When you or a loved one need home health care, having the right equipment at hand can be essential. Especially if the home health care patient needs to use a wheelchair, and has difficulty moving about on their own. This kind of patient also will have difficulty getting in and out of bed and other than slings the best aids for this task are bed and floor trapezes designed for easy transfer from bed to chair, and back again. In this article we will cover the basic types of trapeze equipment and how to best use them effectively.
Bed Trapezes
When it comes to bed and floor trapezes for home health care, the one most often employed is the bed trapeze. These attach directly to a hospital bed, and can be done in two ways. The first most commonly used hospital bed trapeze is the overhead trapeze bar, which is usually attached directly to the headboard. The bar itself retracts, so that it is never truly in the way. Having it attached overhead allows the patient to be able to use it to pull themselves up into a sitting position easily without aid. A secondary use that is often used by patients with decent upper body strength is as an exercise tool, with the overhead attachment making it perfect for continuing to strengthen that upper body strength by doing pull ups from a prone position.
The second type of hospital bed trapeze attaches to a side rail, instead of the headboard. In terms of home trapeze equipment, it can be the most versatile of its kind, making it easily adjustable for patients who may be taller than average, or whose infirmity or injury requires them to pull up from a different angle than others might. Both kinds of bed trapezes are essential for patients who want some sense of independence and are vital in getting them into an upright position for transfer into their wheelchair from the bed.
Floor Trapezes
Floor trapezes operate completely independent of hospital beds and generally come in two forms: stationary and wheeled. In whatever form you choose, they are very important for use with bariatric patients, because overhead and rail bed trapezes are often not enough to facilitate getting them into an upright position, and then into their wheelchair or mobility scooter. A bariatric patient is considered to be any patient that is considered to be obese, usually 300 pounds or more.
The stationary floor medical trapeze is usually adjustable in height, and once it is locked into place, is pretty hard to shift out of position. Because it is most often used with bariatric patients, it will often be used in tandem with a belt sling by the caregiver, to add extra stability when transferring the patient from the bed to their chair. The wheeled floor trapeze unit, on the other hand, is one of the most versatile types around. The wheels lock to keep it in place, and can be used at bedside or anywhere else in the home when the patient needs to be transferred from their wheelchair, even in the bath. For patients that require constant aid in transfers, this kind of bed and floor trapezes is the perfect choice for the home.