8.1 Introduction to Utilize Principles of Mobility to Assist Clients

Mobility is the ability to move one’s body parts, change positions, and function safely within the environment. It is one of the most important factors for remaining independent. Immobility, the inability to independently move and change positions, is a major reason why people are admitted to long-term care facilities for assistance to complete their activities of daily living (ADLs). Declining mobility can negatively affect many aspects of one’s health, especially in the musculoskeletal, respiratory, integumentary, circulatory, and digestive systems. Complications of immobility will be further discussed in Chapter 9.

Nursing assistants (NAs) have a major responsibility for assisting clients who have decreased mobility. Some clients require minor assistance to ambulate safely or move from their bed to a chair, whereas other clients require full assistance for repositioning in bed and/or transferring. NAs also assist in maintaining a resident’s level of functioning by promoting joint mobility and applying prosthetics and orthotics. This chapter will review moving and positioning clients, as well as promoting their joint mobility.

In some circumstances, medical restraints may need to be applied to clients who are at risk for hurting themselves or others. This chapter will also review various types of restraints and how to prevent complications that can result from decreased movement.