Equipment Item Types and Definitions

Allied Health and Safety Aids

Alarm Mat - A safety device used on a bed or floor surface which makes an alert sound when a person exits the bed.

Skin Protectors - Products designed to prevent damage to the skin such as skin tears and damage from friction. Items include sheepskin, gel pads

Standing Frame - Child

Type 1 - Flexi frame. Non-Powered. Includes tray and basic supports.

Type 2 - Standard upright standing frame. Non-Powered. Includes tray.

Type 3 - Prone standing frame. Non-Powered. Increased postural support. Manually adjustable positioning.

Type 4 - Supine standing frame. Non-Powered. Increased postural support. Manually adjustable positioning. May also include tilt tables or other non-standard supine standing equipment.

Rehabilitation Aids

Balance Rehabilitation Aids - Items that, through a dedicated program, facilitate a person to maintain or improve their functional balance. Includes items such as balance pads and discs.

Fine Motor Exercise Aids - Products with varying resistance provided to develop hand strength, dexterity, coordination and range of motion. Includes putty, foam and finger webs.

Resistance Exercise Aids - Items prescribed to rehabilitate or maintain function and increase muscle strength. Includes over door pulley systems, varying resistance elastic exercise bands and handles.

Sit-to-Stand Therapy Aid - Items prescribed to facilitate teaching a person to stand independently, for example a Peto Ladder.

Ambulant Mobility Aids

Children’s Walkers

Type 1 - Basic anterior wheeled walking frame.

Type 2 - Basic posterior wheeled walking frame. May include option for seat. May include swivel or lockable rear castors and/or ratchet function.

Type 3 - All other walkers (excluding Hart or Smart walkers). May include ride-on (eg. Pony) or more complex anterior or posterior walkers.

Type 4 - Hart or Smart walkers.

Ambulant Mobility Aid Accessories

Accessories for Cat 1 Child Walker (Types 1 and 2) - Accessories that can be added easily to Type 1 and 2 walkers for children to improve function and safety, including forearm prompts, pommels, flip-down seat, anti-tip bars and rollers.

Bathing and Toileting

Bath Support and Seat - Supports that insert into the bath or seats that rest on the bath to allow the person to use the bath.

Shower Trolley - Padded or mesh support with drainage and wheels to support washing.

Mobile Shower Chair Accessories - Includes off-the shelf items that may be easily added to the Mobile Shower Commode to enhance safety or ease of use of the chair. Includes shower belt, padded and custom seats and elevating leg rests.

Mobile Shower Commode Chairs

Type 1 - Standard mobile shower commode or potty chair – self-propelling or transit model with standard backrest, machine-made or hand-padded seat, seat with side or front-opening or closed-front, with or without pan and carrier. Includes modifications that can be done “in-house” e.g. lowered seat, addition of off-the shelf lateral supports or off the shelf pressure products.

Type 2 - Tilt-in-Space mobile shower commode or potty chair - off-the-shelf, transit, with higher backrest, machine-made or hand-padded seat, seat with side or front-opening or closed-front, with or without pan and carrier. Modifications that can be done “in-house” e.g. lowered seat, addition of off-the shelf lateral supports or off the shelf pressure products.

Type 3 - Off-the-shelf mobile shower commode with custom made seating e.g. foam-in-place backrest.

Type 4 - Frame custom-made to accommodate fixed postural deformity which cannot be accommodated by any off-the-shelf mobile shower commode.

Continence

Bedding Protectors - Products that protect the bedding from urine and other fluids. Includes Kylies and Macintoshes.

Beds

Specialised Safety Bed - Manual or electric adjustable or non-adjustable bed with safety features to protect the occupant during use and to prevent the occupant from exiting the bed. May include extra high sides, padded surround and low stimulation features.

Electric adjustable bed - A bed with electric adjustable features including some or all of the following features: high-low, head raise, knee bend and/or leg raise, and Trendelenburg.

Electric adjustable bed – King Single - A  bed that is wider and potentially longer than a single, with electric adjustable features including some or all of the following features: high-low, head raise, knee bend and/or leg raise, and Trendelenburg.

Bed Accessories

Bed Stick - A metal tube, part of which usually extends under the mattress, or clamps to the bed frame, and part of the tubing extends vertically up the side of the mattress.  Used to assist with rolling over in bed, sitting up from a lying position, getting in and out of bed and providing support when standing.

Bed Rail - A bed accessory that can be attached along the side of a bed. Used to help prevent a person falling/ rolling out of bed. Bed rails are available in a variety of sizes, shapes and lengths. There are bed rails for adjustable and non-adjustable beds.

Bedrail Covers - Bed rail covers can be used to eliminate gaps between the rails of a bed rail and / or to reduce risk of injury from bumping against the rail. Bed rail covers can be fabricated from a variety of materials.

Foam Surround for mattress - A custom made piece of foam, made to surround a mattress (usually an alternating air mattress). May be used to increase the overall size of the mattress to create a tight fit of the mattress to the bed system.

Cushions and Postural Support

Type 1 - Pressure cushions including foam, combination and air and associated accessories (for example pommels).

Type 2 - Moderate seating e.g. jay backrest, clamp-on lateral supports, off-the-shelf positioning belts and harnesses.

Type 3 - Custom seating – seating/modifications made or substantially modified specifically for an individual client, usually to accommodate significant postural deformity e.g. foam-in-place seat or backrest, custom foam backrest, custom seat base/cushion, custom leg-rests, custom padding for footplates.

Manual Wheelchairs and Strollers

Wheelchairs

Type 1 - Basic standard self propel or transit (non-customised) folding wheelchair with only basic features and options i.e. stump supports, elevating leg rests etc. Children’s MWCs have lap belt and anti-tips as standard accessories.

Type 2 - Customised, folding self-propelling or transit wheelchairs which can be customised in relation to seat width and depth and features etc. Can have customised seating attached.

Type 3 - Rigid and fixed framed self propelling wheelchairs. Usually lighter weight for self-propelling efficiency. The wheelchairs can be customised and are often for the highly active user.

Type 4 - TIS/Recline – usually transit manual wheelchairs for clients with higher needs requiring customised seating. May provide some pressure reduction and better positioning with use of tilt-in-space.

Strollers

Type 1 - Lightweight, foldable and may recline. The user is beyond the usual age for use of a commercially available stroller.

Type 2 - Include additional features such as postural supports and tilt in space options.

Powered Mobility Aids

Powered Wheelchairs

Type 1 - Folding powered wheelchairs. Typically rear wheel drive and able to be folded although not easily portable due to weight. The wheelchairs can have some customisation if required.

Type 2 - Rigid powered wheelchair, mid/rear wheel drive – no tilt/recline – can be highly customised as required and the mid wheel drive reduces the turning space especially for indoor use.

Type 3 - Mid/rear wheel drive – with tilt-in-space – for clients requiring tilt (weight shift) for positioning and/or pressure management. The chairs can be highly customised. In specific circumstances with appropriate clinical justification, it may also have electrically elevating leg-rests and/or electric height adjustment.

Type 4 - Rear/mid – with tilt-in-space and recline – provides the ability to tilt (weight shift) and recline and seating can be customised. In specific circumstances with appropriate clinical justification, it may also have electrically elevating leg-rests and/or electric height adjustment.

Pressure Reduction / Comfort Chair - A chair with high back manual tilt-in-space and recline with air bladders, limited postural support - designed for comfort only. May have foot plate and tray.

Posture Chairs

Type 1 - Child, Basic - A chair designed to support posture. May have manually operated recline and growth adjustments, including corner chairs. Accessories may include tray, lap belt or harness.

Type 2 - Child, Complex - A chair designed to support posture. Has specific adjustable postural supports for complex client with significant needs (for example Symmetrikit chair or similar).

Lower limb supports and orthoses

Ankle and knee supports - may include shaped support bandages (for example tubigrip) and knee braces/immobilisers.

Foot Orthoses / Ankle Foot Orthoses - prefabricated - Off-the-shelf orthoses that are fitted to the foot and shoe (length, width and depth may be adjusted) includes foot orthoses, foot-up splints and prefabricated ankle-foot orthoses; includes situations when the prefabricated option needs to be customised to the individual's needs.

Foot Orthoses / Ankle Foot Orthoses - custom made - Includes foot orthoses and  AFOs that are custom made to the needs and measurements of the person.

Hip / Knee orthoses - custom - includes hip / knee orthoses that are either customised or custom made; may extend to other lower limb joints.

Medical Grade Footwear - prefabricated - includes off-the-shelf medical grade footwear requiring no change to suit the person's needs.

Medical Grade Footwear - customised - includes off-the shelf medical grade footwear that are customised to the specific needs of the person.

Medical Grade Footwear - custom made  - includes medical grade footwear that are custom made  to the needs and measurements of the person.

Speech Generating Devices

1. Single message device/ Sequenced message device (with or without levels) - includes items with only one switch or access site. May includes systems that store one message, multiple sequenced message and/or up to four levels of messages. May be able to plug in an alternative switch.
2. Static display device with ≤ six levels AND ≤ 15 mins recording time – includes a range of devices with more than one cell or message ‘site’ and from one to six levels of message storage or less than 15 minutes recording time, but the display is static i.e. the display overlay has to be changed each time that the client moves to a different level.
3. Static display device with ≥ seven levels OR > 15 mins recording time - includes a range of devices with more than one cell or message ‘site’ and more than seven levels of message storage or more than 15 minutes recording time, but the display is static i.e. the display overlay has to be manually changed each time that the client moves to a different level.
4. Dynamic display device – includes dedicated devices that provide a changing display or the potential to access multiple pages or levels of vocabulary using a navigational strategy such as menus/levels or encoding or a laptop or other computer and software that functions similarly. Devices that offer more complex vocabulary access and navigational tools (eg pop ups, return to menus page etc) and/or more complex accessing options (e.g. averaging, block-row-column access etc) for use with message development/access should be considered as fitting within this grouping.
5. Spelling based device – includes dedicated devices a laptop or other computer and software that provide text to speech communication using spelling as the primary means of creating messages. May also have some messages stored as phrases or sentences.
6. Voice alternative or amplifier – includes systems to provide an alternative voice such as Servox, and voice amplification systems to increase volume.

Technology

Technology: Computer Access Technology (CAT) – Access Hardware

1. Basic Assistive Hardware - Basic alternative keyboards, basic key guards (non-customised), basic alternative mouse options (single click, switch adapted standard mouse, mini), switches (mechanical, membrane).
2. Complex Assistive Hardware - Specialised alternative keyboard options (membrane, customisable), Key guards (custom made), Specialised alternative mouse options (customised trackballs/joysticks, infra-red), specialised switches (sip and puff/air, sensor), wireless switches, associated essential interfaces, associated mounting.
3. Eye Gaze Technology - stand-alone Eye Gaze system hardware or Eye Gaze interface hardware for attachment to standard laptop/computer and associated mounting system.

Technology: Computer Access Technology (CAT) – Assistive Software

1. Basic Assistive Software - Basic emulation software (mouse/onscreen keyboard), basic word prediction (non-phonetic), basic screen reading software.
2. Complex Assistive Software - Specialised access software packages with mouse/keyboard emulation, system navigational control, word prediction, screen reading,  voice recognition, text production support software packages including word prediction, screen reading, spelling support features, optical character recognition features.

Technology: Environmental Control Systems (ECS) – User Control Devices

1. Basic User Control Devices - Power Interruption - basic on off control of electrical appliances (e.g. lamps, radio), static display devices - direct access large button remotes (non- learning), static display devices - direct switch control, multiple switches - 1 per function.
2. Static Display Alternative Access Devices - Static display device, switch scanning access, trainable, associated control modules and home infrastructure hardware; includes multilevel devices.
3. Complex User Control Devices - Dynamic display, multiple access (direct/switch/alternative mouse), associated control modules and home infrastructure hardware.  Includes iOs, Android and computer based devices as ECS control modules. Also SGD software and associated interfaces.
4. Eye Gaze and Integrated Control Systems - ECS via Eye Gaze hardware and associated interfaces,  control modules and home infrastructure hardware; ECS via Powered Wheelchair Integrated Control systems and associated control modules and home infrastructure hardware.

Technology: Environmental Control Systems (ECS) – Infrastructure Hardware

1. Plug-in Appliance Modules – Plug-in appliance modules (for power points for on/off control of lamps, fans, radios) and associated infrastructure hardware and programming units.
2. Light-Socket Modules - Light socket modules for hardwired lighting and associated infrastructure hardware and programming units.
3. Complex Control Module Hardware - Control module hardware - enabling interfacing with multiple home appliances in multiple rooms and associated infrastructure hardware and programming units.

Technology: Technology, Access and Communication Accessories

Mounting - Mounting components to enable access to devices / controls (for computer access, communication or environmental control) where positioning is critical to enable the device to be used.  Items to be mounted onto equipment program funded items such as MWC, PWC, Bed or over way table, can also be  “stand alone” floor mount for eye gaze technology.