Simple Ways to Handle Patients with Dignity and Move with Care

Improper moving and handling techniques do not only cause discomfort to the patient but can also lead to serious injuries for carers. Whether you’re a caregiver in the home or at work, it’s important to ensure that you have the education and tools that you need to get through each day safely.

Patient Handling With Dignity

Caring for people with limited mobility can be a very difficult process. Patients often want to maintain their independence and it can be challenging to find ways of helping them. If it’s your responsibility to care for someone with a physical disability or illness, then it’s important to make sure that you have the solutions you need in place to help them move around with minimal risk. Usually, moving and handling is a practice that requires the right equipment and the right knowledge.

Moving with Care

Ensuring the safety of a person in need of care is incredibly important for caregivers. However, many of these people forget to think about defending themselves against injury. As a care provider, it’s important to remember that you should never put yourself in danger trying to look after another person. Studies have shown that the most common injuries sustained by professional caregivers involve the back or spine. Ensuring the right knowledge of safe moving and handling practice will help prevent any unnecessary risks.

• Never lift anything or anyone above head height.
• Keep your back straight and make sure that you lift with your knees.
• Ensure your feet are secure and planted on the floor.
• Keep the weight close to your body for better control.

Simple Solutions to Implement

It’s crucial to know the right lifting techniques. The spine offers the basic stability and foundation for movement in the human body, and it’s important to keep it safe when you’re lifting any heavy object. All carers should comply with all systems in place and ensure that they use equipment and furniture when possible.

• Keep your feet steady, and as close to the person being lifted as possible.
• Face towards the person being lifted, bending slightly at the knees in preparation, and keeping the spine straight. This will add strength and improve power from the arms and legs.
• When turning someone from their back to their side, make sure you distribute your weight evenly between both feet and avoid any extended forward-bending motions.
• Attempt the lift using a flowing and smooth motion, pushing up with your leg muscles, and reducing the risk of any awkward positions.

Aids for Better Lifting

There are plenty of tools and equipment solutions that can help to make your job much easier. For instance,  a hoist you can remove much of the discomfort and risk associated with moving a patient. Additionally, a hoist can make the moving process much simpler and less uncomfortable for the person in need of care, meaning that they’re far less distressed by the overall experience.

To find out about more product solutions for patient handling and injury prevention equipment contact us at HLS Healthcare on 1300 931 893