Patient safety is a critical priority for healthcare facilities, and preventing falls is always a top initiative as part of that priority. Despite this, falls in healthcare facilities continue with alarming frequency.
For example, in the United States it is estimated that as many as one million people fall in the hospital each year, and as many as 50% of Canadians living in long-term care facilities will experience a fall.
Given this, healthcare staff are at risk of injury when attempting to move or lift patients who have fallen. This only adds to the strain of staffing shortages, costly injury claims, and decreased employee satisfaction.
It is crucial during these events that healthcare personnel have access to safe, effective equipment to assist with lifting a patient from the floor quickly and without injury to either the staff or patient. Healthcare facilities without an effective falls management plan that includes appropriate equipment increase their exposure to the aforementioned risks.
Although the person who has fallen may be able to get up on their own, 47% of individuals who have fallen are unable to stand without assistance, even if they did not sustain an injury.
When a patient fall occurs, it is only natural for caregivers to want to immediately assist the patient off the floor. Not only is a fall distressing for the patient, but staff may also be tempted to try to lift the patient by themselves, knowing that the patient is uncomfortable on the floor. Due to staffing constraints, they may also be waiting for some time for more staff to assist.
In older patients in particular, an extended period of time on the floor after a fall (often described as an hour or more), referred to as a “long-lie,” is associated with significantly poor outcomes. These outcomes include complications such as prolonged hospitalizations, pressure injuries, repeat falls, dehydration, hypothermia, and even increased mortality.
Even when there is not an injury or complication, the psychological effects of feeling helpless and unable to get up are often long-lasting.
If the right equipment is readily available, lifting a patient safely and quickly is an easy task, reducing risk for all involved.
In most facilities, ceiling lifts or floor lifts may be relatively common. If staff has assessed the patient and determined they do not have a serious injury from their fall, using one of these safe patient handling devices can help safely transfer the patient back to bed or a chair.
However, should a fall occur in an area where these are not available, where there is limited space or where staff is limited, a safe solution is required. Ensuring that staff have an easy-to-use alternative decreases the likelihood that they will put themselves at risk trying to resolve the fall without safe lifting equipment.
Savaria’s Razier II is an innovative alternative to traditional ceiling or floor lifts and creates a unique solution to falls management post-fall. By allowing a single caregiver to deliver a dignified and supportive lift quickly after a fall, it eliminates situations where patients lie on the floor for extended times waiting for assistance, and decreases risk for all involved.
Some key benefits of the Razier II:
This lifting chair slides underneath a patient easily and once secured, mechanically raises the patient from the floor. Combined with the use of Savaria’s Risk Manager, an impact absorbing floor mat that can be placed to help prevent serious injury during a fall, the Razier II can offer patients who are prone to falls reassurance they will be safely returned to a more comfortable upright position.
Ultimately, including the Razier II in an organization’s fall management plans provides several significant benefits to patients, caregivers, and the facilities themselves:
A patient who has fallen and cannot get themselves off the floor is clearly at increased risk for a subsequent fall while transferring them back to a bed or chair. When a patient cannot safely bear weight independently, the use of a Razier II chair lift reduces the possibility of the patient becoming injured during lifting and transfers.
Additionally, a patient remaining on the floor for an extended length of time increases the risk of adverse outcomes. It is essential that patient falls be addressed as quickly as possible to facilitate the best physical and psychological recovery.
Staffing shortages are of concern to both hospitals and long-term care facilities. When a patient falls, even if multiple caregivers are available to assist, those caregivers are then unavailable to address other patients’ needs until the event is over.
With the Razier II, one caregiver can lift a patient off the floor independently and quickly, reducing physical strain and minimizing the need for multiple caregivers to assist. This allows everyone to focus on providing the best care to patients efficiently.
Fall incidents have a significant financial impact on healthcare organizations at large. Along with the possibility of serious injury to patients that increases liability, falls also come with financial repercussions for the facilities that serve them.
In the U.S. alone, nearly 50 billion dollars is spent annually on non-fatal falls. One study demonstrated an average direct cost of $35,365 per fall, and reduced costs totaling 22 million in savings across five years when safety programs were utilized.
Implementing a safe, effective fall response strategy like the Razier II can be a meaningful part of a cost-effective approach to fall management.
Savaria can help your organization innovate its falls management protocols with reliable, unique solutions including the Razier II lifting chair, helping you to meet regulatory standards and improve patient outcomes. To learn more about our available equipment, preventative maintenance programs, and world-class support, contact us today.
Ever visit someone at a hospital or home and notice nurses or care workers using funny shaped devices to either help your loved one sit up or move around in bed? Chances are those devices were manual transfer aids, which are easy to use assistive devices that help your loved ones with their day-to-day mobility needs. Handicare has been researching, designing and producing manual transfer aids for over 30 years and has created some of the most innovative user-friendly devices to date. With more people choosing to age in place and continue to live at home, manual transfer aids are becoming a go-to mobility solution for more and more seniors.
Our devices are made with the user in mind. We want to ensure anyone can use them easily. Daily use should feel natural just like using your smartphone to make a call or changing channels on your TV.
Although our assistive devices look like something you would find in a Pilates or yoga class, we can ensure you they serve a completely different purpose. A combination of special functional materials and friction in our manual transfer aids can assist caregivers with day-to-day tasks such as:
Here are just some great examples of our manual transfer aids for the home divided into four different product categories: Belts, Low-Friction Devices, Slide Sheets and Sit-up and Slide Prevention.
Looking for added assistance during your morning stroll, the FlexiBelt is designed to do just that. Made to go on with just a simple click, caregivers will find it easy to provide support to patients and loved ones with the several handles located both horizontally and vertically on FlexiBelt. Standing up and going on that morning stroll has never felt so easy.
Need help moving from your wheelchair, car, toilet or bed? EasyGlide is the perfect solution for you and your home, designed to assist with transfers from any seat surface. EasyGlide is the perfect anti-slip, low friction device for easy positioning and sliding transfers that you can take anywhere.
WendyLett is a complete line of bedroom satin sliding sheets designed for people who have trouble turning and moving up in bed. How can a set of bedsheets do this? The secret is in the fabric which has both a slippery and non-slip side. Combine this with other products from the WendyLett system and transfers are made easy with very little effort.
Having trouble moving further back in your seat? Raising your knees for added support in the bathroom too difficult? FootStool is what you’re looking for. An anti-slip device that prevents users from sliding during repositioning and is ergonomically designed to fit any environment. Easy to clean but also available with a zippered cover.
The number of people that require day to day transfer assistance at home is steadily climbing, if you’re looking for a company that loves easy transfer be sure to call us today at 1-888-637-8155 or request a callback.
So, you need a sling. Whether you have a ceiling lift or floor lift, neither do you much good without a sling. A sling is the peanut butter to your lift’s jelly; the mac to its cheese. But nothing is worse than picking the wrong peanut butter (ahem, smooth) to go with your lift.
But with thousands of options, where does one begin?
We’re here to help.
Okay, so I am sure some of you are smooth peanut butter fans, so apologies if I offended anyone. But then you’ll understand how startled you would be to bite into a sandwich that had some crunch. That’s because touch means everything!
Similarly, you want to make sure you understand how fabric plays a role in keeping your patient comfortable and safe.
Padded materials are ideal for patients who have sensitive skin. As the name implies, these types of slings help pad the patient during the transfer, heightening their comfort level. However, keep in mind these are not ideal for situations in which the sling may get wet – whether it’s being used in a bathroom setting or for incontinence issues.
What does work well when water comes into play is a polyester mesh. The mesh material breathes easily and dries quickly.
An institutional go-to is the disposable sling. Great for single use and patient specific solutions, the disposable deters the spread of infection or cross-contamination between patients.
Handicare has engineered the spacer fabric that is the best of all worlds. Spacer is the perfect blend of padding and smooth fabric for comfortable positioning. Soft and breathable, spacer prevents the risk of pressure sores making it the perfect solution for patients who may be sitting for extended periods of time or to reduce the need to repeatedly remove and place a sling each time you are transferring a patient. What’s more is that spacer material has an antimicrobial coating to help control infection.
Okay, so now that you understand what type of material to look for, what about the sling’s shape? Hammock, universal, divided legs, non-divided legs… they all look so different!
Let’s start with hammock slings, which are sometimes also referred to as full-body slings. These types of slings fully envelop the patient. His or her entire body is supported within the sling, including supporting the head. Arms are also tucked comfortably within the sling, but the patient’s legs will hang down. As a result, you can select to use in a divided leg or cross-over position. This type is best used with patients who have limited body strength.
Universal slings are pretty much just as they sound. They are the most commonly supplied patient lift sling for general transfer purposes. Easy to use and easy to fit, universal slings can be used for just about any transfer type, whether seated, reclined or supine. Universal slings can be used in a divided leg or closed leg position. Some even include a commode aperture for use in toileting situations.
Which brings us to our next type of sling – hygiene. Specifically designed for use with a commode or toilet, these types of slings have an open bottom for easier access. These slings are also designed to allow the caregiver to easily remove/lower the patient’s clothing while they are still being supported by the sling.
Sometimes, patients have enough body strength that a sit-to-stand lift may be more appropriate for hygiene purposes. As such, stand assist slings are used in conjunction with a sit-to-stand floor lift to gently assist the user into a standing position. The belt/sling supports the lower back and connects to the lift to raise a patient from a seated to standing position. These lifts and slings can are also quite useful outside the bathroom.
Taken one step further is the category of walking slings. Walking slings offer upper body support and freedom of movement to assist in ambulation, gait training and fall prevention.
Conversely, sometimes you need a sling that assists a patient who is lying down. Supine and lateral transfers call for positioning slings. These slings include several straps and loops for optimal head support and can often be used in conjunction with bedsheets , so you’re always ready to go.
Then there is this little special category for niche purposes. Specialty slings are the catchall of everything else you may need – from slings that support limbs to innovative tools that help users get around independently, eliminating the need for a caregiver (check out the Independent Lifter).
Size Matters
Now that you have the type of sling you need in which material, what about the fit?
While you wouldn’t be comfortable wearing a t-shirt that was too big or too small, neither would a patient. Besides comfort, choosing a sling that doesn’t fit presents the risk of having the patient fall out, thereby worsening their condition.
Thankfully, each manufacturer will provide a size chart based on the user’s height and weight. While weight is extremely important to ensure that the sling can safely support and lift the patient, height also must be taken into consideration to ensure there the sling is fitting the user correctly. Think about it: someone who is 150 pounds and 5 feet tall has a much different body shape from someone who is 6 feet and the same weight. Thus, it is imperative both measurements be taken into account.
Thankfully, sling manufacturers understand this and offer a wide gamut of sizes to choose from. Pediatric, bariatric, amputees can all receive the same level of care.
If you would like to set up your free sling consultation, call us at 888-637-8155 or email sales.us@handicare.com to set up an appointment today!
