Swivel disks: Is there a stable, low-profile swivel disk to help my mother when pivoting?

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Is there a stable, low-profile swivel disk to help my mother when pivoting?

Question

My mother is 89 and has some paralysis in her right leg. She has great difficulty transferring when she needs to pivot between her wheelchair to her lift chair, bed and back again. Is there a low profile disc that she could use to pivot that also has a high level of stability?

Our answer

When purchasing mobility equipment such as this, a consultation with a regulated health professional, such as an occupational therapist (OT) or physiotherapist (PT), is recommended to ensure that the device is appropriate and safe for you and your environment.

There are several products designed to ease transferring by allowing the person to rotate in place on a soft disk. These products are often used in car seating, and kitchen chairs. Many of them are lightweight and portable for use outside the home.

There are a some products you may wish to explore:

  • Padded Swivel Seat Cushion by Drive Medical (at waltonmedical.com) is a lightweight padded swivel seat. This costs about $40 (CDN).
  • Round Seat Cushion by TMISHION (at Amazon Canada) is a five centimePadded Swivel Seat Cushion, by Drive Medicalr high swivel seat that features a machine washable cover. This product costs about $70 (CDN).
  • Auto Swivel Cushion Seat by Stander (at Amazon Canada) is an ultra low-profile swivel cushion, at just half an inch high. Unfortunately, it is not as sturdy or stable as the previous two products. This product costs about $70 (CDN).

You might also be interested in some previous questions we answered related to transferring:

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