New lifting equipment improves outcomes for residents who experience falls
Our Grovelands residential care home in Yeovil is trialling innovative new lifting equipment which will provide improved support for residents who experience falls, and reduce reliance on emergency service callouts.
Supplied as part of a £0.75million partnership with NHS Somerset and the Somerset Urgent Community Response Team, the new inflatable lifting equipment is designed to lift residents who do not require medical treatment, but do need assistance to get back up if they experience a fall.
The new equipment enables the Grovelands team to help get residents back on their feet promptly, safely and with dignity.
This lessens the risk of ‘long lie exposure’, where individuals who remain on the floor for prolonged periods of time whilst waiting for ambulance become at greater risk of complications such as pressure sores or dehydration.
Photo credit: NHS Somerset
Karen Cheshire, Manager at Grovelands:
“The safety and wellbeing of our residents is always our primary concern at Grovelands, and we constantly seek new and innovative ways in which we can improve the care that we provide. Whilst we do everything possible to minimise the risk of falls, the nature of elderly care combined with the health conditions which our residents live with, means that we can never entirely remove this risk for them. What we can do, however, is put in place additional measures to minimise the impact that a fall can have on the individual.
“Whilst serious injury from falls is thankfully a rarity, it’s important not to overlook the emotional impact of experiencing a fall, particularly for our residents who live with dementia. Ensuring that they can be safely and promptly lifted from the floor in a dignified manner, after assessing any potential injuries, is crucial to this.
“Working with the Somerset Urgent Community Response Team, we now have more advanced lifting equipment at our disposal to help any residents who experience a fall to get back on their feet, removing the stress and embarrassment they may associate with struggling to get up, or an ambulance needing to be called to assist them.
“Lessening the emotional impact of a fall, reducing the burden on emergency services and empowering our care teams to lift individuals safely, effectively and with dignity, this new lifting aid will transform the support available to those who need it.”
Photo credit: NHS Somerset
