Whether you are helping residents with limited mobility out of their beds or enabling comfortable, dignified bathing, slings and hoists have a vital role to play in supporting residents and care workers alike.
Ideally, the moving and handling of residents feels effortless and completely natural. But when best practice breaks down, the process can quickly become awkward or unsafe for everyone involved – leaving residents feeling anxious or uncomfortable, while placing additional demands on the care workers responsible. So, what simple steps can caregivers take to ensure the moving and handling of residents is more than just compliant?
In practice, the challenge for sling and hoist manufacturers is striking the right balance between comfort and compliance. Slings need to be safe and secure, but that doesn’t need to come at the cost of comfort and dignity. This means sourcing from suppliers who can easily demonstrate their commitment to resident-first thinking. Certain slings may require residents to position their legs apart, for instance, in ways which may leave them feeling exposed or vulnerable. Here, empathy is essential, and you may wish to sit in the sling yourself to better understand how your residents might feel. Is the sling fabric breathable, for instance, and do you feel fully supported at all times?
It goes without saying, but residents deserve slings and hoists that are clean, comfortable, and above all, dignified – and that begins with specifying the right sling for the right resident. An in-situ sling could be used in conjunction with a full body hoist to support residents over the course of a given day, while a quick fit sling might only be used temporarily. Meanwhile, standing slings can be used with various stand aids to provide much-needed support, while tailormade toileting slings can be specified for bathroom settings.
Complications can easily arise, however. A sling that is too small, for instance, will lead to discomfort. Too large and the resident is at risk of slipping through the sling altogether. Similarly, compatibility between slings and hoists intended for differing uses can be an issue, requiring compliant workarounds that ensure ease of use. It’s what makes knowing which hoist is best for which task – and which sling configuration is most appropriate – one the most important steps to ensuring resident comfort and safety.
To this end, CareHomeLife is happy to share our extensive training and product experience with your care teams – and in the event of a compatibility issue, we’re always on-hand to help.
Cleanliness is non-negotiable. Slings, for instance, will need to be washed regularly – especially if they are used to support residents for extended periods of time. In practice, this means washing at higher temperatures – and always in accordance with the laundry label – to break down odours and stains effectively.
However, drying at similarly high temperatures is far from recommended. This can damage both the laundry label and the integrity of the sling fabric itself – compromising not only regulatory compliance but also resident comfort and safety. It’s why CareHomeLife recommends always following the manufacturer’s instructions and conducting consistent LOLER inspections on a six-month basis to monitor sling and hoist durability and compliance – a service CareHomeLife takes pride in providing to our partners in care.
You may also wish to consider implementing a simple, intuitive colour-coded system, similar to one used by our servicing team. A red label signifies that this sling or hoist is in need of a service, while any equipment that is labelled green is certified and approved for use.
It’s equally important to consider the care workers’ perspective. Slings and hoists are proven to reduce the physical demand placed on practitioners, enabling safe lifting without risk of injury or compromising on care. However, specialist equipment requires thorough training to ensure proper use – and, as new workers join the fold and new products come into use, these training regimes will need to be refreshed.
In our view, it’s the caregiver themselves who has the most significant role to play in making residents feel safe, secure, and seen, however. We know from experience that care workers lead with compassion. Despite this, the day-to-day bustle of an active care home can leave residents and their loved ones feeling dehumanised. Caregivers have the power to guide residents through these moments – to reassure them and ensure they are treated with complete confidence and dignity.
As with all things, it’s human kindness and compassion that wins the day.
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