Reducing Devon hospitalisations with our Raizer Chair
Ideas come and go but without question, the acquisition of our first Felgains* Raizer© chair in 2017, has been something of a ‘game changer’ with regard to the way we could assist fallen clients, and crucially, make a difference in outcome. The Raizer© is an amazing, if costly, bit of ‘kit’ which with hindsight we now realise, is priceless! That’s why in 2020, we purchased a second.
According to the Public Health Outcomes Framework (PHOF), falls are a prominent cause of unintentional injury, and each year around a third of adults aged 65 and over who live at home, have at least one fall. There are enormous potential medical and economic repercussions to this. Facts that we recognised, and which lead to our collaboration with our local South West Ambulance Service Trust (SWAST), in order to find a solution. The result of this partnership was a resounding success in all regards and continues to be so. It was in fact documented within a widely distributed paper (“Home care takes on the challenges of falls at home: innovative practice**”) in 2020, co-written by our Owner/Director, Mark McGlade and Karen Denning, for the International Journal of Care and Caring.
The report highlighted some vital statistics, which proved that the consequences of falls for older members of our communities see them at increased risk of hospitalisation, dependency, an acute lowering in the quality of life and increased morbidity. (Peeters et al, 2009). With a higher than average age of population in the East Devon community, this topic deserved our attention.
The collaboration of our team at Home Instead with SWAST in 2016, saw the sharing of the ‘Traffic Light System’ – a method of assessing the individual in need – and adapting it to suit assessment by our Care Professional colleagues. Whilst undoubtedly beneficial, the physical process still required more than one team member to safely perform it.
Determined to find a solution to this obstacle, Mark continued to investigate and upon attending a SWAST event in 2017, he discovered the Raizer© chair – a lifting device which could be used to help non-injured clients from the floor in a ‘timely and dignified’ manner. The advantages were immediately apparent to Mark and following a demonstration at the Home Instead offices in 2018, the first Home Instead Raizer© chair device was purchased.
The subsequent support that Home Instead then provided to the ambulance service through use of the Raizer©, was noted in the “State of Health Care and Adult Social Care in England 2018/19” report, siting how Home Instead had undoubtedly ease pressure on the ambulance service and had helped individuals to avoid hospital admittance.
Since this point in time, the benefits of this amazing piece of equipment have been far reaching and numerous, hence the purchase of the second Home Instead Raizer©, in 2020. In that year alone, Home Instead utilised the Raizer© chairs 92 times, on each occasion avoiding the need for an ambulance to be called.
We continue to be committed to improving our offcially Outstanding services, assisting clients in every way possible, and to leading the field with regard to innovation – a topic discussed in the Felgains Innovators in Care* series, in 2023. The prospect that our assistance may have saved lives along the way is an amazing one and knowing that our investment and efforts have saved the NHS what could be in excess of £500k since 2017, is astounding. Proof that collaboration is key and that investment in the right home care can prevent the ultimate need for hospital care.
For further information regarding our officially Outstanding care and companionship services – Including Live-In Care – please contact our team on 01395 200600 or visit our website HERE.
**Home care takes on the challenges of falls at home: innovative practice.