Hi My Mum is now in a care home and she now needs 2 carers to lift her from bed to chair etc .She is very thin now and does not need a hoist but I'm a bit concerned about the lifting technique of the care assistants ,they take hold of an arm each and use the waist band of her trousers to lift her out of her chair which looks pretty uncomfortable but when I asked them about this method I was told this was how they were trained .Does anyone know if this is correct .
Manual lifting
- Thread starter animallover
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Strangely enough I was talking to my daughter about this last night as I have seen similar happen in my Dad's NH.She said in all cases where the person cannot physically push themself into a standing position a hoist should be used.The method you mention can result in injury and damage to skin.I am on my way to see my Dad now and will tell manager to ensure this doesn't happen in future.BTW my daughter is a nurse.
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MIL has been in NH for two years now and I have NEVER seen anyone lifted that way. They ALWAYS use a hoist even for the tiniest residents and there are always two carers to do it.
If your Mum can understand instructions and can stand and walk then it should be one arm around the waist, not holding clothes or belt and one hand on the shoulder and then talking your Mum through standing. It is wrong to lift by pulling clothes.
If your Mum cannot understand instruction or is unable to walk then a hoist is needed.
If your Mum cannot understand instruction or is unable to walk then a hoist is needed.
Thank-you all for replying to my post .My Mum cannot help herself at all now and when we moved her to a different nursing home last year they used the hoist and she was terrified so they stopped but at that point she was able to move her legs a little and use her arms so was able to help but the nursing care was dreadful so we moved her back to the CH were she went for respite and the nursing care is excellent ,some of the care assistants are in their early twenties but they are so patient .The issue with the lifting is the only problem we have but it worries me .I presumed they only used the hoist for the heavier patients but I think I need to have a word with the new manager .
I found this document on moving and handling.
http://www.leicestercity.nhs.uk/library/hs010guidanceformovingandhandlingv3d2final.pdf
http://www.leicestercity.nhs.uk/library/hs010guidanceformovingandhandlingv3d2final.pdf
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Yesterday I witnessed in the care home where my mother is a very small, frail lady with one leg being hoisted into her armchair. I am sure the two carers could have easily lifted her between them but they obviously follow protocol by using the hoist for all lifting. I was very impressed
The only thing I have ever come across, while working with special needs children, is a handling belt but it has to be used with someone who has some standing ability and this is a safer way to support them. We are never allowed to hold by clothes.....I can't believe anybody has been officially trained this way. http://www.activemobility.co.uk/handling-belts-c48_331_51/moving-handling-belt-p-1689.html
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The correct procedure for lifting is 2 carers, one either side, one arm each round the service users back, hold one hand each, rock forward counting 1, 2, 3, and stand the client on 3.
Hoists are only used if the client is unable to weightbare (not able to stand on feet with assistance and hold their own weight) otherwise a stand aid can be used
If I were you I'd ask if your mum could be assessed from a stand aid, I'm a carer and it's by no means correct to lift using the waistband of her pants, it will not harm your mum but one of the carers can easily pull their back out.
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Hoists are only used if the client is unable to weightbare (not able to stand on feet with assistance and hold their own weight) otherwise a stand aid can be used
If I were you I'd ask if your mum could be assessed from a stand aid, I'm a carer and it's by no means correct to lift using the waistband of her pants, it will not harm your mum but one of the carers can easily pull their back out.
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We have a rota stand with which mother can more or less pull herself up to standing by gripping the top and pulling herself up. By swiveling the machine we can position her somewhere else to sit down, and in this way we can move her from the side of the bed to the commode or recliner chair. If the person has good grip and balance it only needs one person as you can fit a belt around to stabilize them once the person is upright and then they cannot fall while you move them. We find we need three people though, one each side to hold her up as we can't get the belt on well yet (we've only been doing it three days!) and a third person to move the stand once she is standing. The OT and District Nurse agree it is safe and it does allow her to use the good arm muscles she has left to assist the weak leg muscles she has following a hip replacement. The recliner chair can raise her up a bit to help her get out of it, and the bed can be raised to help her stand from that. The difficult one to get off is the commode as the height can't be altered. If we don't have enough people or she is too tired we use the hoist. Using clothes is surely not a good idea.
Im a moving and handling advisor and no they shouldnt be moving her in this way, but the text book techniques do not work with all people as they have possibly developed compensatory patterns of movement and cannot get to standing in a naturally healthy way, if she is terrified of the hoist there are now manual lifting slings that can be used and all it needs is a proper risk assessment, the companies that make these are called Promove, and also Spectracare, check them out.
Rota stand
Can u tell me where u got Rota stand. I'm sole carer and refused everything so have to buy it.
I must have being doing everything wrong after I took my wife from a Nursing Home. There are 46 pages of notes in my wife's medical diary. Some are on handling risk assessment. One states: "Husband requires assistance, but refuses help. Even his daughter thinks he does."
It's surprising what one can learn about 'end of life care' when one decides to go it alone. The more I read of other's experiences, I than God I chose to do it my way. What was one of the reasons my wife stopped eating and drinking? She was bed bound, no physiotherapy, food was not passing through, bowels not working. Pity the experts visits to our home ended after nine months. They might have learned something. My wife recovered her weight and physical health and survived a further four years. As for lifting her, I must have been doing it wrong for over six years or more.
It's surprising what one can learn about 'end of life care' when one decides to go it alone. The more I read of other's experiences, I than God I chose to do it my way. What was one of the reasons my wife stopped eating and drinking? She was bed bound, no physiotherapy, food was not passing through, bowels not working. Pity the experts visits to our home ended after nine months. They might have learned something. My wife recovered her weight and physical health and survived a further four years. As for lifting her, I must have been doing it wrong for over six years or more.
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I wouldn't mind betting, Padraig, that though not everyone is in a position to be able to undertake manual transfers (especially of the kind in the pic), an awful lot of it is still going on. I was initially surprised while we were 'waiting for a hoist' at how many of the carers (all bar one, in fact) were not only prepared to help with politically incorrect methods but were actually well-practiced in them, even though the Agency they belonged to told me that they had explicit instructions not to assist me in this way.
Stanley, I know what you mean. When I took my wife home for a day prior to taking her home for good, the staff at the Nursing Home began to tell me off as I attempted to lift my wife into the car. It Winter time and I waited by the car for the staff to do 'their job' but they were in no hurry so I got on with the job. Rules, who did they think was going to lift her out of the car at the other end and back in to return to the NH?
This is not correct
Hello - this is not correct at all. The drag lift was out lawed in 1989. Carers should be Using endorsed techniques and a good point of reference is the National Back Exchange. They have a book of approved moving and handling techniques. If you are concerned speak to the council provider of moving and handling training for care homes. Good luck.
Hello - this is not correct at all. The drag lift was out lawed in 1989. Carers should be Using endorsed techniques and a good point of reference is the National Back Exchange. They have a book of approved moving and handling techniques. If you are concerned speak to the council provider of moving and handling training for care homes. Good luck.
