Being an aged care provider is perhaps one of the most challenging professions, both emotionally and physically. On the other hand, it can be incredibly rewarding to know you’re offering help and support to some of the most vulnerable people in society. In order to provide the best care for our senior citizens, it takes years of training, a high level of understanding, and of course, patience. However, the weight of the job shouldn’t fall on you and the rest of your team single-handedly. With the help of special aged care products you can lessen the pressure from the job, increase the safety in the aged care facility, and make your patients’ experience a lot more pleasant. Here are the most essential types of aids that can help every caregiver.
Mobility Aids
Elderly people often experience issues with mobility and need a helping hand to walk them across the room or over to the bathroom. Without having some kind of a mobility aid, providing support and stability can make this task dangerous for both the patient and the caregiver. For that reason, it is wise to consider getting something from the variety of walking aids such as canes and walkers with wheels. Make sure that these aged care products are built from extremely strong materials to provide stability and have an ergonomic design to make them easier to use for your patients.
Of course, any aged care facility will need wheelchairs for disabled residents, as well as to transport other residents more easily. They can be either manual or motorized and what kind of model you choose should depend on the size of your facility and your residents’ needs. Nevertheless, you should always choose wheelchairs that provide full ergonomic support in the form of padded armrests and lumbar support which ensures the patient will remain comfortable even for longer periods of time.
Safety Aids
Of course, your facility should be designed to be as accessible as possible with aged care products like wheelchair ramps, non-slip floor mats, and grab rails. The bathroom in particular is one place where you need to be extra careful when it comes to making it as safe as possible. By installing grab rails across the walls of the bathroom and safety mats you can prevent injuries from slipping and falling. Whereas with the help of shower chairs, commodes or bath lifts, you can tend to your patients’ bathing needs without the risk of dropping them. Many of your patients may wake up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom or as a result of sundowning (a symptom associated with dementia and Alzheimer’s). There are special night-time aids developed precisely for that reason like for instance glowing tape which can be fitted around light switches and along the of ends of the walls and doors to help elderly navigate safely in the dark.
