“The Body was Made to Move”
This is a phrase one of my first anatomy and physiology professors would say in almost every class during the college semester.
It took years for me to begin to appreciate what he was trying to get across. In fact, I still find myself thinking of that simple phrase several times each month as I’m working with people and doing my best to help them grasp the fact that they are in control of their body and it’s up to them to get it to move efficiently.
I have since added a little bit to that phrase and it goes like this: ” The body was made to move in a balanced,predictable way”. Your confidence as a caregiver will increase the more you understand this simple saying.
Mobility in Caregiving Falls Into 3 General Categories.
Bed Mobility
Bed mobility refers to any movement that needs to be done while in bed. The main type of bed mobility is is getting from a lying down position to sitting on the edge of the bed. This is needful for when someone is getting out of the bed to a wheelchair or just to stand.
But bed mobility also refers to any other movement in the bed that is necessary for re-positioning during bathing, dressing, or just pressure relief.
Transfers
The term transfer (for the physical therapist) describes the moving from one surface to another. A transfer can be from sitting to standing or from sitting to sitting, or even from floor to stand.
For some caregivers, assisting with transfers can be the most physically demanding part of the many duties caregivers often have. This is because many caregivers use a lifting technique to assist a person from one surface to another.
The techniques shown on this blog attempt to minimize the need to lift a person in order to re-position them.
Ambulation or Walking
The ability to walk is extremely important to a person who may be ill, injured, or infirm. The ability or lack there of has a psychological impact on a person. For an adult, the ability to walk represents independence and people want to maintain it.
But, with some, walking can be unsafe. Whether it’s because of weakness, pain, paralysis, or something else… it’s the duty of the caregiver to make sure that any walking needs to be safe. And one aspect of being safe is a matter of having the proper equipment.
In addition to using to proper equipment safely, the caregiver needs to understand how to help keep a person safe and decrease the potential for falling.
The information and strategies you may read about on this blog can give the caregiver greater insight into the mechanics of walking and ways that some have assisted others to walk safely.