What happens when the right sling doesn’t exist yet?
For conjoined twins Marieme and Ndeye Ndiage, the question was deeply personal. Their father hoped they could stand and move with support one day, but their unique anatomy meant they couldn’t get what they needed from a standard sling and harness. They needed something designed specifically for them.
Their care team brought the challenge to Silvalea, our UK-based division and Centre of Excellence for Slings. Working with the girls, their family, and the professionals who support them, our sling specialists developed and refined a bespoke harness that gave the girls the opportunity to stand upright for the very first time.
Here’s how our team worked through the design and fit decisions that made supported standing possible for Marieme and Ndeye.
Marieme and Ndeye had used a standing frame before, but their father wanted them to have the opportunity to stand and move while supported by a harness.
Debbie Palfrey, a Moving and Handling Trainer at Cardiff City Council, approached Silvalea to ask what might be possible.
Our technical team began with discussions and a video consultation. Team members Julie Robertson and Amanda Jenkins then visited the twins at their school in Cardiff, where they met with the family and professionals involved in their care. Together, they considered the twins’ posture, measurements, and support requirements, along with how a harness would work during standing and movement.
That assessment is what shaped the brief. The harness needed to support the twins’ shared body position, while also allowing them to experience movement upright. It also had to work with the lifting equipment available at the school, so it could become a practical part of their day-to-day life.
Our design team developed two concepts to trial. One adapted elements of existing support designs to provide lateral stability, underarm support, and positioning for standing. The other was a bespoke walking harness shaped around the twins’ measurements and support needs.
Designing the fit of the harnesses was only part of the challenge, though. The team also needed to see how each one would work with a hoist and support Marieme and Ndeye as they stood and moved.
By working through the equipment setup together, Silvalea and the school made it possible to trial the harnesses using a setup best suited to the girls’ needs.
Silvalea manufactured both prototypes, and Julie and Amanda returned to Cardiff for a fitting and trial with the twins’ wider care team, including occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and seating specialists.
During the session, Marieme and Ndeye stood upright in a harness for the very first time. The trial also showed that the fit needed some work. The prototypes were slightly oversized, so our specialists took further measurements and discussed adjustments with the team on site.
After the revised harnesses were returned to Cardiff, Silvalea observed a follow-up session remotely. The team continued to refine the fit and comfort, including changes to the groin area and additional padding. At the girls’ request, the harnesses were also made in pink.
In a later follow-up, the team saw how familiar Marieme and Ndeye had become with their harnesses. They were moving more freely while supported and enjoying the chance to stand alongside their peers.
Their father described what that opportunity meant to the family:
“This has already made a big change in their lives. The prospect of being able to stand, walk and get in and around with their friends will contribute greatly to their self-worth. I can already feel how proud they are to have this support.”
At Savaria Patient Care, we couldn’t be prouder of what this team achieved together. This case brought together school staff, Cardiff City Council, clinicians, and Silvalea’s technical and design teams. Each had a part in assessing what was needed, testing the concepts, and improving the fit so the girls could have the freedom to move and stand alongside their peers.
Marieme and Ndeye’s harnesses were designed for a rare situation, but the questions Silvalea asked will be familiar to many care teams. What does this person need to do? How should the harness support them? And how will it work with the lift and the people helping them?
As our UK-based division and Centre of Excellence for Slings, Silvalea brought those questions into every stage of the work, listening to the twins, their family, and their care team as the design took shape.
For more about Marieme and Ndeye, you can read the full story on the Silvalea website.
If you’re working through a sling challenge in your own care setting, reach out to the Savaria Patient Care team today. We’d love to help you find an option within our existing sling range or a way forward when standard sling designs don’t fit.
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