A Users Perspective – the carer…
“The mattress was easy to use and made a real difference to the physical demands of our daily repositioning regime with this particular client.”
Claire – Carer (Feb 2015)
Background
Claire, a care worker for a local authority care home, has worked continuously in the healthcare profession for over 8 years. In 2014, a resident at the home where she was working was issued with a Pure Air 7* pressure relieving mattress replacement system. The resident, an elderly gentleman, was suffering a category II pressure ulcer and had previously been nursed on a high specification foam mattress. His general health condition had recently changed and nutritional intake was poor.
The Pure Air 7 was delivered and installed by the local authority loan equipment service, who had recently switched to this pressure relieving mattress over an alternative product. As this was the first time the care unit was using the system, Claire called our customer service team requesting for some educational support which we were happy to deliver.
Introduction to Pure Air 7
Our product specialist John Watkin arrived to demonstrate the product and as he reported: “Claire was prepared with a list of very specific questions regarding certain product features.” John has been with Select Medical since 2003 and has amassed almost 20 years product experience ranging from building dynamic pump units for Karomed to delivering product training for our carer network.
Claire’s exhaustive list prompted questions about both mattress and pump, as she explained: “There were a few things that the staff were unsure about with using the system for the first time and so we prepared a list of questions. The first thing we all noticed was how quiet the pump was compared to what we had previously been accustomed to. I think this is something very important for the client’s wellbeing.”
John proceeded to work his way through the product demo, answering questions for Claire and her team. “We all found the session very informative. Especially helpful was the information learned about setting up the system for the first time, adjusting the comfort dial to a 12 o’clock position and conducting the hand check test to make sure the client was comfortably supported.” said Claire.
If you are to get the best results out of using any pressure relief mattress and/or seating device, delivering appropriate operator training is an important part of maximising the overall user experience. During his sessions, John is always keen to underline the importance of ongoing assessment and providing a 24hr approach to pressure care with the use of an appropriate seating system. Seating can often be overlooked when considering the pressure care equipment requirements for the cared for. “Cushions play just as an important role in pressure ulcer prevention and management as the mattress.” John highlights.
A persons risk can change and it’s vitally important to conduct routine skin inspections. “Ongoing skin assessment is a part of our everyday care and we take a real pride in this. In future though, we will be placing even more emphasis on skin assessments during the first two or three days of a client going on to a new pressure mattress to ensure it meets their specific needs.” added Claire.
Summary
The Pure Air 7 pressure relieving mattress replacement, proved to be a valuable asset to the carers who encountered the system in this particular case. Additionally, the training provided by Select Medical was extremely well received and offered a positive experience in the daily working lives of these carers.
*Pure Air 7 is the new name for Media Plus
The mattress was easy to use and made a real difference to the physical demands of our daily repositioning regime with this particular client. Now we have received the product training, we are more confident about setting up the systems individually for each patient, checking the mattress and the patient more regularly during the first few days and adjusting the system pressures to suit patient comfort. It has been a really positive experience dealing with Select Medical and we would like to thank John for the time he spent with us.Claire, Acting Deputy Manager
