Many different healthcare professionals use the phrase “Kids look like little adults.” Children’s specialists would disagree with this statement and remind everyone that treating children is different from treating adults. We know that children are still growing and developing, so we need to pay attention to developmental and growth issues that aren’t typically seen in adult care. In addition, there is also intellectual, emotional and social development, making pediatric patients a complex mix of issues that clinicians need to learn to balance. In addition, we must also consider family dynamics and the fact that in many cases we have to advocate for patients unable to make their own choices. All these factors are present in the complex world that is pediatric care, and they all apply to pediatric mobility.
Setting
Children’s Hospital New Orleans, a not-for profit pediatric medical center with 224 beds, offers a full range of healthcare for children aged from birth up to 21. It is the only hospital in Louisiana and Gulf South that offers a full range of pediatric services. There are more than 400 doctors and 40 pediatric specialties. Children’s formed Louisiana Children’s Medical Center in 2009, which is now known as LCMC Health. The system is a leader in local healthcare that provides services at Children’s Hospital and Touro Medical Center. It also operates West Jefferson Medical Center and New Orleans East Hospital.
The Children’s Rehab program includes inpatient and outpatient care at the main campus as well as throughout New Orleans. The facility is the only one in the Gulf South to have an Inpatient Pediatric Rehabilitation Program that has been CARF accredited. The Rehab Department has been running a wheelchair and seating clinic for more than 20 years. They continue to run a clinic every two months for children with special seating and mobility requirements.
Who Needs Mobility Assistance?
Many different reports specify the percentages that need mobility assistance or are disabled. The volume of adults who need mobility assistance is much greater than that of children. In the United States, the percentage of people with disabilities has remained constant from 2008 to 2015. The age distribution for those aged 17 and under is 6.2%. Statistics must take into account the growing elderly population. There are slightly more than 3 million people aged 15 and older who use a wheelchair to get around.
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