Alternating Seat Cushion

My aunt had a recurring pressure ulcer on her coccyx, and this worked very well for preventing pain and avoiding further injury while she was seated in her wheelchair. It fit both her standard wheelchair and her Broda chair (although it took a bit more work to get the straps placed and the cushion secure in the Broda). We sadly lost my aunt a couple months ago, but this device really helped keep her pressure ulcer healed and added some comfort to her final time with us.

I bought this cushion for my wife who has both scoliosis and MS. She has been in a wheelchair for a number of years and has used a variety of cushion types – solid gel, gel and foam, waffle, fixed-pressure air cell, donut, etc. – without consistent success. For the past few years, we had to swap between different types throughout the day to prevent soreness and minimize irritations.

She’s been using the Vive alternating cushion for just over a month. While we were somewhat skeptical initially about what good it could do (especially since there were no reviews here or at Amazon when we purchased it), it has actually been an incredible help for her. We both noticed the dramatic improvement immediately, and the soreness she felt while sitting for more than a few hours is completely gone. Furthermore, the cushion has actually accommodated her poor posture better so that she has considerably less upper body fatigue too.

A few of the positives:
• We’ve been getting 13 hours per charge spread across 2 days (the specs suggested 6-6.5 hours was more likely).
• If the battery fully drains while the device is on, it will lock to prevent the cushion from deflating from its current setting (although we haven’t had this happen yet).
• The whole cushion is comprised of the air cells. Instead of being a few chambers bordered by foam, the fact that it is the whole 17 x 17 cushion supports her body better.

One con (with a work-around):
• The cushion is supposed to be aligned so that the cells stretch across the seat from left to right. Given the limitations with her disability, when the pump is set on alternating pressure it will actually walk her forward a little bit. We simply rotated the cushion so that the tubes run lengthwise from front to back, and although it might appear odd when a few of the chambers are deflated, it works just as well and she isn’t shifted out of her proper posture.

We used to drape a mattress-sized alternating pressure pad over an armchair for her to sit on during the evening, and while that clumsy modification did work pretty well, it pales in comparison to the comfort and relief she experiences with the Vive cushion (and its 3.5 inch chambers are better than the 2.5 inch ones the mattress pad uses).

Regarding physical disabilities, each person of course experiences their own problems differently than another person would, but for my wife I can certify after these weeks that this product has been nothing short of a life saver for her.