INNOVATION FOR INDEPENDENCE
ISSUE 115 JUNE/JULY 2017 £6.95
Researchers to conduct study to reduce falls
RESEARCHERS from Glasgow Caledonian University are conducting a study to find the most effective podiatry approaches for reducing falls among older people.
Falls in older people are a major public health problem, with at least one in three people aged over 65 falling each year. The incidence of care homes falls is around three times that of falls in the community. There is also increasing evidence that foot problems and inappropriate footwear increase the risk of falls. Many elderly people have a foot problem which affects mobility and balance, increasing the risk of falls. These can include bunions and nail problems, musculoskeletal problems, joint function problems and poorly fitting footwear affecting posture, balance and stability. As a result, podiatry has an important role to play in falls prevention by diagnosing podiatry related risk factors which could contribute to falls, and prescribing appropriate tailored insoles, foot and ankle exercises and footwear. Dr Jacqui Morris, of GCU’s Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professions Research Unit, is leading a systematic review, funded by the Chief Scientist Office, which funds research
and development in NHS Scotland, of published studies that examine the effects of podiatry treatments on falls in older people.
Jacqui said: “This is an important piece of work which recognises the important role that podiatrists can play in reducing falls in elderly care home residents. “The work will prepare the way for a funding application for a large trial to test an intervention that is easily implementable in care homes, but that potentially has a large impact on the quality of life for elderly residents. The review will ensure that the intervention is based on the most up to date research evidence.” Working with GCU’s Dr Pauline Campbell and researchers from the Universities of Dundee and Stirling, Dr Morris will find out whether strategies delivered by podiatrists to improve foot health, strength and comfort are beneficial. The study will combine the findings of the review to understand what the best podiatry approaches are for reducing falls, and to compile important questions about what should be addressed in future studies, particularly in relation to falls in care homes.
Third year Glasgow Caledonian University student Lucy Forsyth has been awarded a prestigious Carnegie Trust Vacation Scholarship to undertake a piece of independent research during the summer break. The podiatry student will work under the supervision of Dr Gordon Hendry, lecturer in musculoskeletal rehabilitation, and Dr Lisa Newcombe, lecturer in podiatry, both of whom work in GCU’s Musculoskeletal Health Research Group, on a project entitled ‘Intrinsic foot muscle cross-sectional area in people with and without plantar heel pain’.
SHEFFIELD Teaching Hospitals’ podiatry service has retained its prestigious Customer Service Excellence Standard for the 19th year. The Sheffield Podiatry Services’ team provide a range of treatment for people with foot problems at NHS centres and clinics throughout Sheffield, including treatments for patients with acute foot conditions, nail surgery and regular clinics for patients with diabetes and rheumatology who are more susceptible to foot damage and pain. The team is one of a handful of services in Sheffield to hold the Government-accredited mark, which recognises best practice in customer service. During a two-day annual assessment, the team were praised for providing excellent patient care and their continual commitment to putting patients at the heart of their services. Feedback from patients was also extremely positive. Dr Lisa Farndon, who leads on customer care for the service, said: “We are really proud to hold this
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Members of the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals’ podiatry service.
prestigious customer service quality standard and it demonstrates what a dedicated team we have working in Sheffield Podiatry Services. “This year the service was fully compliant with all elements of the standard, and was given two compliance plus elements which means we are doing even more than this stringent Standard requires us to deliver efficient, effective, excellent, equitable and empowering services for patients with foot problems. “The assessor was really impressed
with everyone and with our consistently high patient satisfaction scores, Friends and Family test results and with the comments and compliments that we regularly receive from patients. The assessor also spoke to many patients all of whom said they were happy with the service that they receive.” The strengthening of the Research Strategy for the Combined Community and Acute Care Group with the introduction of a more robust research infrastructure was also praised.
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Podiatry service retains customer service mark
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ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGIES I JUNE/JULY 2017
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Architecture and occupational therapy students join to design for dementia GROUPS of architecture and occupational therapy students at Robert Gordon University have joined forces for a collaborative learning opportunity focusing on the needs of individuals with dementia in relation to their living environments. The joint teaching and learning sessions were developed as an innovative way to support these third year students and encourage future colleagues to collaborate, learning with and from each other. The project has enabled a better understanding of building design and interpreting plans for the occupational therapy students, while the architecture students have gained awareness and knowledge of the needs of this particular population. Dawn Mitchell, subject leader in occupational therapy, said there are huge challenges for people with dementia when it comes to carrying out simple everyday tasks around the home. “Individuals with dementia frequently experience challenges in their daily life due to cognitive impairment such as memory loss, disorientation or visual impairments,” she added. “These challenges can make finding their way around the environment or carrying out new or even familiar activities difficult.
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The architecture and occupational therapy students and lecturers with some of their dementia building designs.
participants in society by allowing individuals to continue to participate in their chosen occupations while maintaining independence through reducing risk and building confidence. Collaboratively, the students have considered how the environment could be created or modified to reduce potential barriers.
“Through their unique understanding of these difficulties, occupational therapists can inform and influence design and building of inclusive environments.
“It is anticipated this shared learning will increase the students’ knowledge which they will use in their chosen careers and also support their understanding of each other’s roles and future collaborative working.”
“This process enables older people to remain active
Neil Lamb, subject leader in architecture, added:
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“This an invaluable experience for our student architects as they are learning to design more adaptive environments that allow people to remain independent for longer. “Once they started chatting with the OT students, it became clear that some established design practices needed to be re-thought as they can present real difficulties for those with dementia. “This collaborative approach to teaching and learning made perfect sense for us, as the students could gain great insight from each other and ultimately it could lead to the improvement of living conditions those with dementia.”
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Devon podiatry team wins award for lowering amputation rates A DIABETES footcare initiative in Exeter has won a top NHS award for lowering amputation rates below the national average. The Integrated Diabetic Footcare Faculty, which was set up in 2012, scooped the NHS Health Education England Innovation Champion Star Award. Sarah Clauson, who is a complex care and rheumatology podiatrist at the Royal Devon and Exeter Foundation Trust, said: “The reason given at the award ceremony was that we are a voluntary organisation which is thought to have contributed to lowering the amputation rate in East Devon from 1.4 in 2012 to 0.6 in 2017, which is lower than the national average of 0.8.” The IDFF is a proactive, podiatry led network of healthcare professionals who focus on structured education
“We would like to see a national standard set for education and we aim to contact the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists to help develop this.”
and service development. Initial audits which were carried out showed 26 per cent of practice and community nurses had received education in diabetic foot assessments and only 25 per cent of 100 consecutive podiatry notes in East Devon had recorded any form of patient education. A route cause analysis further revealed 52 per cent of minor amputations were potentially linked to late referral. In response to these findings, the team developed a range of educational tools for healthcare professionals, which included a 10 step prompt poster series. In November 2015 they also launched an eLearning education package to provide healthcare professionals with an annual update in diabetic foot assessments. The eLearning package allows users to work through the stages involved in a diabetic foot assessment, complete knowledge check-points and provides guidance on individual risk statuses which form the local diabetic footcare pathway. The IDFF education tools have also
been extended to patients via a structured education package. This is used during annual foot assessments to remind patients about vital foot healthcare and to prompt discussion. Emergency access cards have also been developed to provide patients with contact information and include guidance for practitioners on appropriate investigations and referrals should they require urgent care. The IDFF model has now been replicated by other healthcare professionals within the south west to develop similar networks. Further audits carried out since, have revealed that recording of patient education had improved with a 100 per cent of a 100 consecutive podiatry notes in East Devon having structured education recorded against just 25 per cent in 2012. Of the patient notes audited, 78 per cent had education delivered via the 10 step prompt poster series and 98 per cent had been issued with an Emergency Access Card. The team have also developed flyers for nursing homes and healthcare professionals to advertise the eLearning and resource folder. These
are currently being sent to all GP practices, practice and community nurses within Mid and East Devon and nursing homes. Sarah added: “We are looking for opportunities to work in conjunction with pan peninsula medical school and college of nursing to train first year students via the eLearning. We would like to see a national standard set for education and we aim to contact the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists to help develop this. “Our chair Sue Pyle has also worked with Diabetes UK to develop a document that is an example of best practice of developing a network and will be published in the September issue of the Diabetic Foot journal.” The Star Awards recognise the very best in education and training across the health and care sector in the south west. They celebrate individuals or teams providing healthcare or public health services for NHS patients and service users in NHS trusts, general practice, local authority, education and independent or private settings including those providing pharmacy, dental and optometry services.
Clinical governance officer Paul Wimpenny; physiotherapist Danielle Stones; and clinical director Mark Fletcher outside the new clinic.
Physiotherapy clinic opens
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A LEADING Guiseley physiotherapy provider which has increased its client base by a third has moved into new and expanded premises in the region.
Managing director of Physio Med, Phil Clayton, said: “We’re delighted with the new clinic and can’t wait for customers to come and experience it for themselves.”
Award-winning occupational physiotherapy provider Physio Med has significantly increased its client base in the region over the last 12 months, and the dramatic period of growth has facilitated a move to expanded premises in the Aireborough Leisure Centre.
Physio Med has operated a clinic in Guiseley for 26 years. Mark Fletcher, the company’s clinical director and former head physio of Bradford Bulls, originally opened it in 1990 and will be in attendance to celebrate its reopening.
Featuring three state-of-the-art treatment rooms and a waiting area, the clinic offers a wide range of cutting-edge treatments, including shockwave and laser therapies, acupuncture, sports massage, and back and neck treatments.
He added: “Although I can’t quite believe Physio Med has been established in Guiseley for over a quarter of a century now, the fact that we are is testament to the excellent, consistent work that the team has done, and continues to do.”
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Hand that ‘sees’ offers new hope to amputees A NEW generation of prosthetic limbs which will allow the wearer to reach for objects automatically, without thinking – just like a real hand – are to be trialled for the first time.
“It is this which enables it to accurately assess and pick up an object which it has never seen before – a huge step forward in the development of bionic limbs.”
Led by biomedical engineers at Newcastle University and funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the bionic hand is fitted with a camera which instantaneously takes a picture of the object in front of it, assesses its shape and size and triggers a series of movements in the hand.
Grouping objects by size, shape and orientation, according to the type of grasp that would be needed to pick them up, the team programmed the hand to perform four different ‘grasps’: palm wrist neutral (such as when you pick up a cup); palm wrist pronated (such as picking up the TV remote); tripod (thumb and two fingers) and pinch (thumb and first finger).
Bypassing the usual processes which require the user to see the object, physically stimulate the muscles in the arm and trigger a movement in the prosthetic limb, the hand ‘sees’ and reacts in one fluid movement. A small number of amputees have already trialled the new technology and now the Newcastle University team are working with experts at Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to offer the ‘hands with eyes’ to patients at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital. Co-author on the study, Dr Kianoush Nazarpour, a senior lecturer in Biomedical Engineering at Newcastle University, said: “Prosthetic limbs have changed very little in the past 100 years – the design is much better and the materials’ are lighter weight and more durable but they still work in the same way. “Using computer vision, we have developed a bionic hand which can respond automatically – in fact, just like a real hand, the user can reach out and pick up a cup or a biscuit with nothing more than a quick
Dr Kianoush Nazarpour with the ‘hand with eyes’.
glance in the right direction. “Responsiveness has been one of the main barriers to artificial limbs. For many amputees the reference point is their healthy arm or leg so prosthetics seem slow and cumbersome in comparison. “Now, for the first time in a century, we have developed an ‘intuitive’ hand that can react without thinking.” Recent statistics show that in the UK there are around 600 new upper-limb amputees every year, of which 50 per cent are in the age range of 15-54 years old. In the US there are 500,000 upper limb amputees a year. Using neural networks – the basis for artificial intelligence – lead author on the study Ghazal Ghazaei showed the computer numerous object images
and taught it to recognise the ‘grip’ needed for different objects. “We would show the computer a picture of, for example, a stick,” said Ghazal, who carried out the work as part of her PhD in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Newcastle University. “But not just one picture, many images of the same stick from different angles and orientations, even in different light and against different backgrounds and eventually the computer learns what grasp it needs to pick that stick up. “So the computer isn’t just matching an image, it’s learning to recognise objects and group them according to the grasp type the hand has to perform to successfully pick it up.
Using a 99p camera fitted to the prosthesis, the hand ‘sees’ an object, picks the most appropriate grasp and sends a signal to the hand – all within a matter of milliseconds and ten times faster than any other limb currently on the market. The work is part of a larger research project to develop a bionic hand that can sense pressure and temperature and transmit the information back to the brain. Led by Newcastle University and involving experts from the universities of Leeds, Essex, Keele, Southampton and Imperial College London, the aim is to develop novel electronic devices that connect to the forearm neural networks to allow two-way communications with the brain. Reminiscent of Luke Skywalker’s artificial hand, the electrodes in the bionic limb would wrap around the nerve endings in the arm. This would mean for the first time the brain could communicate directly with the prosthesis
Fellowship for disability sport pioneer Elizabeth A DISABILITY sport pioneer has been made an honorary fellow of Abertay University after transforming local opportunities in Tayside.
60 members across a range of sports including rugby, basketball, tennis, curling and badminton. “I’m really honoured to receive this Fellowship from Abertay, particularly because of the strong links we have had with the university,” said Elizabeth, who suffered a spinal cord injury in 2011 and is a full-time wheelchair user.
Elizabeth Ferris from Carse of Gowrie was selected for the honour in recognition of her tireless work in establishing and growing the Dundee Dragons wheelchair sport charity since 2013.
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The 30-year-old was inducted as an honorary fellow alongside former assistant chief executive of NHS Tayside, Daniel McLaren, former Abertay academic, professor Louis Natanson and former Abertay viceprincipal, professor Mary Malcolm.
Elizabeth Ferris has been made an honorary fellow by Abertay University.
Abertay’s Division of Sport and Exercise has close links with Dundee Dragons and many students have
engaged in training placements before going on to coach disability sport at a national level.
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She added: “When you are in a chair, people treat you as if you are wrapped in cotton wool, so the best thing to disprove that is to get out there and get involved in sport.
From small beginnings, Elizabeth, originally from Northern Ireland, has grown the organisation to more than
“The importance of exercise is magnified tenfold for someone with a disability and there’s also an important social aspect that can’t be overlooked.”
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DM Orthotics ‘Godsend’ for six-time Paralympian REDRUTH based manufacturer DM Orthotics Ltd has added paracanoeist and six-time Paralympian Jeanette Chippington MBE, to its ever-successful roster of para-athletes collectively known as Team DMO. DM Orthotics who; design, manufacture and supply orthotic medical products to patients of cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, stroke, scoliosis and other related conditions, are pleased to make Jeanette’s advocacy official following her gold medal win at the Rio 2016
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Paralympic Games.
other injuries.
Jeanette’s arrival to Team DMO.
Jeanette, who was paralysed by Transverse Myelitis at age 12, had been using the company’s trademark, DMO Suit to help manage a shoulder injury prior to the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.
“Using it in conjunction with physio has completely solved my shoulder pain. It’s a Godsend!”
He said: “Jeanette has had an outstanding Paralympic career to date. We are really proud to have her on-board, she is a great inspiration.”
Jeanette commented on the suit’s effectiveness. She said: “The suit pulls my shoulder back slightly to realign me and set it in the correct position. It realigns my whole posture and sets my pelvis in a neutral position to help me avoid
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Jeanette has forged an extraordinary Paralympic career, which began as a para-swimmer in Seoul in 1988, and won 12 medals across consecutive games through to 2004. In 2016 she reinvented herself as para-canoeist winning the Gold in the Women’s KL1 200m. DM Orthotics managing director, Martin Matthews, commented on
DM Orthotics is proud to support a number of high profile GB Paralympics athletes including Kadeena Cox, who won four medals across two sports at Rio 2016. To find out more about Jeanette, the DMO products she uses and the rest of Team DMO visit www.dmorthotics.com
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No one wants to suffer an injury, but it happens. However if, during your leisure time, you sustain an injury that prevents you from working, whose problem is it? Does your employer have any obligation to help you recover from your injury and return to work? Paul Wimpenny, clinical governance officer at Physio Med, explains why employers should be doing everything in their power to keep their staff healthy, productive and at work, and the measures they can take to achieve this.
At home with an injury? Whose job is it to help you return to work?
LAST year in England, almost half of the reported 1.25 million work related injuries were musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and yet, according to The Institution of Safety and Health, 53 per cent of MSDs treated by doctors were non-work related, meaning the overall majority were sustained outside of work. These figures raise an interesting question: if you suffer an injury in your own time and it stops you from working, whose responsibility is it to get you back to work and up to full capacity? If you suffer an injury whilst at work, your employer would almost certainly provide support designed to help you return to work quickly and safely. But if you suffer an injury outside of work, you’re largely on your own because, according to the Government-funded Fit for Work initiative: “It is not the responsibility of the employer to get an employee fit again. That lays with the employee
and their doctors as their primary carer.”
long absence before your doctor sees you and refers you for physiotherapy. You may then have to wait six weeks for the appointment and, if the physiotherapist then wants to see you again in a fortnight, you could be looking at an absence of nine weeks or more.
However, as Fit for Work further explains: “The employer may wish to try and support the employee back to work sooner, rather than waiting until they are fully fit if the employee is on long term sick.”
So, legally it is not your boss’s responsibility to help you return to work but, clearly, it is in their best interests to do so.
This suggests there are only two options for employees – either return to work as soon as possible whether you are fully fit or not, or remain absent from work for an extended amount of time. For an employer, having a key member of staff absent for a long period can impact the business both financially and in terms of efficiency. For an employee, suffering prolonged periods of absence can impact longterm career prospects, while working when not completely fit can have health implications and result in minor conditions becoming more serious. Whatever the legal position, from
Paul Wimpenny
the employer’s perspective it is in the interests of all parties to put measures in place to support and rehabilitate employees regardless of the cause of their injury. Imagine what would happen if you suffered an injury tonight and couldn’t make it into the office tomorrow. You, your colleagues and your employer would all suffer for the duration of your absence. If you can’t go to work, your tasks will either not be completed or someone else will have to do them for you. This means that one (or several) of your colleagues will either have to suffer an increased workload, or prioritise your work instead of their own, creating a backlog. This can also increase stress levels amongst your colleagues whilst also impacting the profitability of the company due to the decreases in productivity and efficiency. Meanwhile, you are at home contemplating an extended absence – a musculoskeletal injury which requires physiotherapy treatment and rehabilitation can begin with a week-
There are many ways employers can provide care and support to their employees, but having a health and wellbeing strategy in place is the most sensible. By providing employees with access to an occupational health service, employers can help safeguard against illness and injury and, if something does go wrong, employees will be helped to get back on their feet and back to full capacity. By adding access to occupational physiotherapy to the OH mix, employees can be treated quickly instead of waiting for NHS treatment, helping reduce their pain levels, get them back to work more quickly and increase their productivity. The fact that most MSDs actually occur outside of work needs to be reflected in policy making. It’s basically irrelevant where an injury takes place – the effects to the company, its employees and the finances are exactly the same - so we need to move away from the differentiation. Today, almost all jobs require teamwork in order to succeed and a flexible approach to occupational health will help enable this.
Physiotherapists bring hope to African hospital PHYSIOTHERAPISTS at The Montefiore Hospital in Hove have turned their recycling efforts into a charitable cause. In the past six months they have collected more than 750 unwanted crutches from patients and these are now on the way to a poorly equipped hospital in the Republic of Somaliland, east Africa. Once there, the crutches will be used by victims of car accidents and the past civil war. “Our patients leave crutches with 12
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us once they no longer have use for them, but we felt terrible just throwing them away,” said Gary Nicholson, physiotherapist with Radius Healthcare, a partner with The Montefiore Hospital. “We made contact with a small charity called African Appeal that is now taking our crutches to Somaliland which is great news for the patients there.” In the UK, strict health and safety rules mean crutches cannot be reused and even charity shops
are reluctant to accept them from donors. All donated walking aid equipment is thoroughly checked by The Montefiore team and their African Appeal partners to ensure they are in working condition before being transported the 7,064 miles to Hargeysa, the capital of the Republic of Somaliland. Nasser Soufi, a Bristol-based postman who is leading the African Appeal charity with his work colleagues, added: “There is a huge
demand for this equipment in the main hospital in Hargeysa. When I visited last year, three crutches were being shared by several hundred people. “Many are victims of car accidents as the roads in Somaliland are rough and hazardous. We are very grateful to The Montefiore Hospital helping us with this project.” The African Appeal team has already made one trip to Hargeysa hospital and set off again recently for a second trip to deliver the crutches.
The Challenger fitness foot The Challenger fitness foot was developed for the varying demands of recreational sports. Users particularly benefit from its unusual design when participating in field sports, which require spontaneous changes in direction and quick sideways movements.
TWO Ottobock products – the Challenger fitness foot and the DMC VariPlus system electric Greifer – are both receiving the prestigious Red Dot Award this year. The jury also awarded the system electric Greifer the “Red Dot: best of the best” distinction for highest design quality and pioneering design. The Red Dot Award is one of the biggest design competitions in the world. The jury held its first product design competition in 1955, and a team consisting of some 40 experts including independent designers, professors of design and journalists in the field have been awarding the seal of quality for good design and innovation to the year’s top designs since then. The official awards ceremony will be held in Essen, Germany, during the Red Dot Gala on July 3. System electric Greifer with integrated LED lights Many prosthesis wearers use an electric Greifer as an alternative to
The System electric Greifer with integrated LED lights their prosthetic hand. This special prosthesis is ideally suited for use as a reliable and robust terminal device, and particularly for manual tasks, as it allows exceptional gripping of objects and is less susceptible to dirt. The LED lights integrated in Ottobock’s system electric Greifer are unique. They make it possible to illuminate small and larger objects alike, as well as working areas – so even tiny objects can be easily grasped.
The awarding of the highest Red Dot distinction places the system electric Greifer’s product designers among the creators of the best product of 2017. The design clearly puts people first by focusing on the needs and wishes of the user. Its subtle, colourcoordinated concept integrating a range of grey tones supports the top-quality workmanship and the robustness of the product’s materials.
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Red Dot Awards for two Ottobock products The curved, carbon fibre main spring absorbs impact loads and offers high energy return. At the same time, the base spring, combined with heel wedge damping that can be individually adjusted by the athlete, ensures stability and control during quick movements as well as when walking and standing. Prosthesis users have gained confidence in recent years, and increasing numbers of users are proud to show off their top-quality product rather than concealing it behind inconspicuous cosmetic covers. The Challenger responds to this trend by bringing together innovative technology and a modern design.
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Pace Bredbury Clinic is officially opened PACE staff welcomed more than 90 guests, including Stockport Mayor Councillor Chris Gordon, to help celebrate the opening of its new clinic. The services that Pace’s multidisciplinary team delivers to its patients were demonstrated as guests were given a guided tour around the impressive new building.
New Chaneco footwear catalogue is launched CHANECO is excited to announce the release of our new footwear catalogue (Issue 9) which brings together all the developments from recent years, to offer you more choice and flexibility than ever before. New additions include a larger range of ladies sandals, our new “made-toorder” house shoe/slipper range and the addition of heat-mouldable neoprene to our material selection.
Guests learned about the importance taking cast of a patient’s residual limb, then how it is skilfully rectified, before being manufactured as a socket and subsequent assembly to produce a complete prosthesis.
prosthetic componentry.
The audience was shown the clinical delivery and essential associated therapy services (physiotherapy and occupational therapy), as upper and lower limb patients were put through their paces as they used their prostheses in the clinic rooms.
Glasses were then charged to toast the official opening by Pace founder Toby Carlsson and the unveiling of the plaque by special guest (European, World and Paralympic Paratriathlon champion and Pace patient) Andy Lewis MBE.
The returning groups then took the opportunity to visit the exhibiting stands of amputee charities Limbless Association and Limbpower, as well as industry leading manufacturers/ suppliers Blatchford, Ortho Europe, Össur, Ottobock and Steeper Group, who were displaying their ranges of
To conclude proceedings, demonstrating that with the right support a patient can return to activities they previously enjoyed, outside in front of the gathered crowd, recent leg amputee Neal Gibson cycled his BMX, negotiating man made jumps.
The new catalogue is grouped by pathology to make it easier to find the most appropriate footwear and includes our most up-todate styles. We have even included a ‘How to Use’ guide on page 4 to help assist you though the process. Each style is shown with its “default options” – these tell you which last and sole unit will be used unless you specify otherwise. There are two keys on each double page, to show you which sole units can be used with which last – and
vice versa. Other than that, the choice is yours. If you have any queries regarding the new catalogue, or if you require any copies, please do not hesitate to contact our Customer Services team on 01604 709999, email info@chaneco.co.uk or contact your local business manager.
DeNovo Healthcare offers one of largest and most versatile ranges AS THE exclusive UK distributor for Nimco Made4You footwear, DeNovo Healthcare can offer one of the largest and most versatile ranges in the country.
environmentally friendly shoe with the high quality you expect from Nimco.
Nimco Made4You specialise in made to order Children’s and Adult’s footwear which will be made to your exact specification, with a wide variety of customisation options available.
This is the perfect fusion of footwear and AFO. By combining the footwear manufacturing expertise of Nimco Made4You and the Thermoformable Carbon Fibre (TFC) material from Fillauer, you can now have a fully made to cast Carbon fibre AFO fully integrated into your footwear.
You will always be able to find the perfect combination for your patient. Nimco Made4You Children’s Footwear is available in 38 different styles which have been sub-divided into two categories. Toddlers styles cover sizes 16 to 27 and are designed specifically to be perfectly proportioned at these smaller sizes. The children’s styles cover sizes 18 to 45 with a wide selection of upper heights from shoes to high boot options. The whole Nimco children’s range is available in 12 different last options including four Anti-Varus widths along with four different stiffener options. This combination of lasts and stiffeners allows you to always have the best fit for your patient. The 2017 children’s range adds many improvements and additions including a revised BOA closure system on the rear opening style Alfie, 14
ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGIES I JUNE/JULY 2017
A new development for 2017 is the unique Integrated Orthosis Boot (IOB).
welt sole styles now start from size 18 and the range of sole units have been streamlined for easier selection. The Nimco Made4You Adult’s footwear range features 44 styles and available in sizes two to 11 for ladies’ styles and five to 14 for men’s styles. All styles are available in four different width fittings and four last shapes to best suit your patient’s needs. The majority of the adult’s range can be manufactured using Nimco’s patented stretch leather. This durable material has bi-directional stretch properties and allows the footwear to better accommodate many foot shapes with greater comfort. New for 2017 is the introduction of ‘The Green Shoe’; This new style – Forest, is Nimco’s first style to combine Vegetable Tanned leather and lining, a cork mid-heel and a crepe sole. This combination creates very stylish and
This provides all the advantages of a high durability carbon AFO and supportive footwear without having the difficulty of trying to find footwear that can accommodate the orthosis. The IOB is a very aesthetic solution which will help to increase patient compliance and improve treatment outcomes. Due to the properties of the thermoformable carbon fibre material from Fillauer we utilise, it is possible to make alterations to the shape of the AFO element of the IOB after manufacture is complete. This allows changes in the patient to be accommodated over time which would not usually be possible with regular carbon fibre. For further information about The Nimco Made4You Range or the IOB contact us on 01934 808416 or email sales@denovohealthcare.com