AdaptAbility Training

AdaptAbility Training 🔸 Independent company
🔸 Delivering moving and handling training
🔸 Promoting safe use of equipment
🔸 Structured or bespoke courses available

CORU registered Occupational Therapist with over 20 years experience working in both public and private sectors. Also QQI Level 6 Qualification in People Handling Instruction and a Member of the Association of Occupational Therapists, Ireland. Providing unique training courses and workshops since 2022.

🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀We are thrilled to launch our new 2 day course ‘HANDLING SOLUTIONS’ ...
03/06/2025

🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀

We are thrilled to launch our new 2 day course

‘HANDLING SOLUTIONS’

🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀

We have listened to your feedback over the past 3 years and devised a more comprehensive learning experience which extends past the handling equipment.

Courses will be running from our Navan centre later this year (dates to be released soon!).

Keep an eye on our social media pages for more details.

Even MORE exciting news…🗺️🚘🧭

We will be hitting the road in 2026 to bring this training to clinicians around the country!

At the moment we are considering venues in the South and West of Ireland, so please get in touch if there is interest in your area.

Look forward to hearing from you - phone 086 8244138 or email: help@adaptabilitytraining.ie

🙌 Deborah Harrison has been putting ‘moving and handling’ on the map for years and continues to develop new assessments...
31/05/2025

🙌 Deborah Harrison has been putting ‘moving and handling’ on the map for years and continues to develop new assessments and techniques

📢 Deborah provides amazing training with A1 Risk Solutions, but does so much more to spread the word and promote best practice

🫡 Delighted to have attended a number of Deborah’s courses last year and now be able to engage with her and the broader ‘moving and handling community’

🍀 Deborah working with Martina Tierney from Seating Matters is very exciting news indeed - all the best in your endeavours ladies!

A1 Risk Solutions
Seating Matters

Our training benefits the following people:🔹 Clinicians and Multidisciplinary Teams - courses will teach you how to work...
28/05/2025

Our training benefits the following people:

🔹 Clinicians and Multidisciplinary Teams - courses will teach you how to work with a person who is experiencing changes to their functional independence and guide them through each stage of the moving and handling process. Healthcare professionals will develop the skills and knowledge necessary to carry out comprehensive assessments, while considering all aspects of the person, environment and occupation. Training is not about giving a list of do’s and don’ts but instead engages clinical reasoning and allows teams to explore creative solutions in collaboration with the person and their care system

🔹 Carers and SNAs - courses will help you feel more confident when using manual handling equipment and hoists. During our hands-on training, you will experience how it feels to be moved with assistance, examine your approach and learn safe handling techniques

🔹 Manual Handling Instructors - courses cater for those who need more training in relation to the equipment used in moving and handling. As the prescribing OT will only demonstrate a hoist, sling or assistive device, manual handling instructors are often asked to cover this area in training sessions to ensure staff are competent to use equipment safely and effectively

🔹 Families - we are available to help educate or work with family members who are assisting in the care of their loved one at home

Please feel free to get in touch about upcoming courses and training. We look forward to hearing from you 🙂

Email: help@adaptabilitytraining.ie

Hi everyone, I’m Patricia Farrelly, founder of AdaptAbility Training & Consultancy 👋 3 years ago I took a massive leap ...
28/05/2025

Hi everyone, I’m Patricia Farrelly, founder of AdaptAbility Training & Consultancy

👋 3 years ago I took a massive leap of faith, left my permanent HSE job and started the new venture that is ‘AdaptAbility Training’

💭 My vision was to create a hub; a place for people to come and learn how to move people in a safe, dignified way

🙌 Since then Adaptability has grown to be so much more!

- We have collaborated with product specialists to facilitate interactive workshops

- We have delivered regular training courses at our facility in Navan

- We have travelled to deliver bespoke training to teams in mental health facilities, primary care centres, older persons services and schools

🎢 The AdaptAbility journey has had its ups and downs! There have been times when I felt isolated and missed my old HSE buddies, however I have never lost the passion for guiding people to do better in this area and in particular improve the hoisting experience for everyone involved.

🙌 Delighted to now share our journey on Instagram, along with Facebook and LinkedIn!

🛌 From someone who loves her sleep, I couldn’t think of anything worse than being uncomfortable in your bed! 👀 Having ...
01/05/2025

🛌 From someone who loves her sleep, I couldn’t think of anything worse than being uncomfortable in your bed!

👀 Having spent a lot of time watching people in their chairs, I am now starting to wonder what happens the rest of the time and in particular what supports are they getting in bed?

🦹‍♀️ Exploring this was not easy so I roped in Nicky Phillips Clinical Specialist OT from Accora to carry out some joint reviews

🙌 With Nicky’s input, we were able to make small modifications today to position people better throughout the day and night. We looked at how we could build a bed or chair around the differing body postures to offer maximum support and comfort.

📋 Hoping to avail of Nicky’s expertise again down the line with training for other staff in the care home so everyone understands the basic principles of 24 hour posture management

🐣 New addition to the AdaptAbility family!We all agree that the ability to stand has many physical and psychosocial bene...
23/04/2025

🐣 New addition to the AdaptAbility family!

We all agree that the ability to stand has many physical and psychosocial benefits. As therapists therefore we need to explore every option to facilitate active transfers and this may involve trialling equipment that is not readily available in OT/Physio stores.

When it comes to non-mechanised transfer aids, most of us are familiar with the ReTurn, Molift Raiser and Sara Stedy. I had recently heard about the ‘Cricket II’ transfer aid on a course, and so was delighted to get my hands on one to add to our equipment collection!

✅ This is a ‘stand and sit’ transfer aid so the person is seated for the transfer and would therefore suit someone who cannot maintain a standing position

✅ The shape of the frame assists with pulling to stand due to a range of hand positions

✅ The compact design works well with narrow seating and tight spaces

See below an excerpt from HOP7 (The Guide to the Handling of People). In this case study Penny Townsend highlights how the Cricket was the best option for a young student with cerebral palsy

👩🏼‍🏫 Book a course with us to have a closer look at the Cricket and a range of other assistive devices

🧼🧼The morning wash 🧼🧼The morning bed wash sounds like a simple task but I have witnessed how stressful and exhausting it...
08/04/2025

🧼🧼The morning wash 🧼🧼

The morning bed wash sounds like a simple task but I have witnessed how stressful and exhausting it can be, especially for people with advanced Dementia. A symptom called ‘paratonia’ causes high tone and involuntary resistance to passive movement. It feels like the person is working against you as you try to hold out their arm or bend their leg. A typical wash involves lots of moving and handling in order to wash, then rinse, then towel dry, then moisturise. Everyone’s wrecked at the end and then it’s time to hoist the person into their chair!

Some facilities have started to use SWASH or similar waterless washing products. These are moist bathing gloves which clean and care for the skin in one go - reduces handling and stress for the person, but can also help with skin conditions and improve infection control.

I was delighted to meet Judith from Arion Group and Vincent from Galaxy Healthcare Ireland this morning to trial SWASH at a community unit in Dublin.

First impressions from staff today were that the morning wash was a more pleasant experience with SWASH. It’s ‘almost like a pampering session’ as you have 1 to 1 time and constant contact with the person. It’s ‘less pulling and dragging’ and ‘can be done slowly and gently’.

If anyone using these products has experienced any issues or benefits, I would love to hear from you!

Email: help@adaptabilitytraining.ie

🎧 Well worth a listen! ♥️ Loved the second episode with Karen Murphy describing how holistic working can re-ignite your...
06/04/2025

🎧 Well worth a listen!

♥️ Loved the second episode with Karen Murphy describing how holistic working can re-ignite your passion

03/04/2025

‘Staff found the course to be very helpful & appropriate to our school setting. It addressed the needs of the staff involved in the moving & assistance of pupils. Very pleased with the content covered and certification’ - Scoil Chiarain, Dublin

🌆 Travelled to Dublin city centre today to facilitate workshops about ‘Active Transfer Equipment’ with the aim to encou...
01/04/2025

🌆 Travelled to Dublin city centre today to facilitate workshops about ‘Active Transfer Equipment’ with the aim to encourage OTs and Physios to work together during assessment and provision of these aids.

🧩 Started with a simple exercise - ‘list what you need to be able to do to actively use each device’ and lots of discussion ensued!

🖐️ Once user criteria was established there was a chance for hands on practice. Everyone had an opportunity to use the equipment in different scenarios and in conjunction with other types of seating - manual & powered wheelchair, wheeled commode/shower chair and riser recliners

🤯 It’s not often a one day course can challenge your whole perspective but that’s what today did!🗒️ I’m heading home f...
27/03/2025

🤯 It’s not often a one day course can challenge your whole perspective but that’s what today did!

🗒️ I’m heading home from Jo De Clercq’s workshop on ‘Specific Therapeutic Positioning & Handling in Dementia Care’ feeling a little overwhelmed but excited and inspired at the same time!

🔎 It made me re-think all of my interventions with people who have advanced dementia; from how we handle, position, hoist to how we wash, dress, bath, shower…

❓ Who am I taking cues from to shape what I do?

From the person, their needs, the signs of stress in their body, their response to being touched or moved OR

From other people who think they know what the person needs; me, the MDT, the doctor, the family, the nursing home managers or the regulatory bodies

🫸 We need to stop ‘fighting’ the dementia brain and instead learn to work with it!

😵‍💫 If anyone has a chance to follow Jo De Clercq, his work in Belgium or hear him speak, I would highly recommend it but expect to come away with your head spinning!

Thanks to Leopardstown Park Hospital for organising and all of the sponsors 🫡

Address

Navan

Telephone

+353868244138

Website

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