Frequently-Asked Questions
Who benefits from using the Ascender Seating System?
Why does one need the Ascender Seating System?
Is proper seating important to your health?
How can the Ascender Seating System give the user more independence?
How does the use of the Ascender reduce pain?
Does the Ascender Seating System have credibility as a medical device?
How does the Ascender Seating System help people with arthritis?
Is the Ascender safe for people with a balance problem or weakness in the lower extremities?
Is the Ascender available for home use after one is discharged from the hospital?
How does it help the caregiver?
Is the Ascender good for people with back problems?
What is the difference between the Ascender Seating System and any other hip chair?
Why not use a fully upholstered recliner?
Does the Ascender require any electrical power or artificial means to assist patients?
What are the two most common forms of work-related injury?
What disorder comprises the largest category of ADA complaints filed with the U.S. Equal Opportunities Commission?
What condition accounts for the most visits to a doctor?
What professions have the highest incidents of back ailments?
Must private employers accommodate workers with back pain?
Can workers with ADA claims resulting from back pain sue employers for economic damages and emotional pain and suffering?
What can a private employer do to protect against lawsuits resulting from worker back pain?
Are there products that are specifically designed to assist the caregiver in lifting and transferring patients from seated or bed positions?
Q: Who benefits from using the Ascender Seating System?
A: Any person with physical limitations (neuro-muscular or musculo-skeletal) due to surgery such as total hip or knee joint replacements or back surgery. Or from diseases such as Arthritis, Stroke, MS, and Parkinson's disease.
Q: Why does one need the Ascender Seating System?
A: The simple act of getting in and out of a standard height seating can put more pressure on your hips and knees than running and jumping. It is equivalent to the pressure required to jack up a car. This can be damaging to joints and increase already existing physical limitations. As chair height increases, the joint pressure decreases as concluded in a published study. The pressure is reduced by almost 33% when using the Ascender Seating System.
Q: Is proper seating important to your health?
A: Absolutely! The reason it is so important is that poor posture or incorrect skeletal alignment can lead to further pain, fatigue and may also lead to strains and deformities of the ankles, hips, and spine according to the Arthritis Foundation.
Q: How can the Ascender Seating System give the user more independence?
A: The Ascender allows one to sit and stand safely and easily with no assistance in most situations. It helps one to strive daily to maintain a proper home care program utilizing correct positioning and exercise. It should also serve to reduce or limit depression related to chronic disability.
Q: How does the use of the Ascender reduce pain?
A: It reduces pain by reducing stress to the muscle involved joints when one rises or lowers to a seated position and while in a seated position for any period of time. The adjustable features help fine-tune the skeletal joints to the proper positioning.
Q: Does the Ascender Seating System have credibility as a medical device?
A: The technical expertise and criteria for this unique patented medical seating system was provided by the Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, the nation's only teaching hospital (Harvard Medical School) devoted to the treatment of Arthritis and Rheumatism. At the Brigham the Ascender underwent extensive clinical testing for over three years and its benefits have been proven in a published scientific study. In addition, there have been many published studies that support the importance of high seating as opposed to using standard height (19 inches or less) chairs.
Q: How does the Ascender Seating System help people with arthritis?
A: It conforms to the seven seating requirements set forth in the Arthritis Foundation's "Guide to Independent Living For People With Arthritis". The design of the Ascender allows for safe and easy entry and exit and helps maintain proper body position while seated. The hip, knee and back are protected from excessive stress when rising.
Q: Is the Ascender safe for people with a balance problem or weakness in the lower extremities?
A: Yes: the unique stable A-frame design features E-Z Grip armrests that extend beyond the seat providing added safety while entering and exiting the chair thus allowing one to transfer easily to crutches, cane, walker, etc.
Q: Is the Ascender available for home use after one is discharged from the hospital?
A: Although the Ascender Seating System was designed initially for use in hospitals and rehabilitation centers, it is now prescribed for the home thereby continuing rehabilitation by providing proper skeletal alignment and is available through our network of home health care dealers.
Q: How does it help the caregiver?
A: In health care facilities as well as in the home, statistics reveal that many of the caregivers suffer from back injuries caused by lifting patients. The design characteristics of the Ascender helps protect the back by reducing the amount of lifting.
Q: Is the Ascender good for people with back problems?
A: Yes. Many spinal units in hospitals are using the Ascender for the postoperative management of spinal fusion and other surgical procedures. They also prescribe the Ascender for home use.
Q: What is the difference between the Ascender Seating System and any other hip chair?
A: The hip chair is usually a generic term for a high seated stool that does not provide the features, benefits, and safety that a patient enjoys when using the Ascender Seating System.
Q: Why not use a fully upholstered recliner?
A: A fully upholstered chair might look good and appear more comfortable but it usually does not provide proper skeletal alignment. The Ascender Seating System's adjustable features allow most individuals to custom fit for their correct seating position.
Q: Does the Ascender require any electrical power or artificial means to assist patients?
A: No. The Ascender Seating System is Low-Tech, easy to use and simple to maintain. Patients always use their own muscle power during transfer activities, thereby helping to prevent muscle atrophy.
Q: What are the two most common forms of work-related injury?
A: The two most common forms of work-related injury are back pain and carpal tunnel syndrome. Injuries related to back pain are significantly reduced for healthcare providers through the use of the Ascender Seating System by eliminating the incidence of lifting patients from low positions.
Q: What disorder comprises the largest category of ADA complaints filed with the U.S. Equal Opportunities Commission?
A: Back disorders comprises the largest category of ADA complaints filed with the US Equal Opportunities Commission. The number of claims could be reduced through the use of the Ascender Seating System.
Q: What condition accounts for the most visits to a doctor?
A: More people see doctors for back pain than for anything else including the common cold. Back pain is aggravated by sitting in low chairs. The Ascender Seating Systems can mitigate the severity of back pain in many situations.
Q: What professions have the highest incidents of back ailments?
A: Workers in heavy industry and healthcare professionals such as nurses and physical therapist have the highest incidents of back ailments. The Ascender Seating System is specifically designed to help reduce the incidence of these types of injuries.
Q: Must private employers accommodate workers with back pain?
A: The ADA mandates that private employers having 15 or more workers must provide reasonable accommodations for all people with disabilities - including those with back pain. Use of the Ascender Seating System sends a strong signal that the facility is addressing this problem.
Q: Can workers with ADA claims resulting from back pain sue employers for economic damages and emotional pain and suffering?
A: Yes!!!
Q: What can a private employer do to protect against lawsuits resulting from worker back pain?
A: Provide ergonomic chairs or other equipment that cuts down on the need for lifting and potential back strain.
Q: Are there products that are specifically designed to assist the caregiver in lifting and transferring patients from seated positions?
A: Yes. Look for the Ascender Seating Solution.
|