When a resident in your care home has mobility problems, nighttime can be a particularly stressful time. Not only do they have to manage the process of getting ready for bed, including washing, changing and toileting, they may also have the worry of needing to get up at night, and this is one of the things you might need to consider in help finding a senior living facility for your loved ones.
Therefore, your care home must have the proper bedroom aids in place to best help its residents and carers. Having the right aids reduces risk and stress and improves residents’ quality of life.
But what are the best aids for the bedroom a care home should utilise? Here we list the three major categories and how they best help residents.
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Profiling beds & mattresses
High-quality profiling beds offer long-term assistance to those with limited mobility, the elderly and the disabled by giving them a comfortable space to relax in, get a good night’s sleep, and remain healthy.
A profiling bed is a type of height-adjustable bed that helps the carers to raise the head or foot with ease. Raising the head supports the user when sitting upright in bed to do activities such as socialising or eating. Raising the foot can help the user with blood circulation issues, washing and turning for proper pressure care.
Profiling care beds are designed for use in nursing homes, the wider nursing care sector and in domestic settings. They usually come in two forms: manual or electric and are often sold in pairs, as singles and with or without mattresses.
Those who use profiling beds also often benefit from special pressure mattresses. Pressure mattresses tend to be made from high specification foam for use with patients assessed as being at high risk of developing pressure ulcers and for patients with an existing pressure ulcer. The mattress provides optimal, evenly distributed pressure and support to reduce shear and friction.
Bedroom aids
Bed aids are special devices designed to make bedtime easier for those who need extra support. Some aids work within the bed to make it more comfortable, while others work on or near the bed to help the user move more easily around the bedroom. All of them are designed to reduce risk, stress and give a great night’s sleep.
Bed aids are essential to help those confined to bed for long periods or living with a disability or age-related health conditions grow in confidence and independence when navigating the bedroom.
Such items include profiling beds and mattress elevators that can incline to a sitting position, T-Rolls and leg positioning aids for correct leg placement when in bed and bed fleeces to give warmth, comfort and pressure relief.
Bedroom aids also extend to wireless nurse call systems, including alert mats for the floor and chairs and nurse call buttons. All call systems are designed to reassure users that help is always close to hand.
Hoists and stand aids
Using the correct stand aid or hoist for moving and handling makes a considerable difference to the safety, comfort and quality of life of the person you’re caring for. So the right mobility aids permit easy movement with minimal distress and risk of injury when moving the person in your care from one place to another.
Hoists and stand aids for care environments include lifting poles that safely assist the user in sitting upright in bed and transfer belts that help the carer raise a person to and from their bed. These items help relieve the stress and struggles of everyday movement and significantly improve the quality of care for those who receive it.
Many bedroom aids can assist carers in helping the residents they look after, so by using the above categories as a guide, you can narrow down the type of devices that will most benefit you and them.
When purchasing a new bedroom aid, visit Wippet, the UK’s healthcare marketplace. Wippet stocks all of the leading care brands within one store, so you can easily purchase precisely what you need to help those in your care best.
