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Wheelchair Skills Training for People with ARSACS and DM1
Sponsor: Laval University
Summary
Wheelchairs (WC) are often provided to people with ARSACS and MD1 when they are not able to walk anymore. However, giving someone a MWC alone does not guarantee they will use it safely or properly. Many people who use WC need help from others to get around and they can not always do the things they like to do. This can lead to isolation, stress, and reduced quality of life. In addition, poor use of a MWC could lead to accidents and injuries. Our team recently showed that people with ARSACS have lower MWC skills than other adults who use MWC, and that teaching MWC skills to people with ARSACS seems to work. Now we are ready to test the program with more people with ARSACS and MD1 to see how it can improve MWC mobility and confidence. We also want to hear about people's expectations and experiences with MWC training. People who take part in research will answer questions before and after WC training, and we will follow up with them 3 months later to ask again about their WC use. This projects directly adresses the mobility needs of people with ARSACS and MD1 who use MWC. Our results may improve how therapists provide training for MWC use, which may improve mobility, participation, and quality of life for people with ARSACS and MD1. Learning just one MWC skill could be life-changing. It could mean the difference between leaving the house or not, which could impact the ability to shop for groceries, see friends, or to have a job.
Official title: Efficacy of Wheelchair Skills Training to Improve Mobility for People with ARSACS and DM1
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
18 Years - Any
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
20
Start Date
2024-09-15
Completion Date
2026-04-30
Last Updated
2024-09-19
Healthy Volunteers
Yes
Interventions
Wheelchair Skills Training Program
Participants will receive 5, 45-minute weekly WC skills training sessions that will take place in the community, in and around the participants home. Each session will be customized to the participant's' goals and based on the learner's impairments (i.e., weakness, spasticity, movement disorders \[e.g. ataxia, tremor\], contractures, cognition). The WSTP sessions will begin with a 5-minute review of goals/progress, followed by a 10-minute warm-up (wheeling activities, random practice of previously leaned skills); 20 minutes of attempting new skills (training on each skill will be carried to next session until the skills are learned or until the trainer and participant mutually agree that training should be abandoned; the trainer will periodically ask the participant to practice newly learned skills to incorporate variability of practice); 10 minute cool-down, during which the participant will practice skills in a self-controlled environment.
Locations (1)
Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration
Québec, Quebec, Canada