Complex Wheelchair Assessments on the Sunshine Coast
Home and Beyond Occupational Therapy provides complex wheelchair assessments on the Sunshine Coast, completed in the person’s home and relevant community environments. Assessments are for adults requiring a manual wheelchair, power wheelchair, power-assist device, mobility scooter or specialised seating solution.
Recommendations consider the person’s mobility, posture, pressure-care needs, everyday activities, environment, transport arrangements and anticipated future needs.
Sunshine Coast • North Brisbane • Gympie
At a glance
Manual wheelchairs, power wheelchairs, power-assist devices, mobility scooters and complex seating systems.
Home-based assessment and equipment trials.
Trial with your preferred equipment supplier.
AHPRA-registered occupational therapist with more than 20 years’ experience, including extensive experience in complex wheelchair seating.
Extensive experience in mobility equipment and complex wheelchair assessments
Home and Beyond Occupational Therapy provides assessments across the full range of mobility needs, from standard manual wheelchairs, power wheelchairs and mobility scooters through to highly configurable wheelchairs and complex seating systems.
Eliza is an AHPRA-registered occupational therapist and a member of Occupational Therapy Australia, with more than 20 years’ occupational therapy experience. She has extensive experience in wheelchair and seating assessment for adults with neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, motor neurone disease, and spinal cord injury.
Mobility and community access
Some people require mobility equipment because pain, fatigue, reduced endurance or significantly reduced mobility limits safe walking or community access. Assessment considers the person’s abilities, activities, environments, transport arrangements and safe use of the equipment.
Complex wheelchair seating
Other people have postural, pressure-care or physical support needs that cannot be adequately met by standard equipment. This may include reduced sitting balance, altered muscle tone, restricted joint movement, postural asymmetry or a history of pressure injury.
Detailed postural assessment where required
Where complex seating needs are identified, assessment may include a Mechanical Assessment Tool (MAT) evaluation. This detailed assessment helps determine how the person’s posture can be supported within the seating system. The findings inform recommendations for the wheelchair frame, cushion, back support, powered seating functions, positioning components and other individualised features.
When should mobility scooter or complex wheelchair assessments be considered?
A person requires their first wheelchair, power wheelchair or mobility scooter.
An existing wheelchair no longer fits or meets their needs
Mobility, posture or physical function has changed.
The existing equipment is uncomfortable, unsafe or difficult to use.
There are concerns about pain, fatigue, sitting tolerance or pressure care
The person cannot access important areas of their home or community.
Family members or support workers are having difficulty handling or transporting the equipment.
Existing equipment requires replacement, modification or review.
A funding body requires assessment, trials and clinical justification.
Why a comprehensive assessment matters
A wheelchair needs to do more than fit the person’s body measurements. It must support safe and effective mobility while also considering posture, comfort, pressure care, transfers, physical capacity, cognition, sensory function and the activities the person completes while using the equipment.
The assessment also considers where and how the wheelchair or mobility device will be used. This may include access within the home, outdoor and community environments, transport arrangements, assistance provided by family members or support workers, and the person’s ability to propel or operate the equipment safely.
By considering the person, their environment and their everyday activities together, the assessment can identify a mobility device and seating configuration that meets current needs and, where relevant, allows for anticipated changes over time.
What complex wheelchair assessments consider
Goals and everyday activities
How and where the equipment will be used, the activities the person needs to complete and the outcomes they want to achieve.
Mobility, transfers and physical capacity
Walking ability, transfers, balance, strength, coordination, fatigue, endurance and the assistance required from family members or support workers.
Upper limb function and equipment operation
Arm and hand strength, range of movement, pain, coordination, functional reach and the person’s ability to propel a manual wheelchair or operate powered controls safely and effectively.
Posture and seating
Sitting balance, postural alignment, joint movement, muscle tone, physical support and the fit of current seating equipment.
Pressure care
Sensation, skin integrity, previous pressure injuries, time spent sitting and the person’s ability to reposition or complete pressure-relieving movements.
Cognition, vision and hearing
Attention, memory, judgement, problem-solving, vision and hearing, and how these may affect safe equipment operation, awareness of hazards, navigation and community access.
Home, community and transport
Doorways, circulation space, surfaces, ramps, community terrain, storage, charging, vehicle access and transportation of the equipment.
Support needs and anticipated changes
Current support arrangements, equipment handling and maintenance, progression or fluctuation of the person’s condition, and whether the equipment can continue to meet their needs over its expected working life.
How the assessment process works
Initial assessment
The initial assessment is generally completed in the person’s home. It considers their mobility, physical abilities, posture, transfers, everyday activities, current equipment, environment, transport arrangements and support needs.
The depth of assessment is tailored to the person’s presentation. Where complex postural or seating needs are identified, this may include a Mechanical Assessment Tool (MAT) evaluation.
Medical information and team consultation
Where a mobility scooter or power wheelchair is being considered for independent community mobility, medical clearance is generally requested from the person’s GP before assessment and equipment trials proceed. This assists in identifying medical, cognitive, sensory or medication-related factors that may affect safe powered-mobility use.
With the person’s consent, consultation may also occur with relevant members of their health and support team. This may include their GP, physiotherapist, other allied health professionals, support coordinator, family members or support workers.
Equipment identification and trials
Potential equipment options are identified based on the assessment findings. Trials are then completed with the person, occupational therapist and equipment supplier or wheelchair technician.
Trials assess factors such as fit, comfort, posture, operation, transfers, environmental access, safety and practical performance. More than one trial may be required where needs are complex or several equipment options need to be compared.
Independent advice and choice of supplier
You choose your equipment supplier. Eliza’s role is to provide independent clinical assessment and recommendations.
Wheelchair and mobility-equipment trials are usually completed in collaboration with an assistive technology professional or wheelchair technician from an equipment supplier. Home and Beyond Occupational Therapy is not affiliated with any supplier. Where guidance is requested, suppliers may be suggested based on the equipment required and Eliza’s professional experience of their technical knowledge, service, responsiveness and after-sales support.
The supplier provides product information, trial equipment, technical setup, quotations, adjustments and servicing. Eliza independently assesses the person’s needs, evaluates trial outcomes and recommends the appropriate wheelchair, mobility device or seating configuration.
Recommendation and reporting
Where required, a written report is prepared following assessment and trials. It may outline the person’s functional and equipment needs, assessment findings, trial outcomes, the recommended equipment and configuration, environmental and transport considerations, and the clinical reasoning supporting the recommendation.
Delivery, setup, training and review
For complex seating systems and powered mobility equipment, Eliza will usually attend the delivery appointment with the equipment supplier or wheelchair technician. This allows the fit, configuration and function of the equipment to be reviewed, necessary adjustments to be discussed, and the supplied equipment to be checked against the recommendation.
Education and training may include:
- safe transfers, use of brakes, folding and handling the wheelchair, and loading it into a vehicle;
- use and care of seating components;
- use of the joystick, controls and powered seating functions;
- training to operate a power wheelchair safely within the home and community.
Further review may be required to confirm that the equipment remains suitable in everyday use and to address changes in posture, function, pressure-care needs or circumstances.
Funding and service locations
Funding pathways
NDIS • Support at Home • NIISQ • WorkCover • TAC • Private
NDIS • Support at Home
NIISQ • WorkCover
TAC • Private
Areas serviced
Sunshine Coast • North Brisbane • Gympie
Sunshine Coast
North Brisbane
Gympie
Frequently asked questions
Are assessments completed in the home?
The initial assessment is generally completed in the person’s home. This allows the assessment to consider doorway widths, circulation space, surfaces, ramps, transfers, everyday activities, storage and transport arrangements.
Equipment trials also commonly occur at home and may include assessment in the local community where relevant.
Do you assess manual and power wheelchairs?
Yes. Assessments may consider manual wheelchairs, power wheelchairs, mobility scooters, power-assist devices, seating systems and modifications to existing equipment.
Can you arrange equipment trials?
Eliza can liaise with equipment suppliers to identify suitable options and coordinate trials. More than one trial may be required where the person has complex needs or several equipment options or configurations need to be compared.
How long does the process take?
The time required depends on the complexity of the person’s needs, the equipment being considered, supplier availability, the number of trials required and the reporting requirements of the funding body.
Do I need a referral?
Participants, family members, support coordinators, care managers and health professionals are welcome to make an enquiry. Some funding organisations may require prior approval or a formal referral before assessment commences.
Discuss a wheelchair or mobility equipment referral
Contact Eliza to discuss the person’s wheelchair, seating or other mobility device needs and whether an assessment is appropriate.