Additional Needs

Comfee Seat

Posted by Ger Renton on 22nd May 2017 Additional Needs, Disabilities

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We researched it.

And we talked some more about it.

It was never going to be an easy process; emotionally or financially.

Acknowledging your child needs more support when sitting and accepting that; is a very difficult process.

Finances when you’re a parent can be a struggle, when you're a parent of a child with physically disabilities, I assure you, finances can become even more of a struggle.

When it comes to getting a seat made to suit your child's needs and his potential needs where does anyone start?

We struggled with companies and their understanding of what getting a chair like this meant to us.

We struggles to get funding for the chair as 3,000 euro was something we simply couldn’t afford.

After a few meetings with the powers that be, it was decided that Ethan would be granted the funding for his new chair and even a new wheelchair.

This for us, was a huge relief to say the least.

It’s not like buying a chair that sits nicely in your well decorated room.

It takes far more than us, Ethan’s parents, to make a decision on what chair would suit his needs best.

That's a hard thing to realise.

This was not us buying a new chair for our son, this was us needing help buying a chair for our son, needing a professional to help us purchase the correct seat.

It didn’t feel like shopping either ; it felt more like looking at Hunter Syndrome (the condition Ethan has) right in the eye and saying ‘ OK , OK you’re winning, let us have the chair and keep our son comfortable’

We had an occupational therapist (OT) arrange all the consultations with the makers of the chair.

He looked at every site we had bookmarked, done all the research and came back with what he felt would best suit Ethan's current needs and his potential future needs.

He went above and beyond, to be honest.

The rep for the company came by our house.

With him he bought all kinds of chairs including the one we were most interested in.

He sat with us while we discussed Ethan's current needs and possible future needs.

He was patient, even while Ethan kicked and screamed.

He measured Ethan and assured us he would drop a sample chair off for Ethan to use while we decided if this was the chair for Ethan.

The seat is called a Comfee Seat and is made by James Leckey Design.

The rep along with the OT both made this part of the process easy and quick; they both were clearly in their right careers.

Ethan loved it.

He sat in it for the majority of the day.

The following day we added the table top, where for the first time in months he messily feed himself some yoghurt.

Over this past week, we have made some suggestions to the OT in order to ensure Ethan's seat is as perfect as we can get it for him.

Nothing we suggested was ‘too much’ or ‘impossible’, we were told that the company were happy to add whatever or take away whatever we felt Ethan needed.

We are looking forward to getting Ethan’s Comfee seat made to spec for him.

We can’t wait to see how Ethan reacts to his very own Comfee seat. Judging by how content he seems with the sample chair, we have high hopes as to how content he will be when his chair arrives.

Ethan seems happier in it.

Ethan seems more relaxed in it.

His favourite part of the seat seems to be the leg rest; something we knew he would enjoy.

Us?

We are just trying to get used to Ethan needing the chair and doing our best to make sure he is comfortable in it, but we are very thankful for great OT’s and very honest approachable reps from companies like James Leckey Design.