The Accessible Home Journal Vol. 2 Issue 3 January 2008
Protecting the Caregiver
“Oh, I don’t need that.” “Maybe someday but not today” “I am getting by just fine.” “My husband, son, daughter, friend, or neighbor helps me when I need it.”
Liko Battery Powered Floor Lift with 350 Lb. Capacity
I recently met a young woman that had contracted Multiple Sclerosis. She was petite, only about 110 pounds, and walked with a halting gait. She said that her 18 year old son or husband helped her to transfer when necessary. I explained to her that although she was light if she slipped or lost her balance during transfer she would suddenly become dead weight wrenching the back, shoulder or arms of her son or husband. Such caregiver injuries happen all too often and can be very serious. A battery powered lift can provide safe, effortless transport for both patient and caregiver.
Nursing homes have learned this lesson and are incorporating power lifts into their lifting programs. It has been shown that even a trained professional is vulnerable to serious injury during transfer. The following quotation is from “Safe Lifting and Movement of Nursing Home Residents” available from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, “Research conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the Veterans’ Health Administration (VHA) and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has shown that safe resident lifting programs that incorporate mechanical lifting equipment can protect workers from injury, reduce workers’ compensation costs, and improve the quality of care delivered to residents”.
The cost of making a lift available in the home for a caregiver to effortlessly move an individual from time to time can pay huge dividends. The risk of compounding the disabilities to the patient are reduced or eliminated, the efforts required of the caregiver are reduced, but, mainly, the risk of injury to the caregiver is all but eliminated.
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It is the purpose of ASI to enhance the quality of life for people that may have a debilitating disease, suffer accident trauma, or be frail do to age. Our mission is for everyone to enjoy their home for a lifetime.
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