Car restraints for adults

In the world of disability support there is a term that at first I was unaware of the meaning of. I was asked shortly after starting in this line of work to attend a training session on what to do when you are face with "people displaying challenging behaviours". Which I soon found out to mean "when people get really violent towards you or other members of society".

The good thing in Australia is that the majority of the training in this area focusses on "why would someone want to get violent in the first place?" to which the most common reply is because their needs are not being met and they are having trouble communicating this to you. Some people have little or no verbal communication skills, and when something is really annoying them they have to resort to gestures, but sometimes its hard to tell what someone might be trying to tell you, and after a while of you not understanding they have to say it LOUDER. But when the language they are using is non-verbal, for example sign language, or in many cases subtle body language then they can not simply increase the volume of their voice. So when most people are engaging in what people might see as an outburst of violent behaviour could actually mean "I really want to go to the toilet, why haven't you taken me there yet!" or, "I really don't like being in this place because it's full of bad memories for me and I want to get out of here"

So, anyway, to get to the subject of the matter. I have come across some people who have limited ability to communicate verbally, or who need lots of reassurance when they are travelling to and from places in a car. Unfortunately, if you are the only other person in the car and you are driving it at the time, and , said person feels that you are paying too much attention to the road and not listening to what they are trying to say to you, the only option might be to say it louder. Which is less worse if you are able to pull over quickly, but can be a very dangerous situation if you are travelling at speed in a car. Which brings me to a new product that I have experienced using for the first time today.

I'm not sure exactly what the industry term is for these because I had a bit of trouble tracking examples down online. Here is one example of it called the Crelling Harness, It's essentially an extra seatbelt harness that can be worn by somebody who might likely reach forward and grab the driver while the car is in motion. The version that I used today has a zip up back and attaches behind the shoulders, and it looks quiet comfortable to wear. It is worn in conjunction with the standard over shoulder seatbelt and is a very effective tool for making both the driver and passenger much safer when travelling.

Before you start to think "that would be great, I could shove one on my brother so he can't change my radio any more". You must know, this is a restrictive practice and generally must be approved by the appropriate authorities before one can be used, especially when working with people with disabilities.

If you have any comments or experiences or thoughts with regards to this topic please feel free to comment on this blog. My aim here is to get people talking about subjects that normally never get any attention.