24-Hour Postural Care, part II – Is There a Need for Night-Time Positioning? Understanding Postures in Lying and Sitting Relative to Hip/Pelvic/Leg and Chest Distortions

Course Description

This course seeks to help PTs, PTAs, OTs, OTAs, other healthcare providers, and caregivers understand why postural care at night is an important part of care for people with movement limitations.  Attendees will delve into the causes and progression of deformity in both children and adults, with decreased motor functions. A review of basic anatomical structures will demonstrate how the biomechanical forces of growth, gravity, muscle tone, and habitual postures continually impact the body.  Other factors such as thermoregulation, pain, illness, surgery, and decreased communication may result in further consequences that impact a person’s body shape and ultimately their overall well-being and health.  A review of positioning supports, as well as suggestions for funding and improving overall awareness among caregivers and healthcare providers will also be explored.

Course Objectives

At the end of this course, the participant will be able to:

• Recognize the need for postural care in the lying position
• Identify destructive and supported lying and sitting postures
• Discuss relationships of habitual postures, movement, muscle tone, health and well being
• Identify basic skeletal and internal body structures on diagrams, radiographs, and palpation
• Recognize the principles of achieving thermal comfort for people needing postural care
• Identify pain and non-pain related behavior in individuals who communicate in nontraditional ways.
• Summarize the potential positive impact of consistent, long-term, 24-hour therapeutic positioning
• Describe how to apply night-time positioning safely and humanely.
• Share ideas and suggestions regarding provision of postural care, including funding and increasing awareness at the local level

• Prerequisites

  None

• Educational Level

  Basic

• Other

  Satisfactory completion of this course will require the participant to complete a 10 question post-test with a minimum passing score of 70%.