TAKE A STAND!

It is widely accepted nowadays that many people struggle- be it a little or a lot- to get up from their chair.  But few of us think beyond that scenario. Yet what about getting on and off the toilet?

 

THAT is actually a bigger problem, whether at home or out and about…

 

Reduced sit to stand function is such a common issue that there are now retailers within most large towns selling just riser recliner chairs. But, as outlined above, it is rare for that action to be associated with anything other than getting out of a chair. Yet almost as often,  we get on and off the toilet- on average eight times a day! And whether at home or out and about, often a grab rail just isn’t enough support or help.

 

Solutions do exist.

 

The obvious is to raise the height of the toilet so less knee bend, and lower limb strength, is required. Floor-mounted toilets can be made higher by the addition of plinths; a wall-hung variant can be moved up the wall. However, whoever is executing the work needs to ensure there is sufficient, or increased, pipework to accommodate the adjustment.

 

A toilet lifter helps people who do not have the muscle strength to push themselves up. It fits over the WC, and, at the push of a button, lowers and raises the user over the bowl, ensuring their feet remain on the floor.

Most deliver a tilting function as they rise, ‘tipping’ the user from sitting to standing, without the user having to rely on their own muscle strength. Some people find the tilting sensation unsettling, they don’t feel stable, and safe. The Aerolet, available from Closomat, is, to our knowledge, the only brand that also has a vertical lift option: this lifts the user without tilting the seat, eliminating that feeling of insecurity. (The Aerolet range can also be preset to individual user needs in terms of minimum and maximum lift height, thus accommodating the smallest to the tallest individual!)

 

The ultimate solution is an automatic height adjustable toilet, such as the Lima Lifter- believed to be unique in the market. At the push of a button, the toilet can be lowered and raised to the most comfortable height for the person using it- both for them to get on and off, and whilst sat. And it delivers the optimum in cleanliness- it has integrated douching and drying so there’s no need to manually clean with toilet paper. And the core height range can be preset at initial installation to accommodate the shortest and tallest user, within the tolerances of 455mm up to 755mm.

 

Artist Stella Maris, who has muscular dystrophy, sums it up: I cannot stress what a difference it has made. I am able to go to the toilet without assistance! It is fantastic for anyone with no sit to stand function. The rising function is crucial for me to do anything without help.”

Stella maintains the rising function is so critical to her daily life, she cannot even spend any great amount of time away from home in case she needs the toilet. One assumes everyone who uses a riser recliner chair at home has the same issue.

 

Is that your experience?

SITTING COMFORTABLY?

We assume that toilet seats are oval, a standard size. The only variation may be colour.  The truth is far different, especially if you have a disability.

 

Changes to the WC, particularly the seat, is actually one of the most common home adaptations carried out. If you think about it, that’s not a surprise. Going to the toilet is one of the four key activities of daily living (ADLs), something we do on average eight times a day, so probably more than any other part of our routine.

 

The right seat makes a big difference to your ability to use the toilet comfortably, effectively and safely. Key influencing factors are your gender and size. Any parent, for a start, will have at least one story of trying to support their offspring over the pan during potty training, to avoid the, slipping through! Similarly, if their offspring was male, of being sprinkled, or soaked, in urine from the child’s inability to aim!

 

A female with dexterity and/ or mobility issues would find it hard, if not impossible, with a conventional toilet seat to remove or insert a tampon. A person of either sex needing to change a catheter will similarly be restricted. A horse shoe shaped seat makes their life easier.

 

An obese person will find it hard because of body mass to position themselves accurately over the toilet bowl. They may be sat too far forward, for example. Buttock cheeks may be pushed together by the seat, compromising their ability to evacuate their bowels easily, effectively and cleanly. A bariatric seat, or bench provides greater support.

Someone who suffers from sensitive skin, sores, spends a long time sat on the loo, or lacks padding on their bottom would find a padded, soft seat much more comfortable.

 

For all of those above, and anyone who has dexterity and/or mobility issues would also find it useful if they didn’t have to reach through the seat to wipe themselves clean. A shower toilet- one with integrated douching, and ideally subsequent drying, facilities too eliminates that. The complex- and potentially hazardous- manoeuvre of wiping clean is obviated, as, at the trigger, the toilet automatically cleans you. Depending on the make and model, even the trigger options address limitations: they vary, including flush levers, push button controls, soft touch systems, infra red and even remote controls.

The options exist to ensure that, as far as using the toilet is concerned, you are sitting comfortably….

 

more info: http://www.clos-o-mat.com

IN FUTURE CARE ABOUT INDEPENDENT LIVING

 

By Mark Sadler

 

In recent weeks, there has been much debate about securing the future of social care. Plans are proposed to enable people to lead healthier and longer lives, to champion independent living.

 

The buzzword is ‘pre-care’. The aim is to ensure all homes are designed for age and mobility.

 

With the best will in the world, that is, in essence, lifetime homes. That concept has been championed for years; unfortunately housebuilders are inevitably driven more by commercial influences and profit than by corporate responsibility.

 

How difficult is it to ensure that a proportion of new homes are built:

• with level thresholds
• doorways wide enough for a wheelchair
• to design room ‘flow’ so, at least in later years, a ceiling track hoist can be installed without major building works?

 

These are not major alterations. The impact on build cost is insignificant. Yet these simple design elements can go a long way towards delivering a home is accommodates all ages and mobility. A home that can reduce occupant need for care support.

 

In the meantime, pre-care can be achieved when appropriate by using relevant aids, that enable people to remain at home and live without the need for care support.

 

We are all familiar with riser recliner chairs. We are not so familiar with toilet lifters. Yet they do the same job only in the bathroom. They help the occupant get on and off the loo.

Talking of toilets, what about one that really ‘works’ for everyone, however dextrous, however old, whatever religion? A wash and dry toilet can be used as a conventional WC, or, if use are prefers, integrated douching and drying eliminates hand to body contact.

So, in various ways, pre-care is already available.

 

The problem is a mindset.

 

What is needed is a legislative change to effect the way we view a person’s care needs in their lifetime. A strategy whereby we take a more holistic approach, and look at the longer term/lifetime costs, rather than a short term fix.

 

ENDS

http://www.clos-o-mat.com

It Could be You…!

Most of us don’t give the impact of disability on daily life a passing thought. But maybe we should….

Latest data (Office of National Statistics) say one in five of us has some form of disability- visible or invisible.

Approximately 80%- eight million people in Britain- weren’t born with their disability.

They developed a disease, began to suffer from a health condition.

Or they had an accident.

The causes are more numerous than people realise. Arthritis, cancer and diabetes are among the most common causes of disability, with mental health becoming increasingly prominent.

But the biggest- and least talked about- life limiting condition is incontinence- bladder control affects more than 14million adults, and 6.5million of us have issues with our bowels!

The effect of the disability usually worsens with time too. Most of us know at least one of the nine million arthritis sufferers in the UK, and appreciate how their mobility and dexterity deteriorate over time. On average each year, over 7,000 diabetes sufferers have a lower limb amputation. According to Help Diabetes, the number has increased 15% in a decade, yet 80% of diabetes-related amputations could have been avoided with good care and self-management.

Don’t forget too that the majority of people have a family, the members of which are in turn affected by the limitations to daily life that are inevitable when living with a disability.

So it could happen to you…..!