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3.6. What to Expect at Your Evaluation and Assessment: Your Clinician or Therapist's Role

What to Expect at Your Evaluation: Your Clinician or Therapist's Role

A woman lays on a soft mat while a clinician guides her arm up and over her head as a part of her wheelchair evaluation and assessment.

At the evaluation the therapist should do the following:

Ask you many questions to help you select the appropriate wheelchair. Examples include:

  • What is your current diagnosis?
  • What are the reasons you need a wheelchair?
  • What do like about your current wheelchair?
  • What do you not like about your current wheelchair?
  • What are your current activities, interests, home environment and the transportation you plan to use?

Review your medical history

  •  They will read and discuss your medical records

Measure you for your chair

  • They will measure your arms, legs, trunk, feet, etc. You want the chair to fit you well and be comfortable.

Conduct a "mat" evaluation

  • Mat evaluations usually take place on a big mat table where you have room to sit and lie down.
  • During this phase of the assessment the clinician will look at how different parts of your body move, identify joint limitations, and try to ensure that the wheelchair is fitted to you correctly and comfortably.
  • The therapist will ask if you have any pain and where.

Discuss equipment options

  • Clinicians and suppliers will share with you various types of equipment (wheelchairs (power or manual), cushions, seatbacks, legrests, wheels) so, as a team, you can choose which type works best for you.

 

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