
Medical team
Postural care and seating
People who have complex disabilities arising from severe and profound impairment, usually of neurological origin, are at risk of developing complications secondary to their reduced ability to move themselves.
By managing a person’s physical needs effectively their body shape can be protected and their function, comfort and quality of life enhanced. We offer training, guidance and support on a variety of services ranging from bed positioning supports to wheelchair skills and beyond.
The body is a soft structure and spending long periods of time in unsupported postures can cause the body to distort, flatten, bend and twist as it is compressed by gravity’s forces.
Freedom Wheelchair Skills provides training to enable wheelchair users to achieve maximum use from their wheelchairs.
Training improves efficiency and effectiveness to protect shoulders, which are particularly vulnerable to strain, and make the wheelchair do the work.
Having a good pushing technique can help save energy enabling the user go further for longer, safely and confidently and to be able to overcome environmental challenges that could be faced on a daily basis including kerbs, slopes and undulating terrain.
An assessment is conducted before each training session to determine individual function and abilities which could support or hinder the training. Advice and signposting is provided for any individual needs that might impede training.
Nutrition
Good nutrition is the cornerstone to both the prevention and treatment of many illnesses and diseases. Food plays an important role in both health and disease.
We need a variety of foods to ensure our bodies get the right mix of nutrients it needs to function effectively. Eating a healthy balanced diet is essential to providing our bodies with energy (calories), protein, vitamins, minerals and other important nutrients which can help optimise our health and improve our general well-being.
A healthy, balanced diet can, reduce our risk of some health conditions including stroke, heart disease, diabetes and some cancers.
Some health conditions may require increasing your energy and protein intake and other conditions may require that you reduce these nutrients accordingly.