Newswise — For most people confined to wheelchairs, elevators and ramps are essential to daily travel. Everyday tasks such as reaching a high shelf, grocery shopping, or even talking to people face to face is sometimes impossible or requires assistance. But with the new INDEPENDENCE® iBOT® 4000 Mobility System, now offered to patients with mobility impairments at the Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation (BIR), life in a wheelchair may become a little easier.
The iBOT® 4000 provides the user with five operating functions, including 1) four-wheel, 2) balance, 3) stair, 4) standard and 5) remote. These functions allow the user to climb stairs or curbs, raise the Mobility System to eye level of someone who is standing, lower it to sit comfortably under a desk or table and even travel over uneven terrain such as sand, grass or gravel.
"This wheelchair is like nothing we've seen before," says Tricia Henley, P.T., physical therapist and coordinator of the wheelchair clinic at BIR. "Not only can it perform amazing tasks, but the best part is that it gives the user a better sense of independence."
Utilizing iBALANCE® Technology, the iBOT® 4000 is designed to maintain stability and balance, customized for each user's center of gravity. "The user can lean forward to shake hands or lean backward and the iBOT® moves with them," says Henley "When in the balance or 'eye-level' mode, this function is especially important should the user accidentally fall forward, sideways or backward. The chair will actually lower itself down to a safe position." According to Blake Utter, 22, a recipient of the iBOT® at BIR, the Stair Function is the most impressive. The iBOT® has the capability to climb stairs or even curbs as high as five inches and depending on the user's physical abilities, stair-climbing can be performed independently or with assistance.
"Climbing stairs just isn't an option for wheelchair users," says Utter. "When elevators are not available, especially in an emergency situation, the stair-climbing function of the iBOT® will definitely come in handy."
However, Henley says that the iBOT® is not recommended for every wheelchair user.
"Each potential iBOT® user at BIR goes through an assessment to determine if they are a good fit for the wheelchair. It all depends on their level of impairment, function and physical abilities."
"Some insurance companies will fully or partially cover the cost of the iBOT®, but it varies with each user's individual set of circumstances," adds Henley.
Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation is a not-for-profit, 116-bed hospital that offers intense, specialized rehabilitation services for traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, strokes, and other orthopaedic and neurological disorders. Physicians specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation, known as physiatrists, lead interdisciplinary clinical teams, which work with patients to design and implement a treatment program to achieve the patient's goals. In 2005, Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation was named among the top rehabilitation hospitals in U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Hospitals" guide, an honor it has received for nine years.
For more information about the Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation, visit http://www.BaylorHealth.com.
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