Motorised chair controller
 Chair and controller before modification  Armrest with joystick and wrist support.  Dismantled armrest showing sliding joystick, pulleys and cord.  Joystick in use in the forward position with backrest upright …  … and in rear-most position with backrest lowered. |
Due to the nature of his neurological condition, the client’s hand function is declining and he requires an adaptation of the trailing-lead push-button controller of his riser/recliner chair. His hand is fixed in an open palm shape and so he struggled to hold the controller, let alone press and hold the buttons.
Using a mock-up, it was established that the client could operate a joystick and, since no such controllers were available from the chair manufacturer, one was bought and fitted in parallel with the standard controller (for use by his carers). Because of his limited arm movement, the client was unable to move his hand to keep it on the joystick as the chair backrest (and his body) moved backwards. The joystick would not only have to be mounted within the top of the armrest, but it (and the wrist support) would also have to follow the movement of the backrest. This was achieved by a system of pulleys and elasticated cord. Accora (the chair manufacturer) and Phoenix Mecano (the UK arm of Okin, the providers of the existing controls) were particularly helpful in their assistance.
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