A special seat has made a ‘100 per cent improvement’ to the daily life of little Piper Walker. The 18-month-old from Melton Mowbray has a complex condition that means she can’t sit, stand or even hold her head up straight.
Her mum Claire Terry said: “Piper had no real quality of life, lying in her reclined baby bouncer – all she had to look at was the ceiling. Now, thanks to Newlife the Charity for Disabled Children, she is more a part of the family; she can sit up, fully supported, and see what is going on around her and reach out for her toys which we can clip on to the seating. It has made a 100 per cent improvement to her quality of life.”
Piper has a condition that affects her brain combined with low muscle tone and reduced hearing and sight. Local statutory services provided a moulded rigid seat for Piper, but she had nowhere comfortable to sit that could support her head and body and keep her safe. With no additional seating available locally – and the equipment costing £1,740 – Claire applied to Newlife.
“I found out about the charity from a play specialist at Leicester Royal Infirmary and a friend who got help from Newlife for her disabled child,” she said.
Newlife reacted quickly to provide Piper with a P-Pod seat so she could be both comfortable and safe. Claire added: “Piper can sit, supported, to see what’s going on around her and play with her toys, but the seat is comfortable and flexible enough that she can lie back if she needs a sleep. It has made a big difference.”
The award-winning P-Pod design is specially created to provide a high level of postural support and comfort for disabled children. With a wheeled base it can be moved around the home – and even out into the garden.
The equipment for Piper was funded through Newlife’s charity partnership with Central England Co-operative. Between 2012 and 2017 Central England Co-operative colleagues and customers raised a total of £1.5million for Newlife, every penny of which has been directly used to provide specialist equipment for disabled and terminally ill children across the retailer’s trading area.
