Wheelchair/airport question

[MarieS]

My oldest son has a limit on the time he can spend sitting in his wheelchair before needing to lay down. ( Very low tone and just cannot keep himself upright even with harness/tray, etc --used first aid stations at wdw frequently) I would like to have him out of his chair at the airport to rest before the 2 1/2 hour flight. Would it look bad to bring a sheet and lay him down( he's 14) in a corner of the waiting room?
Any other suggestions?
Also, I plan to use diaper doublers but what if he needs to be changed before we get to the resort? Do airports have companion restrooms with benches? How could I find out?
Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[SueM in MN]

Will he be uncomfortable on the hard floors? I would be more concerned with the hardness of the floor than anything else. Could you bring a yoga mat or something like that? At least it would add a little cushioning. I don't think I would be concerned about how it would look; if the seats are full, you will see people sitting on floors.
I don't know if this would work for you, but when DD has a seizure, we often put up the anti-tip bars on her wheelchair so that we can lean her wheelchair back. I sit on a bench and have the wheelchair back in my lap, supporting DD. She has a head rest; I don't know how it would work without a head rest.

The companion restrooms I have been in at the Orlando airport don't have any benches in them. They appear to be all the same, with a sink and a toilet.

 

[dclfun]

I recently got a harness and head strap to add to my wheelchair ( I look like I'm ready for lift-off!) but would agree that they don't make up for being able to recline. I have a chair that both tilts and reclines so that it lays absolutely flat. It also elevates 8" which is great for viewing but I just realized too that it would be good for a caregiver not to have to bend over. I know this is off the subject...but could you get a chair for your son that would have this feature? You might already have one and it's still not "enough" but I would hope he could be prescribed a chair that would keep him comfortable. Other than that I wouldn't worry about laying him on the floor as long as it's clean and out of the way so he won't be trampled. Perhaps someone else will know about companion restrooms or first aid at the airport- I don't have any knowledge or experience there. ---Kathy

 

[ducklite]

In some of the airport waiting areas there really isn't enough space to lay a 14 year old down without them possibly being tripped over. YOu might ahve to go a few gates over to find a suitable area, and if there's any type of weather or other issue causing backups in the system, the airport could be crowded enough that there really wo'nt be any place to lay him down.

I'd try to take the earliest AM flights possible (I"m talking like 6:00am) for the least amount of people.

Anne

 

[MarieS]

Thanks for all the suggestions. He does have a tilt in space wheelchair, but he hates to be tilted back. He gets upset and struggles to lift his head. I have had many discussions about this with our PT and DME provider. My understanding is that most kids with this problem use the tilt feature. Our other option is a body jacket. We have tried a variety of harnesses and shoulder retractors, but nothing has worked well.
Sue--I like the yoga mat idea and think I will bring that.

Kathy--I don't think I have seen a chair like you describe, but will look into it.

Anne--I agree that an earlier flight is our best bet. And flying out of Chicago the first week of December I'll need to keep fingers crossed for good weather.

Marie

 

[pugdog]

The compaionan restrooms in the main terminal at MCo has a toddler size table but the floor space might be big enough but it is tile.

 

[boosmom96]

Marie,
We are in the process of getting DD (9) her first powerchair. I'm looking at a Permobile & Invica Tiger (midwheel vs rearwheel drive). Both of these can be equiped with a full recline (different than tilt in space) and the raising capabilitydclfun is talking about. The recline is a particularly impressive feature to me, it will allow me to change DD in her chair instead of putting her on the floor to do it. DD also gets really tired of sitting up, but I've never needed to get her out of her chair like you describe. Good luck figuring this out!

 

[dclfun]

I have a Permobile C-500 ( there are different models for children) adult narrow model. I love this chair. I also have the added on lateral and lateral thigh supports and a Roho cushion. I'm thinking your son might also need the recline feature as well as the tilt. If he can be placed a little "on his side" in the chair then also it won't initiate the reflex that causes him to try and right himself when tilted back, even if you can just position his head a bit to the side. Perhaps a medical vendor could let you try out different chairs and features or if your PT goes to wheelchair clinic there might be vendors there with chairs to try. I used to be an OT ( well, I still am...just not practicing) and often children in the body molds, etc. would have trouble with pressure points plus they don't allow for much change in position. ---Kathy

 

[MarieS]

Amy and Kathy--
Thanks for your input. I made a note of the make/models and will ask out Pt about them.
When my son got his last chair, his trunk/stamina wasn't this bad. But it's progessively getting worse as he gets older.
We couldn't have managed the MAW trip without using the first aid stations. Though he hated to spend time resting when he could be out in the thick of things! LOL