Q&A with ISS co-chair Dave Cooper

Vancouver, BC - It's Canada's turn to host the International Seating Symposium on March 1-4 at the Westin Bayshore in Vancouver, BC. Dave Cooper, a rehabilitation technologist on the positioning and mobility and assistive technology teams at Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children and co-chairman of ISS Vancouver, spoke with HME News about what attendees can expect at this year's conference.

HME News: How is registration going?

Dave Cooper: Right now registration is higher than it's been in past years. I think there's been a lot more recognition of the needs of the aging population and with the veterans requiring assistance, especially in the states, I think that's a growing field.

HME: How is this year's event going to be different from last year's?

Cooper: There's a little bit of an undercurrent. We have a number of presentations having to do with (progressive) disabilities like multiple sclerosis, and things like that. The keynote speaker has MS and we have a panel of people with disabilities, including MS, talking about what the issues have been in their life and how to approach people in an assessment situation.

HME: What advice do you have for attendees?

Cooper: There's a lot of information so you really have to plan what your approach is going to be for the exhibit hall and the presentations, especially for someone who is new in the field.

HME: What issues are attendees currently grappling with?

Cooper: A lot of the issues center around legislation and funding, such as how to get funding for the clients and how to negotiate the paperwork. That is always an issue and those presentations are always very popular.