On Manual Handling Training – Ideas for Design

Have you ever thought of doing some manual handling training to find out the latest updates on equipment and movement techniques used by carers in the home, with older people and people with disabilities? I completed some training in recent months and it has opened my eyes to issues that may impact on the design of the environment. For example, the space required for two carers in a bedroom needing to assist with bed mobility or helping a person transfer on and off equipment in this area; where carers stand to fit a sling with a person in bed or in a wheelchair; how and where carers stand to assist with toilet, bed and wheelchair transfers; and the latest ideas on the location of ceiling track hoists for optimal positioning of people in bed and the storage of this equipment in a bedroom etc. Spaces in the home near fixtures and fittings may need to accommodate a range of carers who are used to different ways of positioning themselves and using specific techniques to move people.
I have attended training by Leah Palmer, a physiotherapist, based in Brisbane, who tailors manual handling training to suit the needs of individuals or organisations. Phone – 07 3822 8332.

Don’t forget to consider attending the equipment workshops run by LifeTec Qld or the Independent Living Centres around Australia – they provide an excellent overview of the latest mobility equipment that has to be accommodated in home designs and external areas around the home.