Healthcare Science Week
We are currently in ‘Healthcare Science Week’ (March 6th – 15th), the goal of this week is to promote and celebrate the advancements in all branches of healthcare including medicine, treatment and technology. One of the most important aspects of healthcare science that is occupational therapy and professional care.
To ensure they have the right level of treatment and support, patients often receive care packages catered to their own personal and physical needs. While these packages are effective and provide a good level of care, they can cost a significant amount of money for hospitals and time for the carers and medical staff themselves. One of the most versatile profiling and turning beds available, the Arctic is a bespoke cost saving bed that can accommodate a range of complex needs including multiples sclerosis, cerebral palsy, and muscular dystrophy. For people who need regular turning and repositioning in bed, the Arctic can reduce the need for manual handling with easy to use handsets that enable a wide range of turning and profiling movements. The Arctic bed also has the distinct feature of automated turning; this means that the bed can be programmed to automatically turn the user in a manner best suited for them. With these features, the Arctic can help drastically reduce the care package a person receives saving hospitals money and work time for staff, giving patients greater independence and comfort when being treated or repositioned in their bed.
For nurses and carers who are responsible for caring and bandaging legs, treating legs that are particularly large or swollen from conditions such as Lymphoedema can lead to several recurring problems. Supporting, cleaning and bandaging larger legs will often require two nurses and take two to three hours to complete. This can cost hospitals significant time and money along with putting the nurses at risk of back pain and injury from regular manual handling of heavy legs straining their backs. The Arabian Bandaging Stool provides a solution to each of these issues with horizontal actuators that allow for a range of leg positions and for easy access to the full circumference of each leg reducing the nurses needed for treatment from two to one. Nurses and carers are less likely to have their back injured or put under strain when using the Arabian; the stool will support each of the leg’s weight and will hold each leg in a position that makes treatment and bandaging a less stressful, simpler task. The standard Arabian can support up to 35 stone with a bariatric version supporting up to 60 stone.
The Mawson leg lifter is easy to use and setup with braked wheels making it both portable and stable when in use. Ideal for nursing homes and community hospitals, medical staff don’t have to strain their back having to lift and carry a leg lifter, the wheels of the Mawson reduce the risk of strain or injury. The Mawson has a rechargeable battery meaning it does not need to be plugged in or near a plug socket when in use allowing for this leg lifter to be position anywhere in proximity to the bed and avoids any plugs or leads on the floor that could be a potential tripping hazard.
The Ionian bed works and provides the same level of care as a standard profiling bed with the distinct feature of being able to stand the patient up from a horizontal position to a 90-degree vertical position. This is designed to help people who are unable to bend or sit up when lying down in bed. This issue is not only problematic for the people but the carers themselves who can have issues manually handling the patient to try to get them safely and comfortably in bed. By using the Ionian, patients can now comfortably transfer to and from their bed without depending on the support of others giving patients more independence and carers greater freedom and less risk of injury.
