Unfortunately, the issue of slipping or falling from a chair is one that is encountered a lot in both healthcare and domestic environments. Patients with limited mobility, such as the very elderly or those with muscular conditions are especially vulnerable. At best a fall will cause discomfort or embarrassment; at worst the patient may suffer more serious injury. In order to help minimise the risk of falls, carrying out a thorough seating assessment is required.
Here are four key areas to look out for when seating a patient:
Use Gravity
The reclining functions can be vital in keeping your patient safe within their chair. By using the back angle recline to lean the patient back you can prevent the patient from leaning forwards in their chair – one of the most common causes of falls. As well as the reclining functions, you will also find that some chairs enable you to adjust the angle of the seat itself, which enables a patient’s hips and pelvis to be better supported.
Secure the Legs and Feet
It is advisable to set the leg rest
at a negative angle (slightly less than 90 degrees) in order to let the hamstrings rest on the chair. A footrest can further help stabilise your patient. As a rule of thumb, you should look to place the feet flat on the footrest, allowing them to take as much weight as possible. See out full
guide to using a footrest here.
Depth Matters
One of the most common reasons for falls and slides is incorrect seat depth. Most chairs will allow you to adjust the depth of a chair to suit the patient’s body. In order to do this, simply lift or drop the seat depth until the backs of the thighs make full contact with the chair.
Use Extra Supports
The majority of our
Healthcare chairs come with extra postural support for the back. Use these additional cushions to keep your patient sitting straight and prevent them from slipping to one side.
To find out more about how our range of Recliners chairs can help your patients stay safe and comfortable, visit our product page
here.
