Getting it wrong can be so costly or even dangerous. An extract from the online book
I am often asked a few questions on the topic of what products are suitable for Single-Handed care?
This is really not rocket science however as someone has just contacted me again i thought i would like to give this simple piece of advice to those who are considering single handed care as a project.
Why can it be costly? If your authority buys on mass and you fill your sheds with masses of equipment and it does not do what it says on the tin, please do not say you have not been warned.
- Consider your way of transferring the service user
- Hoist equipment gantry first to be followed by ceiling track, the spreader bar is a big consideration
- Inbed management systems sheets mainly, have a variety the ones with handles can make the task easier for turning. Skin integrity and tissue viability needs to be a major consideration when purchasing these, so do your homework. Which ones will suit the majority of your client group. Remember the more layers you add the more of an possible issue with heat exchange. There are lots of uses for these sheets too many to mention, but a few that you may not have heard of therapeutic handling, legs into bed as well as your repositioning up, down and turning in the bed.
- Standing/Transfer aides that provide robust support for the individual in standing. There are a multitude of these on the market the majority of these come with a belt that fastens around the person and can assist to hold the person in position.
- Standing hoists, in the community especially need a small footprint
- Slings these can be insitu for those services users who are in a molded wheelchair and find it difficult to transfer.
- Wedges for positioning are a good one and they have several other uses
- Oval boards are good for sling insertion on the bed, when the person cannot sit forward in a chair and sling insertion on the chair. They are also worth considering on lots of different counts.
- Consider your non stock items that might be very expensive but still necessary at one point or another. These may be beds that turn the service user, sheet systems attached to the bed that turn the service user and mattresses that turn the service user throughout the day/night
Other consideration are planning, collaboration, training recording and auditing
A short summary from the online book and course from A1 Risk Solutions Ltd Contact us on [email protected] 0161 327 2195 to book a place
We are specialists in single handed care training and assessment
Are you unsure whether single-handed care can work with the following groups: 1. Challenging behaviour adults and paediatrics 2. Plus size (bariatrics) 3. Terminal care 4. In dementia care 5. In learning disabilities
* Enabling people to Move and Handle with Dignity and Respect *
7 年Yes Ken it is the book I talk about washing drying maintenance and road testing everything. As you well know some of the cheaper models will either fail, deteriorate, fall apart or as I did say just not do what it says on the tin. As out their with the non compliant person it can be very different.
Excellent advice from Deborah but in order to ensure end user compliance and an improvement in patient care/safety the key point is, "Try before you buy"