We’re delighted to see Design Specific’s Compact Wheelchair Recliners making a real difference to patients and dental teams at NorthLakes Community Clinic in Wisconsin, USA.
Three new Design Specific units have recently been installed at NorthLakes dental clinics in Ashland, Hayward and Oconto, expanding access to dental treatment for patients with mobility needs. The latest installations follow the successful use of similar equipment at NorthLakes’ Turtle Lake Clinic, where positive feedback from patients and providers helped demonstrate the benefits of introducing the equipment to further locations.
The new installations have now been featured in the local press, highlighting how specialist equipment can help remove some of the physical barriers wheelchair users may face when accessing dental care.
Dental Treatment Without the Need to Transfer
For some wheelchair users, transferring from their wheelchair into a conventional dental chair can be difficult, uncomfortable or unsafe.
Our Compact Wheelchair Recliner was developed specifically to address this challenge.
The system allows patients to remain safely seated in their own wheelchair whilst being positioned and reclined for treatment. By bringing the patient into an appropriate treatment position, dental professionals can work more comfortably whilst reducing or eliminating the need to transfer the patient into a separate dental chair.
The Compact Wheelchair Recliner accommodates both manual and powered wheelchairs and features a wide entrance to accommodate different wheelchair sizes and configurations, including the requirements of bariatric patients.
It can recline patients up to 60 degrees and, thanks to its compact and foldable design, can also be conveniently stored when not in use – making it a practical solution for clinics where space may be limited.
Making Special Care Dentistry More Accessible
Accessibility in healthcare is about more than simply being able to enter a building. The equipment available within a treatment room can have a significant impact on whether patients can receive care safely, comfortably and with dignity
NorthLakes’ investment demonstrates how the right specialist equipment can help healthcare providers adapt their services around the individual needs of their patients.
Speaking about the new installations, Candace Anderson, NorthLakes Dental Program Manager, explained that transferring into a dental chair can itself become a barrier to care for some patients. The new recliners allow patients to remain in the wheelchair they are comfortable in whilst enabling dental teams to provide treatment safely and effectively.
For everyone at Design Specific, it is extremely rewarding to see our equipment being used in exactly this way – helping clinicians provide high-quality treatment whilst improving accessibility and comfort for their patients.
Special Care Innovation Around the World
Design Specific has been developing specialist medical and dental equipment for patients with additional needs for more than two decades.
From our beginnings developing wheelchair recliner technology through to the specialist equipment we manufacture today, our focus remains on creating practical, innovative solutions that make a genuine difference to healthcare professionals and the patients they treat.
Our products are now used by dentists and healthcare professionals around the world, and seeing installations such as those at NorthLakes Community Clinic is a fantastic example of that technology delivering real-world benefits.
Read the Full NorthLakes Story
The new installations have been featured by NEW Media Inc., including photographs of the Design Specific Compact Wheelchair Recliners in use at NorthLakes Community Clinic.
Discover the Compact Wheelchair Recliner
The Design Specific Compact Wheelchair Recliner provides an innovative, practical and space-saving solution for treating patients whilst they remain seated in their own wheelchair.
Suitable for both manual and powered wheelchairs, it has been designed with the comfort and needs of both patients and healthcare professionals in mind.
Contact the Design Specific team to discuss your requirements and find out how our specialist equipment could help improve accessibility within your dental practice or healthcare facility.