Pressure Care for Case Managers: Finding Solutions for Your Clients

As a case manager, you may support clients with complex injuries, disabilities and long-term rehabilitation needs.

You may be coordinating input from Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Rehabilitation Engineers, Tissue Viability Nurses, wheelchair services, carers and other professionals. You may also be involved in identifying and coordinating the equipment your client needs to support their independence, rehabilitation and everyday life.

But what happens when your client develops a pressure-care problem that isn’t solved by their existing equipment?

Or when an Occupational Therapist identifies a vulnerable area around a wheelchair, powerchair, shower chair or other piece of equipment?

This is where Gel Ovations Europe can help.

We provide an extensive range of specialist pressure-care products, alongside a Made to Measure service for clients whose requirements cannot be met by a standard solution.

Pressure care is often associated with wheelchair cushions.

However, your client’s pressure-care requirements may extend much further.

They may have an appropriate pressure cushion but still experience problems where their body contacts an armrest, footplate, knee support, hip guide, lateral support or another part of their wheelchair.

Different challenges may occur when your client transfers using a hoist, uses a shower chair or commode, rests in bed or uses other equipment throughout their day.

For clients with complex needs, it can therefore be useful to consider pressure care across their wider daily routine.

A client’s pressure-care requirements can change as they move between different activities and equipment.

During one day, your client might use a bed, wheelchair or powerchair, specialist seating, hoist, shower chair, commode and mobility equipment.

Each environment can introduce different contact areas.

Gel Ovations’ 24 Hour Pressure Care range gives you and the professionals working with your client access to specialist products including Dimensional Gel, Dimensional Gel Plus, RippleGel, AirGel, FlatGel and HeelGel.

These products provide different options where targeted pressure redistribution and protection may be required.

If your client uses a manual wheelchair or powerchair, their seating system may already have been carefully configured around their mobility, posture and independence.

However, pressure-care concerns are not necessarily limited to the seat.

Your client’s posture, contractures, movement or positioning may result in repeated contact with other wheelchair components.

Gel Ovations provides wheelchair accessories for areas including:

• Armrests and arm supports
• Hip guides
• Lateral supports
• Knee supports
• Footplates and foot supports
• Leg rests
• Stump supports
• Backrests and back canes
• Head and positioning supports
• Other vulnerable contact areas

This can be particularly useful when the wheelchair or powerchair is otherwise working well for your client but one particular area requires additional protection.

Your client’s requirements may change again during bathing, showering and toileting.

Gel Ovations provides specialist Bathroom Accessories for shower chairs, commodes and other personal-care equipment.

Our range includes universal products alongside accessories compatible with specialist shower chair ranges including Raz, Aquatec Ocean, ETAC, Osprey and Prism Freeway.

If your client uses one of these systems, additional protection can be considered around areas such as the seat, backrest, arms, legs and feet.

Transfers are another area worth considering.

If your client requires regular hoisting, the sling itself can introduce different pressure, friction and shear considerations.

Gel Ovations SlingGel provides targeted gel protection for use with hoist slings.

This gives you and your client’s clinical team another option when looking at pressure care during transfers between the bed, wheelchair, shower chair and other equipment.

Depending on your client’s individual requirements, other Gel Ovations ranges may also be relevant.

NeckGel provides flexible head and neck support where positioning is a concern.

GelGripz provides gel cushioning for walking aids and mobility equipment.

Ribcap provides protective headwear for children and adults who require additional head protection.

Together with our 24 Hour Pressure Care, Wheelchair Accessories, Bathroom Accessories and SlingGel ranges, this gives case managers access to solutions for a wide variety of client requirements.

But we also know that complex cases do not always fit neatly into a product catalogue.

This is where we would particularly encourage case managers to speak to us.

Your client may use a highly customised powerchair.

They may have contractures or asymmetrical posture.

Their Occupational Therapist may have identified an unusual contact point.

Their specialist seating, shower chair, commode or positioning equipment may require protection in a size or shape that simply isn’t available as a standard product.

At Gel Ovations, we regularly have to think outside the box.

Our Made to Measure service allows us to explore a solution around your client and their existing equipment.

We can cut Dimensional Gel and FlatGel to virtually any shape or size.

This enables us to manufacture bespoke gel pads, covers and overlays for applications including:

• Manual wheelchairs
• Powerchairs
• Specialist seating
• Armrests
• Headrests
• Hip guides
• Lateral supports
• Knee supports
• Footplates
• Leg rests
• Stump supports
• Wheelchair trays
• Shower chairs
• Commodes
• Toilet seating
• Hoisting equipment
• Positioning equipment
• Other specialist applications

Our existing Made to Measure work includes bespoke solutions for wheelchairs, seating, toilets and commodes, shower equipment, beds, hoists and sling protection.

We Can Work Around Your Client’s Existing Equipment

This is particularly important when you are coordinating a complex rehabilitation package.

Your client’s wheelchair, powerchair or specialist seating may already have been carefully assessed and configured.

If one particular component is creating a problem, the answer may not be to replace equipment that otherwise works well for your client.

Instead, we can explore whether targeted gel protection can be created around that particular area.

For example, Gel Ovations has previously developed bespoke protection where an individual’s wheelchair pommel was causing problems around the knees. We have also manufactured bespoke protection for hoisting equipment and sling contact areas.

We also manufacture made-to-measure wheelchair tray overlays around the client’s existing tray. These can be produced using a full-size tracing, measurements and photographs, or an appropriate manufacturer’s drawing or CAD file.

The same problem-solving approach can be applied when considering other individual requirements.

You Don’t Need to Know Which Product Your Client Needs

This is important.

As the case manager, you don’t need to search through our website trying to identify exactly which product your client requires before speaking to us.

Start with the problem.

What is happening with your client?

Where is the area of concern?

What equipment are they using?

What has their OT, seating specialist or other professional identified?

Tell us what you are trying to address.

Depending on the requirement, we can work with information such as measurements, photographs, drawings, templates and equipment details.

We can then explore whether an existing Gel Ovations product could meet your client’s requirements or whether a Made to Measure solution should be considered.

Working With You and Your Client’s Clinical Team

As a case manager, you are often bringing together several professionals around one individual.

We understand that decisions involving pressure care, seating and equipment may require input from your client’s Occupational Therapist, Physiotherapist, Tissue Viability Nurse, Rehabilitation Engineer, wheelchair service or other clinical professionals.

Gel Ovations can provide specialist product knowledge as part of that wider process.

We can discuss our existing products, provide information about available options and explore more unusual requirements with you and the professionals involved.

A Practical Resource for Your Future Cases

You may not have a client who needs a Gel Ovations product today.

But the next time an OT contacts you about an unusual pressure-care problem, a wheelchair component is causing concern, a shower chair needs additional protection or a standard product simply doesn’t fit, remember that you have another option.

Contact Gel Ovations and tell us about the problem.

If we already manufacture something suitable, we can help you identify it.

If we don’t, our Made to Measure service means we can explore what may be possible.

Do You Have a Client With a Pressure-Care Challenge?

If you are currently supporting a client with a pressure-care, wheelchair, powerchair, seating, personal-care or equipment issue, speak to Gel Ovations Europe.

You don’t need to know the product name.

Tell us about your client, the equipment they use and the problem you are trying to address.

Bring us the problem – and we’ll help you explore the options.

Meet Gel Ovations at the CMSUK Conference 2027

Gel Ovations Europe will be exhibiting at the CMSUK Conference 2027 – Tomorrow’s World.

If you are attending, come and meet our team to discuss pressure care, wheelchair and seating challenges, bathroom pressure care and Made to Measure solutions for clients with complex requirements.

Bring us the problem your client is experiencing and we can discuss the options available.

Find out more about the CMSUK Conference 2027 

The CMSUK 2026 conference is scheduled for 11–12 March 2027.

Can I contact Gel Ovations about an individual client’s pressure-care requirements?

Yes. You can contact us with details of your client’s equipment and the particular area of concern. We can discuss relevant existing products and whether a Made to Measure solution should be explored.

What information should I provide about my client?

The information required will depend on the application. Measurements, photographs, equipment make and model, drawings or templates can all be useful when assessing an unusual requirement.

Can you make bespoke products for wheelchairs and powerchairs?

Yes. Our Made to Measure service can be used to explore bespoke gel protection for wheelchair and powerchair applications where standard products do not provide the required fit or coverage.

Can you work with my client’s Occupational Therapist?

Yes. We can discuss product and Made to Measure requirements with case managers and the professionals involved in the client’s care, including Occupational Therapists and other members of the multidisciplinary team.

What if I don’t know which Gel Ovations product my client needs?

That is not a problem. Tell us about the client’s equipment, the area of concern and what you are trying to address. We can then explore the available options.

Do you only provide wheelchair pressure-care products?

No. Our ranges include 24 Hour Pressure Care, Wheelchair Accessories, Bathroom Accessories, SlingGel, NeckGel, GelGripz and Ribcap Head Protection, alongside our Made to Measure service.