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After conducting the home safety assessment, it was determined that this client and her family needed help in a variety of ways. Firstly, the door to the bathroom was less than 2 feet wide, resulting in the client and her family not being able to utilize her wheelchair in the bathroom. Instead, the clients' Husband and Son were transferring her in and out of a narrow metal chair, carrying her from the living room to the bathroom. The client and her family also did not have a shower chair, so they were transferring the metal chair into the shower to bathe her.
All of these things presented us with a multitude of safety concerns. Not only for the client, but her family as well. Val's Helping Hands stepped in and provided a few things and recommendations. Firstly, we provided the client and her family a shower chair to make transfers to and from the shower safer and easier. We then recommended taking the door off of the bathroom and putting up a curtain for privacy, to allow more space for the family to get the client in and out of the bathroom.
While we did not believe a wheelchair would fit in the bathroom after taking the door off, we also recommended adding wheels with brakes to the legs of the metal chair that the family was already utilizing, so that they could wheel the client into the bathroom instead of carrying her, making it safer not only for the client but for them as well. We also recommended utilizing a gait belt for safety and transferring the client from the bed to the couch to sit up more during the day. Lastly, we provided the clients' family with educational handouts for safe transfers with good body mechanics, proper bed positioning, and how to protect the weak side.
3/22/2023
A few weeks ago we got a call about a potential client in need. This client has secondary progressive multiple sclerosis and from what we heard about the client, we knew he needed our help. Upon entering the home, we could see the issues described to us. First, the client was unable to safely transfer to and from the shower as the shower bench was on the opposite wall and was a stand alone shower. However, the client did have a bathtub that could be easily accessed with his wheelchair. So in the coming days, we will be providing the client with an over-the-tub shower bench that he can safely transfer to with supervision. Secondly, the client was unable to make it to the restroom in time due to barriers such as his ability to quickly transfer to his chair to make it to the bathroom, and the limited bathroom door space. For that, we provided him with a bedside commode so that the client can quickly transfer from his chair or out of bed and safely. We also noticed that the way the client was transferring in and out of his chair was unsafe, so we educated him on how to properly position his chair and transfer in the safest way possible. Lastly, the client mentioned that the footrests on his wheelchair would sometimes cut his feet and legs. So, we provided him with a simple solution by adding a pair of socks to each footrest, to cover the sharp areas.
4/2/2023
A few weeks ago we were contacted about a potential client. This client suffered from a stroke affecting the right side of her body. This client attends intensive therapy 5 days a week and is making very good progress, although could have used our help to make her recovery easier. Upon entering the home, we recognized the client's motivation to become as independent as possible. While the client struggles with completing her ADLs, she was willing to do anything to decrease the burden on her husband. This client now has the ability to pull up and stand for nearly 10 minutes, so we recognized that she could possibly begin to complete transfers more independently. Because of this, we provided the client with a bedside rail as well as a toilet rail. With the provided equipment, the client is now able to help her husband with transfers to and from the bed and toilet. We believe that this client will eventually be able to transfer independently with continued attendance to intensive therapy and practice with her newly provided equipment. This client was even kind enough to donate a hospital bed, hoyer lift, and bedside commode that she was no longer utilizing, to pay it forward and provide someone else with needed equipment just like her.
