- Email: [email protected]
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Your questions answered
444
Wheelchair Users and Postural Seating A clinical approach
When a wheelchair seat is too high, it may be difficult to reach the propelling wheels, and knees may not fit under tables
Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh 1998 (ISBN 0 443 05472 X). Illus. 318 pages by Rosalind Ham MSc FCSP CertEd, Patsy Aldersea DipCoT and David Porter BSc MSc MIPEM £29.50 Written by three experts in the field, this book takes a strictly clinical approach as the title states. Written for therapists coming new to wheelchairs and seating, it provides basic information on assessment and provision underpinned by three excellant chapters on posture, biomechanics and pressure care. It does not assume any great degree of prior knowledge and, as such, is a useful starting point for clinicians new to this field and students. It sets wheelchair and seating provisions into their historical perspectives and briefly considers the wider issues of transport and environmental access. The emphasis is on individual assessment rather than different models of wheelchairs and although this is understandable given the rapidly moving commercial scene, a synopsis of wheelchair type and classification would have been helpful as this information is otherwise dispersed throughout the book. The authors recommend the use of the biopsychosocial model when working with wheelchair users but although some regard is given to users’ lifestyle the approach is strongly impairment based. Chapters on specific user groups including elderly people, children and people with learnng difficulties are found in section 2 along with chapters covering users with neurological and musculoskeletal conditions. These chapters list conditions in alphabetical order enabling readers to find them quickly, but although each section contains substantial information about the clinical features, symptom classification and general medical and therapy intervention, there is often little space afforded to posture and mobility needs. The style of layout means that information is scattered. For example, details about safety issues for people with epilepsy using electric wheelchairs do not appear in the section about people
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Your questions answered Erskine Press, The Old Bakery, Banham, Norwich NR16 2HW 1998, 2nd edn. 16 pages by John Campling and Frankie Campling 50p plus 19p SAE This guide for newly diagnosed patients, their families and friends, provides information about CFS (also entitled post-viral fatigue and ME) and advice on how to cope with the condition. It is endorsed by Professor Sir Leslie Turnberg, past president of the Royal College of Physicians. Physiotherapy August 1999/vol 85/no 8
with epilepsy but are briefly mentioned in the chapter on electric wheelchairs. Despite the impairment-based approach there are some useful practical and quality-of-life insights. For example, therapists are reminded to consider orthotic management and school transport in their wheelchair assessment of children and the chapter on elderly users contains a useful discussion about user, family and carer needs. A chapter on the biopsychosocial aspects of disability contains some helpful advice on working with newly disabled people and their families, although little attention is given to obtaining and implementing the often strong views of experienced wheelchair users. Although this book will be a useful introduction to new therapy staff in a wheelchair service and other therapists who are infrequent assessors, it offers little specialist information to experienced therapists or those needing more detailed information in areas such as high performance wheelchairs or specialist wheelchair controls. Sue Barnard MSc MCSP
The answers to most of the questions only emphasise the difficulties of identifying the cause, diagnosing and treating the disease -- which may in itself be reassuring to an unhappy and bewildered patient. The longest answer, on what can be done about it, is equally hit or miss - but recommends a number of strategies which would be sensible whatever the patient was suffering from -- relaxation, exercise, sleep, and a watch on diet can hardly be wrong. Perhaps the book’s approach is best summed up in the wary answer on complementary therapies: ‘Anything that helps is a help.’ This would be a good booklet to recommend to patients who are frustrated by their lack of progress and want to make sure that they and their advisers are doing everything possible.
Wheelchair Users and Postural Seating A clinical approach
When a wheelchair seat is too high, it may be difficult to reach the propelling wheels, and knees may not fit under tables
Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh 1998 (ISBN 0 443 05472 X). Illus. 318 pages by Rosalind Ham MSc FCSP CertEd, Patsy Aldersea DipCoT and David Porter BSc MSc MIPEM £29.50 Written by three experts in the field, this book takes a strictly clinical approach as the title states. Written for therapists coming new to wheelchairs and seating, it provides basic information on assessment and provision underpinned by three excellant chapters on posture, biomechanics and pressure care. It does not assume any great degree of prior knowledge and, as such, is a useful starting point for clinicians new to this field and students. It sets wheelchair and seating provisions into their historical perspectives and briefly considers the wider issues of transport and environmental access. The emphasis is on individual assessment rather than different models of wheelchairs and although this is understandable given the rapidly moving commercial scene, a synopsis of wheelchair type and classification would have been helpful as this information is otherwise dispersed throughout the book. The authors recommend the use of the biopsychosocial model when working with wheelchair users but although some regard is given to users’ lifestyle the approach is strongly impairment based. Chapters on specific user groups including elderly people, children and people with learnng difficulties are found in section 2 along with chapters covering users with neurological and musculoskeletal conditions. These chapters list conditions in alphabetical order enabling readers to find them quickly, but although each section contains substantial information about the clinical features, symptom classification and general medical and therapy intervention, there is often little space afforded to posture and mobility needs. The style of layout means that information is scattered. For example, details about safety issues for people with epilepsy using electric wheelchairs do not appear in the section about people
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Your questions answered Erskine Press, The Old Bakery, Banham, Norwich NR16 2HW 1998, 2nd edn. 16 pages by John Campling and Frankie Campling 50p plus 19p SAE This guide for newly diagnosed patients, their families and friends, provides information about CFS (also entitled post-viral fatigue and ME) and advice on how to cope with the condition. It is endorsed by Professor Sir Leslie Turnberg, past president of the Royal College of Physicians. Physiotherapy August 1999/vol 85/no 8
with epilepsy but are briefly mentioned in the chapter on electric wheelchairs. Despite the impairment-based approach there are some useful practical and quality-of-life insights. For example, therapists are reminded to consider orthotic management and school transport in their wheelchair assessment of children and the chapter on elderly users contains a useful discussion about user, family and carer needs. A chapter on the biopsychosocial aspects of disability contains some helpful advice on working with newly disabled people and their families, although little attention is given to obtaining and implementing the often strong views of experienced wheelchair users. Although this book will be a useful introduction to new therapy staff in a wheelchair service and other therapists who are infrequent assessors, it offers little specialist information to experienced therapists or those needing more detailed information in areas such as high performance wheelchairs or specialist wheelchair controls. Sue Barnard MSc MCSP
The answers to most of the questions only emphasise the difficulties of identifying the cause, diagnosing and treating the disease -- which may in itself be reassuring to an unhappy and bewildered patient. The longest answer, on what can be done about it, is equally hit or miss - but recommends a number of strategies which would be sensible whatever the patient was suffering from -- relaxation, exercise, sleep, and a watch on diet can hardly be wrong. Perhaps the book’s approach is best summed up in the wary answer on complementary therapies: ‘Anything that helps is a help.’ This would be a good booklet to recommend to patients who are frustrated by their lack of progress and want to make sure that they and their advisers are doing everything possible.