Tek RMD Accessories - The Transfer Seat
The Tek RMD product allows persons with lower limb paralysis or weakness to stand and move around in their environment. Designed by Matia Mobility, the product has evolved in design from the origianl version that required quite good arm and grip strength to use it; it was ideal for paraplegic users but often those following a stroke, cerebral palsy or MS for example, could not use it. With the introduction of the electric lifter many more people can operate the product safely and effectively.
Along with the electric lifter version, there are now two major accessories for the Tek RMD. These are the Transfer Seat and the Outdoor Wheels Kit. In this article we review the Transfer Seat.
Transferring to the Tek RMD meant that the user needed to get on the product from the back. This was not always possible with some wheelchair designs. The Transfer Seat allows a user to approach the Tek RMD more from the side - sometimes hopping across or sometimes with the aid of a transfer board.
Matia Mobility created a short video that shows how users work with this accessory. You can watch the video or read the transcript below.
Video Transcript
All right, so if this device did not have the seat, I would just board it from the back as usual.
This is how to get in and out of the Tek RMD with the fold away transfer seat.
So essentially what I'm gonna do, is pull it up and just let it fold down and there's the seat ready to go. I will set the cushion on the seat - that's the first step.
One thing to keep an eye on is the angle you're gonna use to get into it. There is gonna be a little bit of a gap here some people will use a transfer board or if they're comfortable just bridging that gap on their own, they can do that as well. So I'll use the transfer board to show essentially what I'm gonna do is just get in - I can slide myself over and bring my legs into the foot support.[00:01:00]
I can use the device up here to hold on if I need to. And once I'm on that seat, then I'm just gonna pull the transfer board out. I've got the cushion underneath me, so at that point I can bring the device back to me. And actually get into it. So I'm just gonna bring this all the way back where it's nice and snug.
And then I'm gonna loosen the belt straps on each side the same way you would if you were getting in it from the back.
Send those through the holes.
I'm gonna tighten those up just the same as I always would. So the point is starting to lift me up off the seat and then I'm gonna do the [00:02:00] additional back support again. Some people will use this, some people will not. So it just depends on your preference. But once I'm in, my belts are nice and tight, I start to stand up and instead of having that seat, In the way as I start to stand up, I can hold it up and it'll slide outta the way.
So as I navigate in the device, see it's not sticking up behind. It's tucked away outta the way. So then when I'm ready to lower myself back down, either to get out or to get in more of a sitting position, as I bring the device back down, I can reach up and pull that seat back down and then lower myself right onto the seat.
And then again, if I want to get out of the device completely, a lot of it's the same as you [00:03:00] would any other, loosen those belt straps on each side.
Get those through and I'll just tighten them up so they're not swinging.
Same thing on this side
I showed you using the transfer board. The other thing that I've seen some folks do is actually kind of use the device to help prop them up to scoot over until they're back in their chair.
And that can be done from a wheelchair, from a kitchen chair, couch any of the same type of things that you would normally board from. But instead of boarding it directly from the back, you'll be doing a side transfer onto the seat. And [00:04:00] again, that seat folds away just by lifting up.
And it'll slide down, tuck behind your calves, and then when you want it back, just lift up and let it slide down.
The Transfer Seat in the Wild
Whilst the Tranfer Seat was designed to facilitate transfers on and off the Tek RMD we see that clients can make use of the accessory in other ways.
In the Kitchen
This client with a spinal cord injury sat down upon the transfer seat knowing that the cushion would provide some pressure protection whilst unloading the dishwasher. He felt safe to do this and would certainly be Ok for a few minutes despite insensitive tissues.
A useful aspect of the Tek RMD is that providing the user has good core stability they can have “hands free” to interact with their environment. This client discovered that the Tek RMD Transfer Seat would hold his shopping securely whilst in the supermarket.
We might choose to tell clients how to use the accessory but they continue to suprise us with how imaginative they can be.