sores

Main problems. 
Following a traffic accident, this man used a wheelchair but found it difficult to transfer from it during sit-to-stand transfers and when beginning to walk again. He also felt uncomfortable sitting for rest periods in his wheelchair.

Top 3 Goals. 
• The ability to stand transfer independently from the chair
• Support of the trunk and optional support for the head during rest periods
• Pressure reduction

Solution. 
One of our partners brought a powered Sorrento for this man to test out and adjusted it to meet his size and support needs. He immediately liked the fact that its design was more suited to his surroundings than his "clinical chair". With the motorised tilt and leg elevation on the Sorrento, he was able to independently tilt himself forward and retract the leg rest to give himself a good stable position to stand with his heels behind his knees. When sitting again, he could tilt backwards using the power tilt to rest in the afternoons. He used a concave head support and laterals to hold his trunk and head in midline when sitting. As the chair was adjusted to match his leg length, arm support and seat width exactly, his body was loaded and his pressure was distributed. This together with the 45 degree tilt met his pressure management needs very well and gave him the flexibility to add different pressure cushions in the future if his pressure management needs were to change.