If you are someone who works as a professional caregiver, or are even just a person who has stepped into that role because someone you love requires specific assistance, it’s crucial to evaluate patient lift equipment and choose a solution that allows you to do your job fully and safely without worrying about risking injury to yourself or your client.
Heavy Lifting is Not in Your Job Description
Many people are under the impression that being a caregiver means sometimes bearing most of the weight of a patient, especially if that individual is recovering from an injury that has compromised the use of one or more limbs.
However, a number of healthcare organizations have released standards recommending how caregivers should not bear the weight of more than 35 pounds. Some hospitals have even implemented no-lifting policies and use patient lift home equipment to help people change positions without putting their caregivers under strain.
Equipment Helps You Avoid a Career-Ending Injury
If you’ve ever talked to a person who ended up suffering an injury that was so severe it ultimately forced that individual to find another line of work or retire altogether, there’s a good chance the details included how the incident happened in a matter of seconds, and there wasn’t anything to indicate there’d be a problem beforehand.
Some people decide to take risks and try to handle the weight of something that’s too heavy, mentally saying they’ll just do it once. However, even one situation where proper patient lift equipment is not used could be enough to change your life forever. Don’t make an unwise decision that could affect your future.
Allows You to Focus on Other Duties
When you have access to appropriate patient lift equipment, it makes you more able to concentrate on parts of your job such as teaching a person to be maximally independent by relearning how to do some of the tasks of daily living in a slightly different way. Without lifting tools to use, you’re not only putting yourself at risk for getting hurt, but also passing that possibility to your patient. Pay attention to the other parts of your job and help your patients stay safe by using specialized aids.
Be a maximally effective caregiver by making sure you use products that support your line of work and prevent injuries.
