Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy Podcast · Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy

DD SIG Episode 60: ATSWM SIG Collaboration: Seating for People with ALS

February 21, 2026·38 min·2 clips

Pam says power wheelchairs “could not go understated” for ALS because they protect muscles, falls, and breathing.

1. Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy’s 4D podcast focuses on seating for people with ALS. 2. Chris Burke, Wendy Kester, and Pam Glazer lead the discussion, and Pam’s role as an occupational therapist and ATP at Houston Methodist makes the practical advice concrete. 3. The episode asks how ALS clinics decide on power mobility, seating, and funding before strength and breathing decline further. 4. Wendy says she works in assistive technology and describes herself and Pam as “wheelchair nerds” who help people keep independence. 5. Pam says she has worked with ALS patients since she was introduced to the ALS clinic at Houston Methodist about 29 years ago. 6. The discussion explains RESNA certification, including the assistive technology practitioner credential and the seating and mobility specialist role. 7. Pam says Medicare calls the advanced power mobility they discuss “group three,” with alternative drives, advanced suspension, and seating components. 8. Pam says power wheelchairs protect muscles, reduce falls, and support respiratory status in ALS. 9. She says referral should start when falls, fatigue, respiratory decline, or homebound mobility appear. 10. Pam says she rarely does manual wheelchairs for ALS and advises people not to push one with their arms or legs. 11. Wendy describes building the chair with a joystick first and often ordering tracking so the chair can be adapted later. 12. Pam explains that transportation remains a separate problem, so families may use vans, medical transport, yellow cabs, foldable manual chairs, or Team Gleason loaners. 13. The guests describe home barriers such as 30-inch doors, steps, thresholds, bathrooms, and the need for ramps. 14. Pam says the ALS Association now does virtual home assessments and sends modification lists, and she adds that the MDA has a new $1,000 annual DME grant. 15. The episode says insurance generally covers wheelchairs, speech devices, and pulmonary equipment but not vans, ramps, or most home modifications. 16. Pam says alternative drives can include head switches, knee switches, chin drives, eye gaze, and a new foot control she saw at a recent conference. 17. She describes eye-gaze driving through a speech device, including use of a program called Tobii Dynavox drive, and notes that sunlight and cataracts can make it harder. 18. Wendy and Pam talk about pressure relief, air cushions, wound risk, memory seating, and the recent Medicare approval of seat elevation. 19. The interview style is collaborative and clinician-to-clinician, with Chris Burke asking practical questions and both guests answering from daily seating work. 20. People working in ALS clinics, rehab, or assistive technology will get the most from it, while listeners wanting a general ALS overview may skip it.

As heard by us

Practical ALS seating guidance, with the clinic logistics that decide whether mobility equipment actually helps.

This collaborative episode stays on seating for people with ALS and keeps returning to what makes equipment work in real life. It moves through wheelchair setup, respiratory support, energy conservation, and the clinic-side details that shape care, including telehealth, loaner…

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Why you'd press play

You need ALS seating guidance that gets into real equipment, telehealth, and the practical steps that make a chair work.

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