Local inventors' wheelchair glider created to help dementia patients
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Steve Edwards
Earl Bahr, a resident at Sweet Nursing Home, uses a Wheelchair Glider at the facility. The device allows a wheelchair bound patient to roll onto a platform and rock themselves while still in a wheelchair. Local pharmacist Kelcey Diemert and a high school classmate, designed and patented the device as a way to allow wheelchair bound patients to add movement to their lives and reduce their stress and anxiety levels.
A chance comment by a customer to a local merchant eventually resulted in a patented product now being used at Sweet Nursing Home in Chinook. Kelcey Diemert, a local pharmacist, said, "About 17 years ago Russell Benson came into the pharmacy and said, "I was just visiting some of my buddies at the nursing home. They were all rocking away in their wheelchairs but weren't going any place. You should invent a wheelchair that rocks."
Diemert shared the idea with John Iverson, a classmate when the two attended high school in Chester. Describing Iverson as 'very mechanical,' Diemert said, "John was, and still is, an industrial arts teacher in Oregon. John's wife, Lisa Mikulecky-Iverson, from Rudyard, MT, is also a teacher in Oregon. John and Lisa became very interested in the idea and began tinkering with various designs." In 2002 the first prototype was produced and in August, 2003 the idea was patented. Diemert pulled a suitcase sized brief case to show me all the paperwork that was generated while designing and eventually patenting the idea. He described the patenting process as, "interesting and expensive."
Accommodating the Biology of Rocking in a rocking wheelchair
When a person 'rocks' it can be a sign of several types of problems. For dementia patients, who are often in a care facility and confined to a wheelchair, rocking occurs when the person is feeling anxious or stressed. Rocking can also be a means of alleviating joint or bone pain. Medical researchers have known for some time that rocking stimulates the part of the brain that manages pain and stress by triggering endorphins, the 'feel-good chemical.'
Diemert explained, "Current treatments of older patients, especially with dementia, focus on alternatives to medication. The idea of an otherwise immobile person being able to rock had some appeal based on what I knew about dementia patients and the stress they experienced." The idea of providing a means to maintain or improve joint stability, to wheelchair bound patients, was also a consideration.
There were other concerns as the pair of inventors considered a final design. To minimize tripping hazards and storage considerations, the device had to be fairly easy to move and secure. A major concern was to design something that didn't require transferring a patient from a wheelchair to another machine. Diemert said, "Transfers hold the potential for a fall. We wanted a design where a wheelchair bound patient could roll on and off the rocker. Ideally the access to the rocker could be done by the patient alone." And, the range of motion had to be fairly restricted so a patient wouldn't be exposed to extreme movements and be injured.
John Iverson eventually came up with the idea of making a glider-type rocker. The design involved a platform onto which the wheelchair could be rolled. Once on the platform the wheelchair is secured by locking the chair wheels and an added belt secures the chair to the platform. Two detachable handles, much like poles used by snow skiers, attach to the platform so the user can 'rock' themselves using their arms. The website describing the 'wheelchair glider' notes the platform is sensitive enough a patient can rock themselves simply by moving their body or head back and forth. The handles, if used, help with maintaining upper body strength and flexibility.
John and Lisa Iverson, with encouragement from Kelcey and Nancy Diemert, donated a completed wheelchair glider to the Sweet Nursing Home (SMNH). The day I went to see the machine in action, one of the aides said, "Let me get Earl Bahr, he loves the glider." The caregiver rolled Bahr onto the glider, set the brakes and safety catch and Earl began rocking. One employee said, "He sometimes sings when he is rocking. It's a great way for him to exercise and rock."
Jenni Pula, SMNH Administrator, said the glider is a great help for dementia patients who have the need to rock but can't do it without some help. She added, "Not everyone will benefit from the rocker, but it helps those who have the specific need." Asked if a patient could access and use the machine on their own, she said, "Because we are dealing with dementia patients when we use the glider, we'll always have someone in the area to keep watch, for safety reasons."
The Wheelchair Glider business and the future
Kelcey Diemert said, "Even though I'm a big proponent of the wheelchair glider, John and Lisa Iverson make and market them. I'm not involved in the business of making and selling the gliders." Diemert said he thinks about 100 of the devices have been made and sold to date. Iverson makes the wheelchair gliders in his own shop at home.
The company has a website that shows the three models available-regular adult, youth and bariatric (for obese patients). Interestingly, each machine is custom made because of the varying widths of wheelchairs and weight of intended user. For a fee a glider can be powder coated to a desired color, the standard models are white. A typical wheelchair glider sells for $1299 with an additional $200 for shipping. The bariatric models, made larger and sturdier, are more expensive.
You can learn more about the Wheelchair Glider Company, the different products they sell and other benefits of the gliders by going to the company's website at wheelchairglider.com or by calling John and Lisa at 503-428-8564.
