The innovation of “smart” technology aimed a older adults includes “smart” cushions that can be used in wheelchairs.
Patient equipment provider Etac and smart seating solutions company Kalogon have partnered to expand the availability of Etac’s Star cushion product for wheelchair users, the companies announced Monday.
The cushion works by using air cell technology and machine learning to redistribute pressure. This process helps maintain blood flow in wheelchair users, and it helps with posture and positioning. The technology also involves a smartphone app that lets users control the cushion’s functionality.
Roughly two million older adults in the US need wheelchairs, and at least 70% of nursing home residents spend part of their day in a wheelchair, research shows.
“Kalogon’s air management systems are a game-changer,” Magnus Bjorkqvist, Etac’s senior vice president of wheelchairs and pressure care, said in a statement. “Together we can deliver the latest pressure care solutions on the market.”
The Kalogon Orbiter cushion was featured at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. That cushion is sectioned into different regions, with each able to be set at varying levels of inflation.
Some wheelchair users in the US stand to benefit from a rule proposed last week by the US Department of Health and Human Services that would help prevent disability-based discrimination, such as being denied admission to a long-term care facility. Beyond just the enhanced comfort angle, new technology aimed at wheelchair users includes apps such as Ahoi, which is designed to help people find wheelchair-friendly locations — places with automatic doors or entry ramps — in their neighborhood.
