2019 Volume 28 Pages 113-119
Here, we aimed to identify the current status and related factors of sitting postural care in severely disabled pre-school children living at home. We collected data using specially developed questionnaires that were distributed to 178 families using the visiting services and rehabilitation centers in the Kinki and Tokai regions of Japan. We obtained 68 completed questionnaires and conducted our final analysis using the responses of 57 families. Our results indicated that children with more severe motor dysfunction had higher medical care needs. The difficulty to perform sitting postural care in daily life is higher among disabled children, particularly in those requiring breathing health care. Younger children or children who required home mechanical ventilation tended not to use the postural care seating system. They received instructions regarding sitting postural care by professionals in multiple places. Our findings also highlighted the need to consider the burden and anxiety experienced by the family of children requiring mechanical ventilation at home. In future, it will be necessary to deliver ongoing sitting postural care that meets the changing needs of severely disabled children and their families, as they grow and develop.
