Introduction to maintaining and adjusting assistive technology (Townsville)

Learning about basic maintenance and adjustments for a range of simpler assistive technology, including manual wheelchairs, hoists, pressure cushions, and bathing/toileting aids. This workshops suits health practitioners who want to build their confidence with hands-on adjustment of equipment and education of clients in equipment maintenance and cleaning. Allied health assistants responsible for basic set-up of equipment and management of equipment stock may also benefit.

The target group includes;

• Occupational therapists
• Physiotherapists
• Rehabilitation engineers
• Allied health assistants / therapy assistants
• Students from the above professions

Example skills include adjusting seat depth on wheelchairs with this feature, moving axles to adjust centre of gravity and seat angle, and removing and cleaning castor wheels. This workshop focusses on practical hands-on skills and complements the MASS Introduction to Wheelchairs & Seating workshop which focusses around clinical reasoning.

All adjusting & maintaining workshops outside of south-east Queensland include a take-home basic toolkit as standard in the registration fee.

Is this workshop right for me?

We ask our attendees to self-rate their competence in adjusting and maintaining assistive technology before and after the session. Of those that started as;

• No competence - 80% became novices and 20% became competent
• Novice - 87% became competent and 13% remained as novice
• Compentent - 67% remained competent and 33% became advanced
• Advanced - 100% remained as advanced

The majority of people who self-rated as previously not competent, novice or competent said "My knowledge and skills improved a lot".

This workshop is most suitable for people in their first 10 years of working with people with assistive technology, as well as students or people new to the field.

This workshop does not include power wheelchair adjustments or custom fabrication, which will be covered in subsequent intermediate and advanced workshops.

Presenters:

Dr Kieran Broome, Occupational Therapist, Advanced Clinical Educator, Medical Aids Subsidy Scheme

Kieran is a part-time clinical educator and researcher, and part-time rural generalist private practice occupational therapist. Kieran always carry's a toolkit in his car, ready for any moment of equipment adjustment or basic maintenance.