Showering the bariatric patient/resident

Bariatric care of individuals in the healthcare setting is one of the more challenging, physical tasks caregivers perform. Besides the obvious issues, this type care touches every corner of the healthcare spectrum; bed care, hygiene, toileting, transport, surgery, and more.

Of those tasks, hygiene can be the most challenging. The primary reason is the limitations of equipment currently used coupled with the prohibitive cost of properly designed equipment. As the dependency of the bariatric individual increases, the equipment used most (fixed height, non-tilting PVC chairs) becomes less helpful. Tasks like pericare and support of the individual in the chair are critical issues to address. Having features like height-adjustability and tilting makes the pericare task profoundly easier. And if you are cleaning more effectively, you are by default, delivering better care. When you combine the improvement of care with the increased safety this equipment provides for the caregiver, the high cost is drastically mitigated.

The good news, there is existing equipment designed to help care for the bariatric individuals needing assistance. Here are pictures of equipment designed for completely dependent and mostly dependent individuals.

In a growing number of facilities there are identified bariatric suites or units. This is to be applauded as it allows economies of scale to apply in the acquisition of proper equipment, and more importantly, improves the level of care. There are several companies providing this type of equipment. They include: ProCare Medical, TR Group, Lopital, and Medline to name a few.

As is true in most all situations, having the right equipment can be the most important factor in delivering quality healthcare.

All the best,

Len Sears
Director of Sales, Lopital

len@procare-medical.com
Toll Free: 855-528-0421
Direct: 615-457-0727

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