As a Care home manager, or care home staff, you’ll know the importance of using good quality care home equipment to maintain the high standards of your home. While you’re responsible for the well-being of the elderly and vulnerable, as well as for maintaining peace of mind for their families and loved ones, you also need to make sure that you have the right equipment to offer the practical care that’s required.
While your home might offer specialist care needing specific equipment, here are the top Care Home essentials that you’ll need when dealing with incontinence, bathing and toileting so you can make sure your staff and patients have the care and resources they need.
Incontinence Products
Managing incontinence issues will constitute a fairly large part of the care offered. Maintain dignity in your patients with a plentiful supply of incontinence pads ready to use.
Bedding and mattress covers will also require regular changing so using waterproof mattress covers for bedtime incontinence will speed up this process.
Patients might also enjoy the benefits of a heated waterproof mattress cover which offers both protection and comfort for better sleep.
You will also want to fit your care home beds with waterproof mattresses to ensure they have a longer life. We offer 4 types of waterproof mattresses with various levels of thickness, comfort and affordability.
When making up bedding some patients might benefit from using waterproof pillow cases or wipe-clean pillows and pvc duvet covers.
For all-round comfort we recommend a memory foam pillow for residents who need extra spinal support for aches and pains. Or likewise a cervical pillow for a more comfortable night’s sleep that helps to relieve tension headaches, muscular spasms as well as aching neck, back and joint muscles.
Toileting & Bathing Products
Supporting bathing and toileting will be another area where extra supplies will make caring for the patient easier and more dignified. Assisted toileting products will be required throughout your care home.
Toilet products
Whether your patients are using their own en-suite bathroom or communal area toilets many will be able to use the toilet independently if you have provided a raised toilet seat which allows for easier sitting and standing up unaided. For added comfort a patient might prefer a padded toilet seat.
The next level of support for toileting might involve a raised toilet seat with frame for greater help with balance and sitting and raising from the toilet. Patients may be able to use this independently or with additional support from staff.
Shower Products
It’s very likely that most care home patients will require some support when showering. Standing and maintaining balance for long periods of time while also attempting to clean themselves will be challenging for most elderly or mobility impaired people so most care homes will provide some form of shower chair or shower stool.
These are usefully very mobile and can be shared amongst the bathrooms in the care home. If storage is an issue we would recommend a foldaway shower chair or a smaller, stackable shower stool.
And of course don’t forget to keep a plentiful supply of antiseptic wipes for hygiene purposes throughout the home.
Look out for Part Two of this blog to read about essential Care Home Health Monitoring Equipment
May 2023