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Moving and handling help required
Hi All. I've been working with a lady with Alzheimers who still sleeps in a double bed (alone) which is up against the wall and there is limited space. She has 2 carers who help with all transfers. She is still able to follow some direction but takes some time to process the requests. Getting into bed is fine, the issue is the morning. She turns 90 degrees and ends up horizontal in the bed overnight (head towards the wall and the feet by the edge of the bed where she get outs). Carers are struggling to get her to turn on the morning as she takes a long time to wake up. She also removes her pad overnight. Carers are now moving her doing gradual increments, which concerns me because of friction. Slide sheets are difficult to fit due to the overreaching and soiling. I'm concerned about wendy-letts as she is obviously 'active' overnight. And she has fallen from a profiling bed previously and family have said that they do not wish for her to be in one.
I have also consdered Phil-e-slide but again possible that she'd slip out of bed (more slippy than a wendy-lett) and the Etac but concerned that she may move over the 'brake' and again slip.
I feel that i'm at a bit of a loss of any other ideas. Anyone out there have any ideas?
The 2 suggestions i have had so far are phil-e-slide making sure carers are always tucking it in on leaving! and Profling bed, set low to the floor overnight with an etac.
I agree that sleeping arrangements need to be reviewed. I think that fitting and removing any type of slide sheet with single sided care will result in an excessive amount of bending and reaching for carers - has a risk assessment been done regarding this? Carers would probably be within their right to decline to carry out bed transfers, due the risk and this is often where moving & handling regulations can clash with family/client wishes.
Double beds aren't great for moving & handling - their fixed height and the excessive amount of reach/bending/poor posture required, to provide personal care and assist with transfers would normally indicate a different type of bed to lower risk as far as is reasonably practicable.
If falling out of bed is the main concern of the family, then you could assess with the Accora Floorbed, with a cot side and breathable bumper on the wall side to prevent entrapment.