GEL is the BEST Solution

DURABLE MEDICAL EQUIPMENT is a term for a broad spectrum of items including those for assisting mobility: wheelchairs, crutches, walkers, and canes.

The Gel Ovations product line is focused on padding and protecting people from their Durable Medical Equipment.

There are two main ways that Durable Medical Equipment adversely affects people because of how hard it is:   Abrasion   &   Pressure

ABRASION is the process of wearing away by friction. Any time a person, even fully clothed, rubs against something hard, abrasion happens. There is a high likelihood that if it happens often enough over a period of time, the person will develop skin problems that range from irritation and rash to actual breakdown of the skin, a difficult condition to cure.

PREVENTION is the BEST CURE.

Therapists instruct their patients in the proper use of equipment. As we all know, patients are humans recovering from and coping with difficult situations. Constant proper use of equipment is often an illusive goal.

Even with proper use of equipment, abrasion problems still arise. Padding with a covering that can reduce abrasion as a PREVENTATIVE, and is often the best approach... While providing MORE COMFORT.

PRESSURE ??  To some, it means a work deadline, or trying to juggle schedules for children. To a wheelchair user and many other durable medical equipment users, it can mean life-threatening skin breakdown and pain. To users of crutches, walkers, and canes, it can mean unnecessary pain and a variety of health problems. That's why every client, clinician and rehabilitation products dealer is always looking for the best interface between the durable medical equipment user and the equipment.

The most common life threatening pressure problem is pressure ulcers (sometimes called bedsores or decubitus ulcers) This is particularly so for wheelchair users. These ulcers occur when a bone, particularly a bony prominence such as the scapular bones of the back, and the bones of you seat region that press against your muscle and skin – the ischials and tarsils – compress blood vessels in a way that cuts off blood flow. Any cells without proper blood flow are subject to being killed, and this is the primary source of problems.

Given this background, what is it that GEL does that makes it so useful in helping with this problem?

People often talk about pressure relief, and there is a feeling of relief when GEL is used.

PREVENTION is the BEST CURE. The wheelchair is the most complex because it comes in contact with so many parts of the body and it is often used for very long periods of time - each day and on a long-term basis.

Also, different patients interact with parts of their chairs in many different ways. 

How are your patients using their chairs?  Some questions to ask include: 

•   Do you like to self-propel some of the time?
•   Do you race about?
•   How do you use your arms?
•   Do you have a power chair? 
•   How long have you been using the same chair?
•   Do you have duct tape on your chair?  Where?  Why?
•   Do you have sticky duct tape residue on your chair?
•   Is there pipe wrap, towels, a shammy, synthetic fleece or sheepskin taped to your chair?
•   Is it hard to keep your chair padding as clean as you would like?
•   Does your chair padding stay where you want it?
•   Does your padding for your legrest hangers store on your chair when you re-attach the leg rests?
• Do you have calf support panels that split for ease of exiting your chair?

SOLUTIONS

Gel Ovations products were created to address the interface between people and durable equipment. Using a proprietary using proprietary hydrophilic and hydrophobic gels in different applications, and offering them in a  variety of configurations and attachable surfaces, Gel Ovations offers the industry's best solutions to improving COMFORT... REDUCING both PRESSURE and ABRASION.

Gel Ovations products incorporate a not made with natural rubber latex, solid GEL and many have a durable neoprene nylon surface, which is soft, easy to clean, and highly efficient at distributing pressure. They protect bony prominences and reduce abrasions, shear, and harmful pressure-related problems. Additionally they offer the ULTIMATE in COMFORT, making them the "BEST of SHOW" in interface products.

Structured 3 Dimensional GEL

Dimensional GEL Pads address all 4 sources of discomfort: pressure, heat, moisture, and shearing friction. They reduce pressure problems and pressure ulcers.

Made from a special medical grade silicone that mimics human fatty tissue -  they are extremely soft to the touch and maintain the same softness in a cold Canadian winter and a hot Texas summer.
 
These pads are among the best available at distributing pressure from bony protuberances.  They reduce the ‘pressure per square inch’ by distributing a point pressure over a wide area.

Dimensional GEL Pads have a unique shape.  The top of each pad has mini-pads – separated by open channels.   When pressure is applied, the silicone gel moves into the open spaces and this prevents ‘pressure hardening’ that can occur in a solid flat GEL pad.  These pads are only ½” thick and provide the maximum pressure reduction in a thin pad.

Dimensional GEL Pads shape offers significant other advantages.  Heat and moisture can be ‘channeled away’.   By flowing with the moving body, they reduce the friction and shearing from normal moving.

They can be used alone or placed inside or on top of an existing foam pad.   These pads offer all 4 benefits in a very thin ½”.   If relief is needed in only a small area, a small pad can be used in just that area.  When this area is a section of a larger foam pad, cut out a section of the foam to allow the top of the Dimensional GEL Pads to be level with the existing foam.

Dimensional GEL Pads are the very best pads made by Gel Ovations.

SPECIAL MEDICAL GRADE SILICONE FLAT PADS

These Flat Pads are made from a special medical grade silicone that mimics human fatty tissue. They are extremely soft to the touch and maintain the same softness in a cold Canadian winter and a hot Texas summer.

This GEL distributes a point pressure over a wide area and thus reduces the ‘pressure per square inch’.  It is among the best available at distributing pressure from bony protuberances. 

Depending on the part of the body producing the pressure, pressure distribution improves using up to ½” to 5/8” of special GEL.  When a thicker pad is desired, the medical grade pad should be added on top of a high quality foam pad.  Because of how thin they are, these flat pads usually fit on top of an existing foam cushion and within the foam cushion cover.

Flat pads come in many thicknesses and sizes and this is also the gel used in the dimensional pads – the very best pads available from Gel Ovations.

GEL versus SHEEPSKIN (real & synthetic) with FOAM

Gel Ovations is the largest manufacturer of GEL products for padding Durable Medical Equipment.

If you know the Gel Ovations Product Code for the item you want, you can enter it directly into the SEARCH WINDOW at the top of each page. Looking for Falcon Gel or FalconGel? You have found it !!! Falcon Gel is the original name for the Gel Ovations product line.

GEL products are usually the most COMFORTABLE for most people. The COMFORT and QUALITY come from the cover, the GELS used, and the designs including attachment options. No type of product is ‘the best for everyone’ and yet high quality GEL may be the exception.

A GEL is neither liquid nor solid. A solid GEL provides more support than Jell-O. When a hard object is pressed into a solid GEL, the GEL conforms to the shape of the hard object while simultaneously continuing to provide support. That combination is why solid GELS are so comfortable.

Imagine resting your chin on your hand with your elbow on a wooden desk. The pointed end of the elbow bone has little padding. This quickly leads to discomfort and can even cut off the blood circulation. To relieve the discomfort, the surface needs to be ‘softer’ and the pressure needs to be spread out over a larger area as happens with GEL.

Neither foam nor sheepskin has the ability to both soften and spread out the pressure. In many products, especially foam, the cover will crack, adding a sharp scratchy plastic edge that also can be very uncomfortable. The flexible, woven nylon / rubber covering of Gel Ovations products is guaranteed to never crack. It also adds and extra layer of soft comfort, not scratches.

Dimensional GEL Pads have additional characteristics.  They may look lumpy in pictures and that is why they are so comfortable.  When a knee or elbow or whatever presses against it - there is open space within the pad so the pad naturally molds around what it is cushioning and creates a custom fit. These mini-pads within the pad - move with the body almost eliminating shear!

Did we mention Gel Ovations products come out on top for EASE of CLEANING?