Have you ever wondered why clinicians ask about urinary tract infections at every visit?
Yes, UTIs create pain and suffering and contribute to the risk of falls but beyond that, healthcare providers are also penalized if a client gets an infection under their care.
As a result, clinicians are always looking for solutions that can prevent and address urinary tract infection ASAP.
After more than a decade of teaching clients and caregivers the laborious steps, you can understand how excited I was when I saw @Bemis has come up with a completely new way to solve the difficulties of toileting that ALSO preserve dignity and promote independence.
UTIs are tough to cure completely because it just takes a little residual bacteria to multiply quickly and escalate into big symptoms. Many clients just continue to get them over and over again for years.
This is why OTs teach clients and caregivers how to throughly wash the area to prevent recurrences and how to apply a barrier after each visit to the bathroom to prevent the skin breakdown.
This can be physical demanding for both the client and the caregivers or facility staff, especially if the infection is still active and they are using the bathroom 10x a day.
If you’ve ever done a consult with me, you’ll know I always tell people that the very best thing you can do is to automate processes as much as possible to increase the likelihood it gets completed.
The Empower Seat is the premier solution for senior living communities to reduce the risk of infections and gives the client’s control over toileting again.
It also helps decrease back strain on staff when needing to bend in awkward ways for sustained periods of time, multiple times a day, to help a client wipe, clean the area with cleanser and apply a barrier cream.
Currently, they are planning to launch in June with skilled nursing facilities as their first run.
Those commercial grade seats will likely be out of reach for most consumer budgets but my hope is that these facilities will see the significant return on investment and ultimately make it more likely that a consumer version will be developed that can be used in the home setting!
If you know of any facilities interested in getting more information, pls DM me and I’ll get them connected!
And if you are a clinician that will be at AOTA, I have convinced them to bring this model to the booth (#414) so you can be as excited as I am!!
The video is about 3 minutes long but I promise it’s worth the watch! https://youtu.be/rD-N0QYWyxk
#independence #incontinence #selfconfidence #professionalproblemsolver
#asktheexpert #ageinplaceorfindnewspace
#occupationaltherapy #occupationaltherapist
#evolvinghomes #AIPFNS
