During my rural placement I attended a home visit with an occupational therapist to see an elderly man who had been referred for a mobility assessment. He has two daughters who act as his carers, one of whom had been to the hospital the previous day to get a wheeled zimmer frame for this man as he was having trouble getting around with his walking stick. The frame had been provided by a physiotherapist, without seeing this patient therefore had not been adjusted correctly and he had not received any instruction on how to use it. To complicate the matter he does not speak English and his daughters speak very minimal amounts of English.
This man was using his frame very poorly, he had it a long way in front of him and was bending over from his back and hips to make an almost 90 degree angle with his legs and back with his arms outstretched a long way in front. The frame was also too tall for him. I was horrified at the technique as it was extremely unsafe. I adjusted the height of the frame for him and taught him the correct technique to use it which was difficult due to the language barrier however we managed to get there eventually. From this experience I realise that it is always essential to see the patient before giving them any equipment. Initially I thought most patients would have enough of an idea to use the equipment well enough for it to be a safer option than having no aids however, following this incident I realise that provision of equipment without assessment can create more of a hazard than actually being helpful for the patient.
1 comment:
Tracey i would have also been horrified at such poor use of the equipment and as you mentioned this really emphasises the need for correct prescription of equipment. Although at times even after you have been through it correctly the elderly patients can still forget, so educating the family can at times be of equal importance. What a great post, i feel i have learnt from your inciteful clinical reflection.
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