Residents’ Top 5 Complaints About Nursing Homes: #3
September 1, 2010 in Assisted Living, CCRC, Home Care / Home Health, Hospice, Independent Living, Nursing Home / Rehab / SNF by Eleanor Feldman Barbera, PhD
Complaint #3: The Patient Lift
The patient lift is a machine used to transfer a resident from their bed to their wheelchair and back. No resident I’ve met likes using one, and I suspect the reason is the combination of loss of control, the frightening feeling of being suspended, helpless, in midair, and a lack of training which makes the procedure more alarming and uncomfortable than it needs to be.
When I was in grad school, all psychologists-in-training were required to undergo psychotherapy. Similarly, aides could gain perspective from a ride in the lift as part of their orientation or ongoing training. (I’d like to do this and blog about it, so if there’s a home in the New York Metro area willing to let me, please contact me.)
A professional approach by staff members with a focus on increasing confidence in the transfer procedure can reassure anxious residents. Techniques that reduce anxiety include:
- letting residents know what’s about to occur at each step of the process
- engaging in a dialogue with residents so they know the focus is on them
- listening to feedback about how they’re feeling (frightened, uncomfortable, etc) and responding to their concerns
What techniques do you use to make this procedure more pleasant?
For more blogs by Eleanor Feldman Barbera please see her blog at http://mybetternursinghome.blogspot.com/.
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