Hi all, I have come here w/questions many times, and now the NH my father is in, is suggesting a Broda Chair for him due to his falling. They feel this will keep him more secure and less likely to want to get up and walk and less likely to fall and injure himself.

I have done some research. I still have mixed issues--basically concerning Dads emotional stand w/this. He does not believe he falls and wants to get up and walk to and from dinner, to and from events. We can convince him to take a wheel chair for longer walks but if he feels he is being confined with out his concent he gets very aggitated {actually quite aggressive} We wnt through this just after the new Year and since we moved him to the new area, his emotional issues have been so much better.

My brother and I have taken the stand, that Dad will prob die from a fall and some sort of head injury---our feelings for this are very basic, we want him to be emotionally comfortable - and have a good quality of life, rather than just a life confined {which if some one is comfortable in a wheel chair is totally dif, but dad gets really up set when one is suggested for the long term}.

So I guess, besides being long winded, my questions are - have any of you ever used or considered a Broda chair as an option? if so, How is it working? If not but considered it-what were your reasons for not going w/it.--------and etc etc---------would appreciate any input thanks
DCB



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/27/2007 02:38PM by dcb.

Deb, i'm sorry i dont have any answers for you on this, i don't know about broda chairs, i sure hope others have some input for you about broda chairs. But it does sound like the chair would be rather restraining from what you said in your post, and that your dad wouldnt like it. I guess like you said, you and your brother would like your dad to be happy and comfortable. Must be so hard, he enjoys getting up and walking around so much.
PS What i read once about broda chairs, is they are great for chorea, because they make you kind of sink into the chair, so if someone has bad chorea, and is sliding out of regular chairs cus of the movement, this will help keep them in. But in your dads case, they are wanting to use it, not for chorea, but as a restraint, but i dont know, are they allowed to use restraining measures in nursing homes? I dont think so?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/27/2007 09:08PM by Barb.

thanks barb, for both posting here and commenting on my blog-and you sort of took the thoughts out of my head--I think they are considering it a restraining device--rather than a tool to assist him,

I do know my father well, and am also for in certian circumstances using some sort of restraining intruments--but I do not want to see them use this as a 24/7 and for that matter a 12/7 restraining tool. This home costs easily 4x the normal NH in this area--granted it is very nice, the residents seem very well cared for and interacted with, and yep the food is better than any NH I have been in prior {have had lunch w/dad a few times} but where I am going here is- he pays alot of money to be there--the money is not coming from medicare or medicade its coming directly from his personal accounts--and he better be getting above and beyond {4x at least} the kind of care he would be getting elsewhere {not that I can move him any hoot, cuz he would get really agitated! --and really not that I would want to any way-cuz they are a wonderful facility-I just need some info to mve forward}

thanks-dcb

Exactly my thoughts Deb. From what i know, a broda chair is designed to help a person with bad chorea to be able to sit, it's not meant to be used for other purposes, other than bad chorea as far as i know, so to use it as simply a restraining device, doesnt sound too good i dont think.

Hmmmm not to be a pain here. But just because you resigned yourself to his dieing from a fall doesn't mean the NH should. Most people would find a NH neglectful to let that happen. You wouldn't want them to allow him to choke... you wouldn't have them ignore flu so it may turn into pneumonia. They can't turn a blind eye to his falling either. I don't care how much he pays or who pays for it, they have the liability for his safety. He pays for them to watch out for him. It is a care facility with a staff of caregivers...not a hotel with a doormat staff who does whatever you tell them to do.

You have to deal with the NH reasonably...and no, he may not like something. But they can not have a staff member with him 24/7 and they can't keep letting him fall. Maybe "X" amount of time in the chair..."X" amount free time with a helmet and some time with a staff member in tow per day.

Oh yes one more thing about falls. Don't be so certain that a fall will kill him. That's not really all that common. What is common is a broken hip, tail bone, or pelvis which may result in his being bedridden for the rest of his life. Much more likely and no room to negotiate his mobility issues then. Keep that in mind as well.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/27/2007 11:35PM by Eric.

Hi dcb.
I am looking back through all the posts from over the years for some information & while doing so I have just come accross a thread on broda chairs.
It's on page 63, titled huntington's wheelchairs/restraints.
I havn't read all of the posts on it...only the first one. I don't know if it will be of any use to you, but maybe you'd like to take a look & see?
Myrna

Thanks Myrna, I searched the threads and came up empty, I prob did something wrong.

And Eric, I am not a Cold hearted person who wants him to die a horrible death from falling-you have chatted w/me enough times to know that all I need or want for my dad is the best possible care. I do not expect nor feel that the staff needs to watch over him 24/7-I just have witnessed issues on the 1st wing that dad was in that leads me to believe that they are considering it a restraining device and plan to keep him in it constantly. And I have NEVER nor do I plan to ever tell the NH how to run their home, and I do not consider it a Hotel---I consider my fathers home and he should have some freedom in his home---

Eric all I am asking is some information regarding Broda Chairs, so I can make a educated descision and speak w/ the slightest bit of knowledge when I do talk to the NH staff regarding the issue-----if it is planning to be used as a tool to free them up more---as I also said in the sme post, I am all for restraint type measures from time to time--

Also Sorry Eric, I do beleive I spoke to freely in my reply to Barbs post to my original question--she does know that I am frustrated over this issue basically cuz I do not know a thing about the Broda Chair, whether it be good or bad {all I want is some 1st hand input on the Chair}, and I do not wish my dad to hurt himself in any way, I was just venting some in my reply to her that should have been left to a PM rather than here.

Myrna, I want to thank you again!!!I wnt to page 63 and found a couple dif view points which both are giving me things to ponder---thanks for going the extra step and searching further for me, I really appreciate it !!!!!!!!!!
Deb

Your welcome Deb. I hope you find what you are looking for.

I wasn't implying you were cold hearted or anything of the sort. It did sound like you you had a point of view that was completely set in one direction which is to have him be a free and independent thinker which if he could make the best choices for himself he should be allowed to. Teresa is in about the same boat right now to be honest. It wouldn't surprise me if the NH will be approaching me with the same concerns. I, like you, know she may bop herself on the head from a fall as well. She falls quite a bit. It's getting quite scary to watch her walk. I am amazed she stays upright at all. Broda chairs are pretty comfy...just hard to get out of. It is sad when some independence has to go... but it does have to go sometimes. I was pointing out that the cost of the facility doesn't matter. Sometimes there is is not 4 times more care to be given even if the place costs 4 times as much. If he was in a regular wheel chair full time but kept falling out of it they can't strap him in to keep him upright in it either. State rules... but they can and should place him in a chair he wouldn't fall out of. It's just a duty they have. Anyway it was just an alternate perspective to the one you gave. Take it or leave it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/28/2007 05:54PM by Eric.

Again Eric, your statement that "Broda chairs are perfectly comfy but hard to get out of" was all I was looking for in my original post --just some Broda Chair info.

I know the state rules, and I also fully understand the position of the NH---and as stated prior, I got to comfortable replying to Barbs message, forgetting as I was typing that I was not talking just to talk but posting to the forum--I have other very small underlying issues w/the NH due to the 1st wing he was in that make me very leary of any major decision they try to make for him--they felt at that point that he was more a bother to them rather than a patient / resident w/them. So yes, them deciding that physical therapy wasnt helping and wanting to restrain him, being the next major decisions that arises I have some issues that again should have been maybe mentioned in a pm or just chatting.

And again, my only question I have w/this thread is someone please give me some 1st hand info on the chair--does your phd feel comfortable, are there any problems w/it, is it mainly for corea issues or is it used to stop the phd from getting up and walking? etc etc

Deb

I don't have any personal experience with Broda chairs but they always have a booth at the Huntington's Disease Society of America's annual conference so I'm assuming that they are popular with the HD community.

Just an assumption.
Steve I

The caregivers portal on this web site discusses the use of Broda Chairs

[www.hdac.org]

Marg

Is the nh paying for the Broda chair or your Dad? I also do not know much about them, but from what I understand they are very expensivea people usually have to fight with the NH to get the chairs. Maybe if you saw one and sat in one you would be better able to decide? Good luck in your decision making, Pat

I hope I do not sound stupid here, but my experience is that you will need to somehow see a Broda chair for yourself and assess whether it will meet your needs and whether your family member accepts it. The reason I say this is that I have been looking at lift devices for my wife. I went to a person's house, who had a lift. He was very pleased with it, but I did not care much for it. I asked him to strap me in the lift, as if I was the patient, and transport me.

I have a Broda-type chair (not Broda brand). I cannot find the literature at the moment. Nevertheless, my wife loves it, mainly how it fits her and supports her back. Yet, when I sit in it, I do not find it that comfortable.

I find it difficult to find stores/dealers where you can go and see these things. Maybe a dealer will bring you one to test.

Has anyone experienced what I wrote above?

Thanks marg for the caregivers info--I tend to forget to look in those areas--still beleive it or not finding it hard to my self in the "caregivers" shoes? dont know why--but I did read and print off the info/

Pat, dad will be paying for the chair if we decide to that way, I agree w/you and Dave I should look for a company that will let me take a look at one or 2 and maybe "test drive" for my self then "test drive" w/dad.

so I will be busy calling around this week to see if I can find one-

thanks guys
Deb

We have one for my daughter. It is somewhat difficult to get in and out of. It did help her chorea. I called the company in Canada and they had the dealership in our area call me and they brought it out and left it with us for a couple of weeks to see if we liked it. At that point she liked it and used it for about a year but then decided she didn't like it any more. Hopefully it is a phase and she will start to use it again when this mood passes.

Here is another option for a wheelchair which I find more appealing than the broda chair because it transports, but also provides a standing posture, which is how most people spend their lives out of the car.[www.thestandingcompany.com]
Dusty

That wheel chair is so helpful for anyone , even caregivers . . db Oh my , too cute ; on that web sight Dusty put up , I clicked on the contact information heading . The page came up , a true hunter , aiming a rifle standing up in his wheel chair . He has got to be related to my husbands side of the family .



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/07/2007 04:36PM by db.

dusty thanks so much, I made a quick look at the web site just now, and plan to look at it more tonight after the kids go to bed, looks quite promising thus far