Finding Freedom Through Technology: Bringing Mobility and Independence Closer to Home

🏥 Advanced technology. Compassionate care. Life-changing independence.

In this episode of We Talk Health, we explore the new Mobility & Assistive Technology Clinic, a groundbreaking service bringing specialized care closer to home for families across West Tennessee.

For years, many patients had to travel long distances for evaluations, fittings, repairs, and access to complex rehabilitation equipment. Now, thanks to this innovative clinic, patients can receive comprehensive support right here in their own communities.

Join us as we discuss how a collaborative team of physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, and assistive technology professionals work together to help patients of all ages live safer, more independent lives. From custom wheelchairs and safe-sleep beds to communication devices that give patients a voice, you'll learn how technology is transforming healthcare—and why local access matters for rural communities.

✨ Discover how this new clinic is helping families navigate complex equipment needs with confidence while bringing advanced care closer to home.

In This Episode:

✅ What the Mobility & Assistive Technology Clinic offers
 ✅ Who can benefit from these services
 ✅ How assistive technology improves independence and quality of life
 ✅ The importance of local access to evaluations, repairs, and support
 ✅ Why this clinic represents the future of healthcare in West Tennessee

🎙️ Enjoying We Talk Health? Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who may benefit from learning about the life-changing possibilities of mobility and assistive technology. To learn more about the services available through West Tennessee Healthcare, visit your local provider or talk with your healthcare team.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:20

Welcome into this episode of We Talk Health. I'm Keith Shirley, and I'm glad you've decided to join us today. Here with me, we have Lane and Debbie, and they are with the mobility clinic. Now it has a much longer, more professional big word name, but we're going to call it the mobility clinic. How are y'all doing? Doing well.

SPEAKER_03 0:43

Doing great, thank you.

SPEAKER_01 0:45

Great to have you here. Thanks for having us. I understand a little bit about the work that you do, but who wants to start? Actually, Debbie, I'm going to ask you to start. Okay. You're the physical therapist, right?

SPEAKER_03 0:56

That's correct.

SPEAKER_01 0:57

Okay. So what particular area of physical therapy do you specialize in?

SPEAKER_03 1:02

Well, actually, I specialize in the area of pediatrics. That is my passion, pediatrics and also older adults. So those are my two Pediatrics and geriatrics, then. Yes. Okay. Absolutely. So in those areas, um, you see a lot of need for patients that need custom equipment, custom mobility equipment, um, whether that be custom wheelchairs, manual wheelchairs, power wheelchairs, custom gait trainers, custom walkers, adaptive equipment, sleep safe beds, all types of equipment like that. And I have really become quite passionate over the years about making sure that all of those patients, pediatrics and our my older adult patients, have that exact thing that they need to make their lives and the quality of their lives the best that they can be.

SPEAKER_01 2:03

And Lane, I think your job is to help locate, identify, once that equipment's been identified or the need has been identified, you help locate that technology. Is that right?

SPEAKER_00 2:13

That's correct. And so um, you know, really my job um, you know, when it comes to the evaluations for this type of equipment, um, you know, is to give suggestions on on, you know, what could be um good for the individual or um, you know, really sort of facilitate kind of what we need to do. And so um really it's like a it's a it's a huge sort of team effort around around the clinic where we got the PT, the ATP, we have an OT, uh speech therapist, that sort of thing. So it's a big team.

SPEAKER_01 3:00

OT, occupational therapists, correct, okay.

SPEAKER_00 3:02

And so really you're getting one it's like a one-stop shot for all the for all the the needs that a person may have that comes in there. And so um, you know, part of it, like you said, is identifying the need and then uh really trying to find the best of equipment that's gonna, you know, gonna help that need and and you know get the individual that's gonna have the most success with that equipment.

SPEAKER_01 3:30

Assistive technology. Can I call it, can I call that what absolutely okay? So the technology, the equipment, whatever that is, to assist you in being becoming more mobile, becoming more functional.

SPEAKER_03 3:44

More independent.

SPEAKER_01 3:45

More independent, okay and safe. Okay. And when I think of that, I think of okay, we've got uh we've got a cane, a walker, and a wheelchair. Right. Climb on board, whichever one. But within those say 30,000 feet view, right? There's a lot of specialty that you can help people with.

SPEAKER_00 4:11

And I and I always tell people this, I say, you know, people always think as a mobility device, whether that, you know, especially a power chair or a manual chair, we just that's all we think of it is, is just a mobility device. But it can also have therapeutic qualities as well, you know, when it comes to um, especially on a power chair, uh, the seating that it has, the seat functions that it has, um, you know, it's it's all custom for that individual. So when it comes to Okay, seating, tell me. Seating is so broad, but I'll I'll give you the I'll give you the the seat.

SPEAKER_01 4:55

That wasn't a joke either. He wasn't he wasn't making a large seating joke.

SPEAKER_00 5:00

Right, right. Um not that we can't accommodate for it, we can just about do anything. But um when it comes to uh the seating part of it, you know, um there's there's thousands of seat cushions you can choose from, back rest, headrest, uh what type of arm pads need to be on the chair? Um does the individual need uh support for their feet? You know, if if if somebody um has pressure injuries and have had them for a while, um maybe we need to do a roho. Maybe we need to do some sort of offloading type cushion.

SPEAKER_01 5:41

Or maybe let's go back to the pressure. Yes. Okay. Is that like bed sore kind of thing, seat sores where you've been okay, and you haven't moved through that? Okay. Correct. And a Roho?

SPEAKER_00 5:54

Um, so that's a technology.

SPEAKER_01 5:56

Sounds like a coffee I would order. Yeah, yeah. Let me have a Rojo with a double shot. There you go.

SPEAKER_00 6:02

Uh so uh uh Roho has been the industry standard for a long time. Uh the technology's been around forever. Um that is a uh shape-fitting air cushion. And so um, you know, for the longest time, that was the that is the standard for pressure relief uh in a cushion. Uh some people use it as a bed overlay, they make them large enough for that. Um but the idea of a Rojo is immersion into the cushion. So um you fill the cushion with air and you set the patient on that cushion, you let air out to where the patient is not sitting on top of a bunch of air and they're not bottoming out through it, they're sinking into the cushion and it and it's got cells, and they in their shape envelops in that cushion.

SPEAKER_01 6:58

Why is air important to say something like a memory phone?

SPEAKER_00 7:03

Right. So there's um technology uh again, the technology that's been out, there's actually um what they call pressure mapping. And so that is um uh a mat that you would put over a cushion and then you set the individual on that, and it actually um shows the pressure that the patient is actually getting. So you can look at the if if they're getting maximum pressure on one spot, that pressure map will show red, which means there's a lot of pressure in this area. And you go to pressure map any kind of any kind of foam compared to a Roho, the Rojo is always going to pressure map better. Um, really because you get more adjustability for pressure with the air cushion. Um so pressure mapping has really helped decide what cushion is best for that patient, especially if they've had um, you know, ulcers, pressure sores that have they been dealing with.

SPEAKER_01 8:15

The air lets you adjust the pressure, the memory foam wouldn't. You're just gonna sit on where it is, the air you can put more in and put more there. Now, let me let me go to Debbie just a moment and ask you. So as I as I think about how someone might have a red zone, they might um have some of that would be due to posture and the way they're sitting in the chair.

SPEAKER_03 8:36

And that's where the PT comes in. And also ROT, our occupational therapists, they're also excellent at positioning. So, and also when you think of a pediatric patient, because they're so and it's so important with their growth, and they change so quickly. I mean, in sometime in a week they've changed their growth, has just you know escalated. So it's vital that they are in the proper seating system and on the proper seating cushion at all times, and the backrest is correct. And that's where Lane comes in, and he's just so important to this clinic because their if their growth, as they grow, if they're not seated just proper properly and in on the right seat, then they could develop a scoliosis, they could possibly dislocate a hip, their pelvic height could possibly change. Uh, so and that could throw off their gait pattern if we're working on some walking and trying to become an independent walker or a functional walker or a functional transfer. Um, so there's so many things that go into play here, and that's why these this custom mobility clinic is so imperative and it's so fantastic that we have this now in our area for our patients in this part of Tennessee and West Tennessee. And so um it's just it's just vital that parents and families know about this and and make sure that their kiddos and adults as well, because adults can still also, you know, we're always changing too, especially after we have some type of disease pathology or an accident um or um anything. If we're not seated properly, we could possibly dislocate a hip or develop a scoliosis or something like that. So it's very important to be positioned properly.

SPEAKER_01 10:33

When you're evaluating, and I have personal experience, I've had Achilles tendon issues at times and also broke my leg in multiple places. So I've spent time in a boot that boot, if you don't accommodate for the other side, then it throws you next thing you know, you've got hip problems because your gait was thrown off because of, you know, so there's I have some some personal experience with that. Do you have patients, Debbie? Do you have patients that may have some mobility challenges, but can they also do physical therapy? Can they do core strengthening so that they sit better in this? So that they can do bending or stretching that you create mobility. Is that part of it?

SPEAKER_03 11:19

Abs absolutely, absolutely. We are always doing physical therapy with these patients. And the mobility clinic, what we are providing, these custom mobility pieces of equipment, they're just an adjunct to their therapy and to their functional independence and safety that we're working on as their ultimate goal. And there our ultimate goal for all of our patients is for them to be as independent and functional and safe as possible in their lifetime. And that is what we're there for at the end of the day.

SPEAKER_01 11:56

Lane and Debbie are here with us today on We Talk Health, and we're talking about the mobility clinic. And let me just go ahead and ask either of you who wants to for our audience, if they have questions, can they call direct or is there some place they can get information?

SPEAKER_03 12:14

They can call direct to um at this is at um West Tennessee Healthcare, Henry County Hospital, 731 262, I'm forgetting the number 6114.

SPEAKER_01 12:30

Okay. And we'll give her a chance to think about that and we'll bring it back up again.

SPEAKER_03 12:37

Yes, that is that is.

SPEAKER_01 12:50

Who does the patient start with? Debbie or Lane? So usually how or the client, whatever we call them.

SPEAKER_00 12:56

Sure. Usually how this uh typically goes is um well, I wouldn't say typically. It's kind of 50-50. It is. Uh so it's like a lot of times uh Debbie will have somebody that's that's been referred to her clinic. Um whether that be, you know, a kiddo or an adult.

SPEAKER_03 13:18

Um a current patient that I have that needs a new chair or is ready for something else.

SPEAKER_00 13:23

And so the um, you know, she's does a great job of identifying that need if somebody needs something. Um sometimes the client gets sent to us from their doctor. The refer uh doctor sends a referral over to the clinic, and then that's where we, you know, we'll meet, talk with the patient, evaluate that sort of thing. The referral can come from different places. You know, some by some sometimes they'll call me and say, Hey, I um I live here, and I'm like, Well, you need to go here and we'll we'll talk about um what you need.

SPEAKER_01 13:57

So if a referral, the physician refers to you and you, Elaine, and you evaluate the the patient's mobility needs. Do you ever refer to Debbie and say, hey, look, this patient is red in this area or doing in this this area, or they might do that. Can you, or do you go have to go back to the doctor and ask for the referral?

SPEAKER_00 14:19

No, I can um, you know, if if a lot a lot of time we're evaluating together. I mean, of I I never I never go see somebody without her. Uh if it's a referral that we're both dealing with. Um, I mean, because I want to be there. I want her to be there so that way, you know, we connect ideas and we work together. It's the, you know, ATP, assistive technology professional, the physical therapist, the patient, the family, we're all there in one room. So we're all wrapping our head around, you know, our ideas, how it's all going to come together. That way everybody's on the same page. Communication happens right there when all of us are there in the evaluation room. Because that's you, if if if I'm over here doing, you know, seeing this guy, and I just call Debbie and say, hey, you know, this guy needs this. Well, she don't know because she didn't see him. It all happens right there together because communication needs to be fluent throughout everybody right there. And the plan needs to be in place with everybody there. So it's it's it's very paramount that we're all there talking about the same thing and why we're doing this. Why are you doing this cushion? Why are you doing this back? Why this chair? All those questions can be answered right there with everybody that's involved in the process.

SPEAKER_01 15:49

Do you think it would surprise the We Talk Health audience to learn that what the two of you do is unique, is specialized, is not offered.

SPEAKER_03 16:03

That's exactly a point. I'm so grateful that you said that because that's a point we really wanted to make today. And because we've been doing this since, like we said, March of 25 is when we started. And West and West Tennessee Healthcare um very much supported us beginning this clinic uh 14 months ago. And because we were seeing patients previously that had had a stroke and needed wheelchair, and they would go to the attic and pull out grandma's old you know, sling back wheelchair and had been using it for 10 years. And the whole time they really needed a custom manual wheelchair, something that really fit their needs, and they deserved that. And so we were there are people out there that needed a custom chair. So um but they didn't know where to they couldn't go someplace else and they didn't know where to go. And so we really are so grateful to be here today to get the word out that we are here to see those patients and to see anybody that needs any custom type chair or custom type walker or any adaptive equipment for parents that need equipment for their children, um to help their mobility, to help them progress um in their growth and maturation. Um, but to see patients that receive custom power, custom manual chairs, and then they can do things independently. They can do things more on their own. They can be at home during the day some, they don't have to go to assisted living, they can just become more independent again and find more of themselves again that they had prior to maybe a disease or a stroke or something, an accident or something like that. But we really want to get the word out that we are available here and to treat the patients of West Tennessee. And um, we're just so grateful that we are able to do this clinic.

SPEAKER_00 18:16

And it's amazing when you see and like uh especially me on the delivery side, you know, after it's all said and done, um, we get that approval, we order the chair, it comes in, I deliver it. And I just had this happen last week. It's amazing because when I brought it in, the patient said to me, she said, I have, I had no idea this stuff even existed. You know, I'm I'm here's here she is, and he's in just a basic power chair. And then I bring this one in and I show her, you know, the the the cushion that I measured for her, the back, what the what the chair, the the her new power chair actually does when it you know when it comes to the functions, the seat elevator, the the elevating leg rest, the recline, the tilt, all that. And she was just shocked that that you know she's been in her um her other power chair for so long, and she just thought that that was it. You know, had no idea that that this was out there. And it's and and I was I was talking to Debbie before we came in. You know, that's one of our biggest challenges to this whole thing, is is it's always an education thing. It was that was our challenge yesterday, that'll be our challenge ten years from now. Because, you know, it is it's our job, not necessarily the patient shy, but it's our job to you know educate people on what's out there and not just be like this is good enough. There's better. And then and you know, we're trying to bring that better and you know, really, you know, help people in that sort of way. Because otherwise they wouldn't know.

SPEAKER_01 20:16

I hear the passion in both of you that are talking about this. And as I think about this and when I listen to you describe the equipment that's available, so many things come to mind. First, uh the patient uh or the the client, I think, would start to feel seen validated.

SPEAKER_03 20:39

They do.

SPEAKER_01 20:40

And feel like that they have s the now the opportunity to contribute something back. I can see how the in instances whether it's a stroke or an accident or whatever, it's like because you now don't fit into traditional society, your mobility is challenged, you have nothing to contribute. Don't tell Stephen Hawking that. You know, don't tell people that have that have come to that point that they don't have something to contribute. And I would think that your patient your clients um begin to feel more welcome, more appreciated and and more recognized. And and what a great thing that you could do for a family member or if you're a caregiver, then to bring that person validation.

SPEAKER_03 21:37

We had a lady once that she received a power chair, she went from manual to power, and she was able to go from her basement around her house to the front of her house by herself. No one had to help her. And she was the happiest. person ever it made her so happy to do and then go again go back down to the basement by herself during the day while her family was not there. So she wasn't just stuck in one room all day long. And she was the happiest person ever and to be independent in some way. No, she couldn't walk anymore. She'd had several strokes. And just to she was so thankful and she thanked us over and over and over again.

SPEAKER_01 22:30

And just but her mind still worked and she still loved her family and she still had a desire to contribute and to live life.

SPEAKER_03 22:40

And she was taking her dogs outside and she was going to get the mail and she was enjoying outside when the weather was nice and it's just amazing what you're able to give patients back when you give them some form of independence. And with all the amazing things that Lang knows and the amazing features that you can put on power chairs now the independence that you can give patients to be able to get their cup of in the morning then get their own coffee and go out on the back porch and it it's just it it's just so great and to see patients become happy again and give back a little bit of themselves that they had before. And even with pediatrics, which again is one of my passions um to see children go from a one wheelchair to the next wheelchair and then to a walker and then being able to transfer from that walker in and out of that wheelchair to a walker and then to crutches and those are things also that that we have in our mobility clinic. So um it's it's amazingly satisfying and it's just the most wonderful I I think it's the most wonderful job in the world.

SPEAKER_01 23:59

It's great. And Lane before your clinic before the two of you started it and started working on this was not available in rural West Tennessee.

SPEAKER_00 24:10

There's not an established seating and mobility clinic assistive technology clinic in rural West Tennessee. Which we work with closely with them as well but um but as as far as a a brick and mortar place where people can go for for this type of stuff rural West Tennessee does not have one until now of course do your clients have to have permanent mobility issues or can they be temporary? A lot of times it's a good question a lot of times um they are um you know permanent you know for the most part now um talking about the demographics of of clients that we see um you know and a lot of it's progressive neurological diagnosis we see um a lot of ALS Parkinson's um MS CP um and then muscular dystrophy and we we do get uh quite a few amputees as well um so when it comes to the equipment you know and these progressive diseases a person that had ALS last year is gonna progress and and maybe need more so that power chair that I did for them let's say last year now they need more that chair can adapt to the progression so say okay they had hand function that that ALS client did they had hand function when I first brought them their chair now that is gone they can't operate through the joystick then we need to look at alternative ways to drive that chair whether that be through you know a chin control um a foot control where they can drive with their foot or they can drive with their eyes through the eye gaze they just you know look around and look at the screen and they drive the chair wherever they want to go which is incredible thing to see the technology is insane and um but people are going to be like are you kidding me you can you can drive the chair with your eyes 100% you can um and it's it's uh it's an amazing thing to see and then when it comes to peds um like Debbie was saying you know they grow so much and um you know that chair that we got for them even six months ago they didn't they done outgrew it you know and he has to bring a whole new cushion for a chair that he just did because their legs have already grown right past the right so to so to answer your question it it's um you know a lot of times um their mobility issues are the the folks that we deal with are per are permanent for the most part um and then you know we just accommodate it the best we can with the the equipment that we do you know many of these and thank you both for being here and for what you're doing and for the idea for this clinic many of these clients are already dealing with struggles that we can't even imagine.

SPEAKER_01 27:56

100% and everything about their life has been turned upside down. Absolutely whatever their dreams were before this diagnosis they're now totally different. They're not there. But that doesn't mean that they've lost value that they don't want to contribute that they can't that they don't want to feel seen and that they don't want doesn't mean that. And this gives them hope to do that. I think this gives family hope as well. It does it does and I love the stories that you have of the your your individual clients.

SPEAKER_03 28:33

Yeah right nobody nobody wants to have to come to our clinic. I mean they don't want to have to come get a wheelchair or have to get some custom something to take you know they don't want all that but that and that again is why we do this because we want to make it as easy as possible for patients that need this because we can't imagine how hard this is and um it it's it is challenging and it is challenging to travel and um that's another reason we decided to do a clinic. So we are very grateful for West Tennessee healthcare helping us and backing us and we just hope more people learn about this and use this service and we are there for a long time and thank you for having us.

SPEAKER_01 29:26

Absolutely Lane uh again people want to follow up and get more information how do they do that?

SPEAKER_00 29:31

Yeah um you could uh you could call Debbie at at the Henry County Hospital and you can always call me as well because um you know referrals come across to me too and and I I send them to her any way I can um you can you can always email me my email is lduncan l-d-un c a n at docsupply dot com do c s u p-ly dot com um and I I you know if if this is something that you need and I I can certainly help you um you know get into the clinic get you scheduled and and you know get that need that you're looking for because um you know it's it's it's certainly um something that we're proud of and we're we're very passionate about it.

SPEAKER_01 30:23

Well thank you for dropping by here at Weedalk Health and appreciate what you're doing. So appreciate you taking the time to be here and we're gonna follow along and and learn about how you grow because I know that this will grow and expand because unfortunately the need is not going away it's not going correct and so fulfilling those helping people that have had this experience fulfill some dreams right is a is a great calling thank you very much.

SPEAKER_00 30:52

Thank you so much for having us appreciate you