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If you’re considering adding stand aids to help improve care for care home residents, then take a look at the following post. We’ll be covering what some of the many benefits are to be gained from implementing stand aids in the care of some care home residents. We will also cover which types of residents make benefit from the use of assisted standing through using stand aids. Keep reading to find out more.
Ease Of Mobilising From Chair To Wheelchair
Stand aids are one of the best ways to help make transferring a resident or patient from a sitting position in a chair and into a wheelchair. This can be useful for all aspects of assisting with improving their lifestyle, whether it’s to mobilise between rooms in their home, to mobilise to a car or ambulance, or for a trip outside for fresh air and remaining active. Wheelchairs are important to help improve the mobility and quality of life of residents, so stand aids can go hand-in-hand with aiding in wheelchair use.
More Opportunity To Travel Between Locations
It can be easy for residents to fall into the habit of remaining in a certain location for the majority of their lives when they have reduced mobility or find it difficult to walk around. Stand aids help to reduce the likelihood of this occurring, and encourage residents to make use of other mobility aids such as wheelchairs and mobility scooters that can help them retain a more active and interesting lifestyle.
Reduce Strain And Injury
While most of us take standing up from a chair or bed for granted, for many elderly people it can be a painful and difficult action to perform. It could even lead to injury if they over-strain themselves or lose their balance while trying to stand. Having the assistance of patient transfer aids reduces the risk of falls and injuries by providing a more stable base on which a resident can stand, and safety features such as padded belts that make transferring short distances safer and more secure. This safer method of standing up means there is less risk of residents incurring injuries such as falls, head wounds, broken bones, sprained muscles, and back injuries.
Reduce The Risk Of Pressure Sores
Another reason for residents to be regularly moving up from seated positions and between different locations is to help prevent the risk of developing pressure sores. Pressure sores can develop from prolonged periods of remaining in the same seated or lying position, and from reduced use of mobility causing a lack of circulation. Patient transfer aids can help to keep a resident with reduced mobility from remaining in the same position and location for too long. Encouraging residents to stand also helps improve the circulation and flow of blood to their legs and lower body, making pressure sores less likely to begin developing. It can also help pressure sores that are already existing to heal by keeping residents more physically active.
Recovering From Injury Or Surgery
For residents that have recently suffered from an injury or are recovering from surgery, their ability to stand independently could be reduced. Standing aids can be used as a short-term option to help these residents feel more secure and supported when standing despite their injuries. Just be sure to risk assess introducing a stand aid with residents and ensure all staff using it have received full training beforehand.
Encourage Confidence in Standing And Retaining Mobility
For residents that are losing their balance or no longer have the strength to stand on their own, it can significantly impact their confidence and self-esteem. Introducing a stand aid to their daily routine can help them regain some of their confidence surrounding standing and mobilising. This can help improve their independence and regain the ability to carry out certain activities they might have become too nervous about carrying out. When it comes to high-quality care, ensuring the wellbeing and comfort of residents should be paramount, so it’s important to discuss with residents the possibility of introducing a stand aid and its benefits of it. Make sure to fully explain how a stand aid works and the process to follow to make sure a resident understands what’s expected of them and feels safe and secure while using it.
Reduce Risk For Carers
As well as benefitting care home residents, stand aids can help improve safety and reduce the risk of injury for care staff as well. As the resident has more support from the patient transfer aid while standing than say, supporting themselves standing from an armchair, there is less risk of them falling or grabbing onto care staff. Stand aids can help reduce injuries for care staff such as straining their back from supporting standing, scrapes and scratches from residents with poor balance grabbing their arms, and residents falling and injuring carers in the process.
Northcare Suites is a luxurious, 76-suite care home that offers residents all of the comforts they could ask for. With spacious living areas and bright dining rooms decorated to traditional taste with an edge, there’s no need to worry about your loved one being bored or lonely during their stay at Northcare Edinburgh!
