The right equipment at the right time -Not Just a Pad: The Science of Seating for Safety & Comfort with Tara Slaughter - Episode 116
It might seem like a small detail, but for someone who sits for long periods, the right seat cushion is everything. It's the difference between comfort and chronic pain, between skin integrity and serious pressure injuries that can lead to hospitalization. So, how do you choose the right one? 🤔
In this episode of the Caregiver Relief Podcast, host Diane Carbo, RN, is joined by Tara Slaughter, a certified durable medical equipment (DME) specialist. They unpack the critical, often-overlooked science behind seat cushions and why simply grabbing the cheapest option online can be a costly mistake.
What You'll Learn in This Episode:
This is more than just a conversation about cushions; it's a deep dive into preventing complications and improving quality of life. Here's a peek at what Diane and Tara discuss:
- The "Why" Behind the Cushion 👩⚕️
- A seat cushion is a critical piece of medical equipment, not just a comfort item.
- It plays a massive role in preventing pressure injuries, which affect a staggering 33% of wheelchair users.
- They discuss how the wrong cushion (or even a simple pillow!) can lead to skin breakdown, pain, and further injury.
- Types of Cushions & Who Needs Them ♿
- An overview of the different types: foam, gel, air, and hybrid cushions.
- It's not just for full-time wheelchair users! Anyone sitting for long periods can benefit, including those with diabetes, Parkinson's, sciatica, chronic pain, or incontinence.
- Even hosts Diane and Tara use specialized cushions daily to manage back pain and discomfort from sitting at a desk!
- Choosing the Right Cushion (The Right Way!) ✅
- The #1 Rule: Start with a clinical assessment from a DME professional. One size does not fit all.
- A specialist will ask the right questions about diagnoses, daily activities, weight, and existing skin conditions to narrow down the perfect fit.
- Learn the risks of buying a generic cushion online without professional guidance. A specialist considers factors you can't read on a spec sheet.
- Maintenance & Red Flags 🚩
- How do you know if a cushion isn't working? Look for redness on the skin, discomfort, or the user constantly shifting their weight.
- Pro Tip: Cushions wear out! Check for flatness or damage every 3-6 months and consider rotating between two cushions to extend their life.
- Caregivers should look for features like waterproof, washable covers for easier maintenance, especially when dealing with incontinence.
Ready to Learn More?
Choosing the right equipment is a powerful way to provide better care. Tune in to the full episode to hear Tara's expert advice and gain the confidence to advocate for your loved one's needs.
Connect with our Guest Expert:
For personalized equipment consultations, you can reach out directly to Tara Slaughter:
- Website:www.cfsmedicalequipment.com
To our amazing caregivers, remember to be gentle with yourself. You are the most important part of the equation. Thank you for all that you do. ❤️
Podcast Episode Transcript
Diane: Welcome back to the Caregiver Relief Podcast.
And if this episode speaks to you, please take a moment to like, share or comment. Every click helps us reach more caregivers who need encouragement, resources, and hope.
Diane: today's topic is the right equipment. Right now a caregiver's guide to DME and Assistive devices. I'm Diane Carbo, rn and I'm here with my co-host and regular contributor Tara Slaughter. She is a certified durable medical equipment specialist and founder of CFS medical supplies and.
CFS solutions, DBS. Today we're talking about something that might not seem like a big deal until it becomes one seat cushions. Whether you're caring for someone who uses a wheelchair part-time, full-time, or just sits for long periods, the right cushion can make the right difference between comfort and complications, even hospitalizations.
Due to pressure injuries, we'll talk about the different types of cushions, how to choose the right one for your loved one's unique body and condition, and why so many caregivers make the mistake of choosing the cheapest option only to regret it later. We'll talk about what you should ask your doctor or DME provider before accepting any question.
Remember, insurance doesn't always cover what's best. Not all cushions are created equal. And as always, you can reach out with questions through our ask the expert section@caregiverrelief.com or connect with Tara directly for personalized equipment consultations. And we'll have both a link to her site and in the show notes and on this page where you can find, this in the podcast.
So let's dive in. Tara, I know you're really busy. it's a busy time of year. let's get started with the basics. why is a seat cushion so important as a piece of durable medical equipment?
Tara: hello Diane and I love what we do, so we're back. I know. Me too. Yes, oh my gosh. when it comes to the sea cushions, they, it's so critical to choose the right one.
And I know that you're probably thinking how do we choose the right one? A lot of times that is go, goes back to the fact of reaching out to a durable medical equipment company, one that can actually analyze your situation depending on what you have going on with you, what your diagnoses are, what you're, what you're doing daily or you sitting in chairs for long periods of time and based on what's going on with you health wise too, right?
In order to choose the right one to make sure it's not going to hurt you or harm you. I know a lot of times I was, I'm sorry. Go ahead, Diane.
Diane: No, I was just gonna say, as an old ortho rehab nurse, I can't tell people enough how important, the right cushion is and, that, and so I'm really glad you're bringing this topic to our attention because while it seems like a mi, minute topic, it's massive for comfort and point and really important to prevent other injuries.
Tara: Yeah, it is. And the thing of it is too, is that what we find that a lot of times, because with the insurance and everything, they'll pay for a basic sea cushion, which is fine, but unfortunately people still tend to get sores on their buttock area. Yes. And so you have to wonder why is that when they're either using a cushion, but are they using the right cushion?
Yes, you have cushions, you wanna make sure you get one within the wor Weight capacity. does it, is it fitting the chair properly? every chair, every seat. Just because it's a seat cushion doesn't mean that it will be a conducive to the particular chair that you may have. There's all type of cushions out here. Redistribution. You got your row holds. there, the list goes on and on. It really pains me when I see patients using maybe something looks like a seat, like a pillow, And that is oh my God, that's so unfortunate. But unfortunately, people do tend to just have, oh, it's just a seat cushion.
Oh, they're just sitting on it and and you're taking care of your loved one, and they'll just throw, pillows in the chairs. Yes. And fortunately that causes a problem in the long run. And so there's so many, oh,
Diane: Oh no, go ahead. Go ahead. There's so many different types. There's foam gel, air, hybrid pushing.
Exactly. And they all differ in terms of function and support. how. Where do you
Tara: start? you start by first having a clinical assessment done. Okay, so that meaning the DME company or provider who specializes, or they may not specialize, but they know what questions to ask you when you do an assessment to make sure that you're gonna get the proper one.
You know what's going, like we just mentioned, what's your condition like? Are you sitting in a long period of time? What's going on? Do you have,diabetes? Do you have, what all these do you have current? Wounds. Currently right now, all these questions are to be asked, and then that way I help you narrow down the particular proper type of seat cushion that you should be choosing.
like just an example, I'll give you an example. we often hear this, but wheelchair users, 33% develop pressure ulcers using seating support. Yep. Okay. And so think about that. And that's a study that anyone can go to on, US National Library of Medicine. Yep. And to get those statistics right.
So when we talk about seek cushioning, seek surfaces, that's what you wanna do. You wanna make sure you talk to your doctor. You may have a, if you have a wound already, talk to the wound nurse. when you talk about complex rehab, even then going into that, communicating with maybe an A TP too to, with an as, an evaluation to make sure that you're getting, you may not have to get a particular chair, but just making sure that you have the right.
C cushion. I know a lot of times the doctors and nurses recommend, and I know you would, agree to this, the roho Yes, the roho cushions are amazing and,but of course sometimes, the insurance may pay for them, but they may not. And they're not, to be honest, for what they do, they're not really that expensive.
When you think about Yes, the outcome of your health Yes. And what sitting, what it's gonna produce for you.
Diane: The roho cushions have been around for forever. And I wanted to make a another point there. I know while you're talking about conditions, but if you're a person that's incontinent a lot. Yes. even that makes a difference into the type of cushion that you have.
And, I get really concerned because, I have clients that have, have been having stroke, had strokes. They're in a wheelchair, like 20 out of, they shouldn't be, but they sit up all day long or quadriplegics or paraplegics and, or those with Parkinson's, there's so many things. I'd like to talk about who really needs a specialized cushion.
And is this just for long-term wheelchair users or short part-time users or seniors are also to be concerned?
Tara: I would say yes to that, Diane, and I'll tell you why. Because honestly, just us, we may not have anything going on with us. But the fact that we're sitting all day, an example, whereas you don't have to be a senior or an older person.
For myself, I sit on a seat cushion right now. I sit on a seat cushion and a back Me too. Every single day. Yep. And it's because over the years, I've learned that, I had sciatic for one thing, so it pushed me in that area, right? yep. But, even after the sciatic has, subsided, I don't have that issue a lot.
And it just depends on, of course, how I'm moving. But what I find that. I have to sit on one. I sit on one at my office. Yeah. I have one at home. I do not sit in a chair. Yeah. of course you know I can, you can't take the seat cushion all, all over the place with you.
Diane: Yeah.
Tara: Anytime I'm sitting somewhere, I know I'm gonna be sitting for a long period of time.
I have a cushion, a back cushion, and a seat cushion.
Diane: I do too, because I have a bad back. And I don't have a lot of padding on my behind her. so it, I get very uncomfortable and I also have a bad back from all the lifting over the years and have had suffered from sciatica. it's not just for people in, it's just a practical application to use to de, to decrease pain and maybe.
Further injuring yourself. Because when we're sitting all day long, we're not comfortable.
Tara: Exactly. And then you wonder why when you're sitting, you talk about okay, we talk about wounds, right? But let's talk about the lower back. Yes. Talk about the spine, the lower back area. my goodness, if you're sitting for a long period of time, you notice how you.
Start to you feel like your hips are burning and you're like, oh my God, why am I sick? And you get up and you move, right? Yep. 'cause what you're sitting on, it does not redistribute. And it actually, so you're just sitting there and all of a sudden you're having all these pains and we wonder why we having all this lower back pain.
Diane: Yep.
Tara: and so a lot of that has to do with what we're sitting on.
Diane: Yep.
Tara: and so it was, I used one in my
Diane: car even, especially for long rides.
Tara: yeah, exactly. Exactly. Yeah. Ride, And so I think they should be used, and I'll just throw out some more of those studies here and then people can definitely go in and check it out and stuff.
But, there's some comparison when you talked about the foam and the gel and the air conditions, found that air cell designs often provide better pressure relief. Sheer reduction. Okay. Which is vital for skin integrity. So just know that out there. Okay. And then, so basically,in that they did a pilot study that showed cushions that have the people who use see cushions, the proper cushions have less skin breakdown.
Diane: and I wanna explain what shearing is. Shearing is when you pull your skin's being pulled and stretched And over long periods of time. What happens is the, if you're putting weight on that, the circulation isn't getting to that area and it starts to, the oxygen is not getting, the blood system is not getting to the cells of the skin tissue and it starts to break down.
And that's exactly what a pressure sore is. It develops a pressure sore. And one of the things I really encourage everybody is when you're doing good care, you need lotion on your bottom. You need lotion on the backs of, on your legs. and people don't do that, but it's really important, especially if you're gonna be in a.
A sitting position, especially if you're using a wheelchair for long periods of time, you really need to make sure you, put moisturizer on your behind so that your bottom, so that you can, those are medical terms I want you to know,
So that you know you and don't use powder. Do not use powder. People wanna do that because that absorbs or moisture and causes more breakdown. So now can you tell me the risk of using a low cost or generic cushion, especially when selected without professional guidance.
Tara: again, it goes back to what you just mentioned.
You're gonna have that breakdown of the skin. Yeah. Because every chair is not, every cushion is not conducive to the chair. That's why you wanna make sure that you speak to a professional so they can analyze what you're sitting on, what you're using to see cushion for, what is your weight capacity, making sure that you get the proper one.
is there. Sliding or you're sliding out of the chair, all those things that'll be considered. So basically the whole thing is difficult to say, oh, get this particular one over this particular one. It all goes back to having a clinical assessment done first. yes. Speaking to a professional to make sure that you explain to them what's going on with you.
And then I'll say this to Diane. I know a lot of times, like we, we don't know what questions, sometimes patients, they don't know what questions to ask. Yes. So if you reach out to a certain provider and they aren't asking you certain questions, feel free to reach out to us and say, Hey, like what questions should we be asking someone when we're trying to narrow down a particular seat cushion that we should be using?
Yeah. And and then that way you can narrow things down. And I do that for all of our products, not just for seat cushions, but. I recommend that for all of the products that you, that we provide or we give information about speaking to someone on the clinical side. And because you never know, and it goes back to just an example.
You can talk to someone who's selling a product to use an example, say someone's selling you the C cushion, they're just giving you the specs on what the seat cushion does. Yes. Spec. Spec wise. that's all fine and but that doesn't help you on the clinical side. Exactly. If that makes sense.
exactly. Yes. So you can tell the, oh, the C cushion redistributes, it has, it helps with the cell, it helps with my lower back, it helps all those things. guess what? That part, it does all those great things, but is it right for you? And that's the question that you have to ask yourself. And that's when it goes back to speaking to someone who specializes in understanding what type of seat cushion you should be, getting based on your clinical need.
Everybody clinical needs are different. What works for one person may not work for you with me, like I may be sitting on a cushion that may not work for you and vice versa. So that's why it's always cri critical that you do a clinical assessment and narrow down the specifics of the type of cushion that you would be needing for yourself or your loved one.
Diane: And again, you have to consider what your future needs are going to be. And, if it's going to be a permanent condition where you're unable to move to get that, re repositioning and stuff, you really have to think long term and you want a good quality, cushion, to last for a longer period of time.
exactly. Can you gimme an idea of some conditions or risk factors, that should prompt the caregiver or healthcare provider to choose a pressure relieving cushion?
Tara: I would say diabetes. Yep. Would be one. Yep. So d being a diabetic can, cause a lot of different things like that. So I would say, if you have a lower back problems like that, not so much.
Maybe possibly, because I'm not a nurse, so let me just put that out there right quick. Yeah. Oh, I'll, I'll put my 2 cents worth in. Yeah. yeah, you do that Diane, but, I would definitely say if you have diabetes, that is one of the major things that you want to, because you're sitting.
Circulation going on. Yes. So that is definitely what I would say that you definitely wanna make sure to,
Diane: to, and diabetics also have neuropathy, and when they have that, they don't always have good feeling. And that's really important that they have a good seat cushion.
And I know people think, oh, when they think of somebody like a quadriplegic or a paraplegic or, somebody who's on long-term. condition after a stroke, but there's so many other conditions out there, people with Parkinson's, or any neurodegenerative disease. I know for me, I have chronic pain.
My, my years of, I, I tease that I picked up men for a living because I, and in essence, I really did, I was a rehab nurse and in those days we didn't have the access to equipment. To the degree they do now. we were told, we were taught to do a fireman's lift and people, and transfer quads and para and stroke victims to a another, to another chair.
And, we had, my back right now, I can't. I can never get comfortable and that's why not I need a seat cushion and a back cushion to help me for day, especially for days like this when I'm doing podcasts, right? And I wanna be comfortable. 'cause I can tell you right now my sitter hurts when I don't use a cushion.
Tara: yes. I mean you and you find yourself moving from one side to another. Yep. Yep. And so you're trying to get comfortable. That part doesn't work. Oh my God, let me move over here. And it's just unbelievable. So that's why it's so critical that you have the right and the proper C cushion. Yeah. And so I'll throw out some journals that people out there can go and do their own research too, that they want to just get more in depth and find out, getting the information, the, Squier project, spinal cord injury rehab evidence is one that they can look into.
and then Cambridge, me, media journals for wound practice and research is good. They did a lot of peer reviews and things of that nature on the importance of choosing the proper C cushion.
Diane: Can you gimme some signs that a current cushion is not meeting the needs of the person using it, whether it's too soft, too far, form firm, or poorly fitted,
Tara: It all three. All three. All three of the above. So I would say, again, that's tough, Diane, because it goes back to if I say oh, this areas. If the,
Diane: I'm sorry, Diane, what'd you say? I said they see re you see red areas on their bottoms and their legs.
Tara: Exactly. and it goes back to assessing the patient, understanding what's going on with the patient because they're using a firm when they may need something a little softer.
You don't know that until you actually do a clinical assessment and or talk to a nurse. Or the doctor or whomever or the caregiver who's assessing the patient. That's another thing. So if you have a patient you're taking care of, and they may be using a cushion, understand the type of cushion that they're using, right?
So if you are using, you have a, your loved one, or if. The resident and they're using a certain type of cushion. And you wanna know, make sure you know what the model of that C cushion is because, and you may find like that, oh, now they do have some redness going on. This isn't working. Why isn't it working?
And then that when you make the decision to say, okay, maybe we need to get to success to find out what other type of cushion that we can get this patient to be using based on what's going on with them. What used to work may not work in a few months. Exactly. Exactly. Yeah.
Diane: And I want my listeners to know if you are taking care of somebody who is, Using a seat cushion and you're providing care for them when you have to look at their skin all the time. Yes. You need to be looking at their back, their bottom, and their heels. I know we're not talking about heels today, but you really need to have all those things assessed on a regular basis several times a day.
And n normal nursing practice is to re readjust and reposition somebody every two hours when they're not able to move. And I know that people say, oh my gosh, but that's where a good seat cushion comes in. Along with the right wheelchair where you can readjust easily. Exactly. And that's really important.
Tara: and I'll say this too, I know our, one of our last episodes we talked about wheelchairs and how critical it is to make sure you have the proper wheelchair depending on how you're sitting in the long time. if you're sitting in it more than two hours, making sure you have something that gives you what they call tilt and recline.
position. Yeah. Chair, not just a regular chair, because a wheelchair is not intended for you to sit in it all day long. It's, it's, you're sitting up vertical and that's just not healthy. And so the thing of it is too, you can have a proper seat cushion and you have a chair that might not be conducive.
Yeah. Then you're, it defeats what you're trying to accomplish because you don't have the proper chair.
Diane: Exactly, and that's why I think it's really important that people put the two together. And know that now there are cushions that, like for me, I, there are times when I have patients that have, problems with ex chronic.
incontinence and they have excoriated red, sore behind, not because of been sitting but because of the, urine. And what I do is I always make sure that they also have a proper, cushion even to sit on the couch. exactly. And people don't understand that. you want something that's going to provide not only support, but help keep the pressure off some of the, so that it doesn't break down and become a total,skin, a decubitus or pressure sore.
And that's really important as well.
Tara: and the thing of it is too, Diane goes back when you're talking about the incontinence problem and the C cushion, It goes back to when you have the proper product. Then you shouldn't have that type of leakage going on either.
Diane: Yeah. Yeah. And we'll talk about that on another.
Tara: Yeah, we'll talk about that. Because when you think about that, you can have a right seat cushion. Yeah. You can have the right chair. But if you have on something, see all that goes in coincide together. Yep. For,the proper incontinence products. Yep. Proper cushion, proper chair, those three things, because if you got one missing, it could defeat the other things.
And what the, it's, the goal is to accomplish that. And I would definitely say to make sure that all those things are covered and we'll talk about that on the next one because Yeah. That is so important to make. Absolutely. The breakdown of the skin. I don't care if you do have a good cushion, if you have something on that's still, yeah, that is a whole different topic, but, it's very important.
So now people also
Diane: don't understand that body weight, skin integrity, posture, and even temperature sensitivity affects cushion selection. It
Tara: is. It does. It
Diane: all does. And if you have a big person that is losing weight. Or gaining weight.
Tara: That
Diane: means there's different things you have to take into account.
Tara: Exactly. It goes back to G getting a, an assessment. And guess what? Sometime it does, you need to do one every six months. yes. To check, to make sure you, how's it going if they're still using the same cushion that they need to change something else. And I don't know if you guys, if you know this, but they actually have a seat cushion that's an alternating pressure pad.
Diane: I have seen them. I have seen them. Yes.
Tara: Yes. I've had families to get those, and they have been a game changer for their loved one because it's redistributing air. as like a alternating pressure pad would if it was on your bed. So it's in your cheek. I want you
Diane: to know, 40 years ago I had a do a test on that type, the air uhhuh, alternating air pads.
And I, it was fascinating 'cause we did tests on our patients. The was in paras and stroke victims and Stroke survivors and,it took a lot of work and it, they must have gone through 50 different prototypes till they found something that worked.
Tara: Yeah. and that's the thing too. And I think that's the challenging part of it too.
When it come, we talk about sea cushions and seat surfaces, because sometimes you may have to choose a few different ones to order to get it right. Yeah, it's not one size fits all. It's just not. And so that's where just being alert, evaluating the situation, every three to six months, making sure that you know what's going on with the skin integrity and things of that nature.
And that would allow you to be able to hopefully choose the proper seating that would, because I've had people to purchase the one that we thought was the right one. Yep. clinically or something could change in the body. All these different things. Yeah. It's not one of those things where you could say, oh yeah, this is it right here.
You have to play with it sometimes just to make sure you get it right, because people
Diane: are different and they respond different to different things. Yeah. So what works for somebody who, like somebody who has a larger buttock? may have absolutely needs something different from like me who there's nothing behind there, I'm just flat and, here I am talking like, I don't care. It's just, those are things that you have to consider and it's very. uncomfortable to talk about it, as a nurse, I don't care. You just need to address it and say, let's look at these things. And you have to consider too the muscle of the person, the muscular, nature of the person.
'cause they may start out, they're just newly injured. Over time, they're going to decrease in their, abil their strength and their muscles because they're not using them anymore. And that plays another part of
Tara: it does.
Diane: Now I wanna talk about, are there certain features, cushion features that caregivers should prioritize, like waterproof covers or easy cleaning or contouring?
What is important, especially for home use?
Tara: Yes. I would say yeah, definitely waterproof because it goes back to what we talk about incontinence, right? Yeah. So you wanna make sure that you get one that may be waterproof, right? Or have a covering that can be washed. Yes. those are things to look at, to, into, it goes back to your, the weight capacity of the patient, right?
So when you starting making those choices, it goes back to getting that clinical assessment, understanding what's going on with the patient before Incontinence. You wanna do something that you can wipe off clean? yeah, depending on what the ch, what the cushion is doing. So all those things are being considered.
So it's again, it goes back, it's tough to be like, okay, get this one, get that one, because everybody, everyone is totally different. The foam may not work. The gel may, you just, it just depends on, you may get one that has gel foam in it together. That may be a surprise. Sometimes people just need just a foam.
Some people need the donut. again, it goes back to what's going on with the person. the coi, all that, the COI opening, the closing. There's so many different options out there that we look at to make sure that you're gonna get the right one.
Diane: Now the big thing that everybody does is they wanna shop online, so they wanna buy online.
how do we help people that, to avoid buying the wrong type without an in-person fitting? I'm just gonna say right ahead. Don't do it. But people, they're gonna say, you know what? You don't know what you're talking about. and I just need convenience for me right now.
And it, it doesn't work that way, but. People are gonna do what they wanna do. Is there anything that we can tell them to avoid buying the wrong type?
Tara: it goes back again to speak to a specialist as someone who specializes in medical equipment, who can kinda, I tell you what, if you go online and you, because how do you even know?
You can read through. Yeah. To see what the specs are. To see okay, this seemed like it may work for me. But if you're gonna go it alone, at least take your health in consideration as far as knowing okay, I have this going on with me. Yes, I have that going on with me. So because I have these things going on, see what the specs say about that.
So if you're going on there and you looking and like this particular cushion does A, B, C, D. If you look at that and you say, oh, you know what you have going on, or your loved one has going on clinically, yeah. Then you may be able to narrow it down if you wanna avoid talking to a specialist.
Yeah. You can do something like that. I can't guarantee you it's gonna work. Yeah. because sometimes we dig a little bit deeper. on question asking. And we do that based on the fact that we deal with so many different peoples in so many different cases, if that, it's like you being a nurse, right?
Oh, yeah. So many different scenarios and examples that just because you can go and read something, but it doesn't mean that it's gonna work, right? Yeah. So I just give you an example. I had a client. A couple of weeks ago when we did an assessment on, it was for, a positioning chair, a special positioning chair.
The measurements were perfect, Diane, like everything uhhuh, the perfect, you know the measurements right? Yeah. But in order for that patient to remain doing what they do daily, uhhuh, they love doing. So you don't take what they love doing daily away from them. Oh, no. Manipulate the measurements.
Yeah. My point to that is you can't read that online. Exactly. Exactly. If that makes sense. yeah. Yeah. My point to that is, is that we do, we dig a little bit deeper and we had, I had to sit back and think now this measurements are great, this will work really good, but we're He's gonna lose something.
Yeah. He's gonna lose what he does daily and we don't want to take that from him. Yeah. Yeah. We want him to still remain active doing his daily activities, but you can't read that. You want 'em to be happy and healthy and safe. Exactly. All of the above. So I can, how can I make you safe, happy, and still allow you to do the things that you want and need to do daily to keep going.
Diane: Yes.
Tara: So those are things that you can't read about. you can read about it, but you know what I'm saying. So basically, my point to that is, is that when you are looking at gauging these things, we take experiences of different scenarios that we have.
Diane: And
Tara: we say, oh, I remember I had a client and this was going on.
Let me see if that might work for this particular client.
Diane: Uhhuh,
Tara: right? Those are the type of things that we do, and you can't get that just by looking at a spec.
Diane: I have to tell you, that's one thing I know I can walk into a place and I know that person sitting in the wrong chair that walker is not the right walker.
Their crutches were never fitted. I know you can't teach that to somebody, that's why our experience is so valuable because over time you just get a feel for. What's right for what isn't right and what has worked for others that may work for this specific client. And
Tara: that
Diane: comes with experience.
Tara: It does. It really does. and that, that is so true. Because you see things, you're like, no. Yeah. I had did a, just a quick tip, yesterday and it was just basically, I had a client that came in yesterday. Unfortunately, he got a walker from the insurance and it was just drop ship to him and it didn't work out for him.
first of all, he couldn't fit it through his doorways. That was one problem. And then it just wasn't conducive to him because he was a little bit of a taller guy. and it was too short, And so basically my tip was. Understanding you as a consumer or a patient knowing what questions to ask.
yes. So listen to these type of, calls and podcast interviews are really good because it allows you to advocate for yourself so that you know just as much as the next person who may, you can put your heads together. 'cause I always say these things to me. It's solving a puzzle.
Yes. How do we solve the, solution of what someone's going through? Because everyone, everything is different. Everybody's has a different situation and it requires sometime, especially a team to sit down and be like. Let's figure this out for Mr. Jones, right? Yes. And yeah, so those that are, those are things that I definitely will hone in on.
And so the tip on that is talk to someone who can probably navigate to help you navigate what you're going through to make sure you pick the right products,
Diane: especially the cushion Talk long term. How often should a cushion be replaced? And what should caregivers know about c cushion maintenance and wear and tear.
Tara: Ooh, okay. That's a good one right there. So I would say, first of all, every six months, I would say anywhere from three to six months, check the cushion. Okay. See how is it flattened out, right? you to turn it over with things like that, making sure you keep 'em clean, if it has a cover on it, take it off and wash it.
Making sure that is good too, because you don't wanna be using something that's has bacteria on it, soil, things of that nature. We see that. Unfortunately, I see it all the time. and I'll tell you too, just because it has a c cover on it, Diane, make sure to use, if you know you have someone that does leak,
make sure you have a underpad on that. Yes. That you can dispose of too. Those are things that I would say to look out for too, that you can do. Put that seat, that underpad on there. They come in different sizes, so have that on there, even though it does have a covering on it, keep it washed, Yes. Could do that. And I'm talking about ones that, not the ones that, because some of 'em are, if they have a mechanical. I'm talking about the alternating pressure pad. You can't just wash that, however, if you have it over a little cover over it, you can definitely wash that. So those are things that I will look at.
Exactly. Yeah. So every three to six months I would definitely check it. Check the integrity of the skin, as we talked about for the patient. Yeah. And of course, making sure that it's still, it's not flattened out. I've purchased some too that I've set on and I'm like, this thing, it's like a mattress,
Diane: You're supposed to turn your mattress over so many months, exactly. Because exactly, you get that divot where you were laying and you gotta get it worn, so you gotta move it so
Tara: it's comfortable again. And I would say, exchange it out, if I'm Honestly, if you can, I would say get two.
so you can exchange it out, right? Yes. So it's still remaining that the three inches, two inches or whatever that is, that's comfortable for the yourself or the loved one. You wanna do that,hopefully if they're not too expensive, depending on which one they recommended for you.
Diane: the thing is, if you can get to and rotate them every other day that's really nice to be able to do too, because then you're increase in the amount of time that they're gonna work, you would hope. So now if someone isn't sure what kind of cushion is right for them or their loved one, how can a consultation with DME specialist, like you, help prevent costly or harmful mistakes?
Tara: we, because we would ask them questions about their, what's going on with them clinically, what they're using right now, what type of chair they're sitting in right now, and what are their daily activities and things of that nature. So how that helps them, because we narrow down what's going on and then we are able to select one that hopefully would be beneficial to them.
So what does that do? It's gonna save you time. Gonna save you money. 'cause now you're not just buying anything. You know what you're gonna be getting. And then you go from there. Yeah.
Diane: Tara, thank you so much. I know you're swamped. It's really busy. one of the problems that you have is because you provide such good customer service, people come back to you often.
Yeah. and that's good because, and that's why we're doing what we're doing. We want people to know what's the right way to approach. So how do they reach out to you?
Tara: they can reach us at 3 1 0 8 1 7 5 3 7 3, or they can go on our website atwww.cfsmedicalequipment.com. And I have to tell you, Diane, because we have gotten so busy that what we've done is we are trying to create, what we do.
We created video modules to help people explain and detailed yes on some of the things that you don't. See, just reading stuff that you can based on our experience and stuff that we're putting in video modules, so that way that people can actually go and as a, and a membership too, where they can actually go and get access to things about insurance, what new products are out, what's going on in the healthcare market, all these different things, dealing with what we deal with on a daily basis,in a section of where they can count and go and listen, read and all that stuff, and stay abreast on what's going on in this healthcare journey.
Diane: Yeah, I will have all that information at the bottom of our page and in the show notes. And I also, wanna thank you for your time today because you're a blessing and, we're going to help change the world one seat cushion at a time.
Tara: Time. And lemme tell you guys, Diane is amazing. Oh my gosh.
Like I had clients that I call Diane and say Diane 'cause I am not a nurse. Okay, so let's just make that out there. And, but I called Diane and ask her questions to help assist people. and so we don't just serve as a company that sell medical products. We love to do consulting, resources and community.
Look at ourselves as a healthcare community where we put people together or we ask questions. I can't, I don't know everything, Diane. we don't all pretend to know everything 'cause we don't. So every case is different, but what we do is we try to connect people with people to try to see how life can be just a little bit easier for this caregiver journey.
Yeah. And so even down to I recommended like the app that Geo Carlo has, Dan, oh my gosh. watch
Diane: our own, the Geo Carlo app is amazing. Yeah. It's watch our own. Watch our
Tara: own. Yeah. So those things are amazing that people should definitely look out for, just going and listening to, Dan Cohen's, interview, on dementia and how music changed.
yes. all those things are so critical. People need that. Yes. We need, and
Diane: that's why we're doing this. I'm a rehab, old rehab nurse. I have had lots of experience in different arenas in nursing after 54 years, but I don't know the intricacies of equipment, assistive devices. Where is.
That's your specialty. And I know just enough to get to tell people you, you need to call Tara.
Tara: Yeah. Oh my gosh. And you know what? And we learn every day. So that's the thing too, like I tell people like, I don't know everything, but we know enough to help you get in the move in the right direction. In the right direction every day.
Also because there's new product. Popping up all the time.
Diane: Exactly.
Tara: with that said, thank you guys for having us on today. Thank you. Thank you, Diane, for having me. And I'm looking forward to our next
Diane: topic. me too. to my family caregivers out there, you are the most important part of the caregiving equation.
Without you, it all falls apart. So please practice self-care every day. Learn to be gentle with yourself because you are worth it.
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