AD – Physiotherapist October 2013
We have been using the Sit to Stand Trainer in the LTC home where I work for approximately 3 years now. The most drastic changes are seen with residents who are starting to have leg weakness and that can no longer stand up without some sort of physical help. Having the sling under them to give them a boost of even as little as 10 pounds and the handle to pull themselves up with makes such a huge difference!
When a resident starts to have difficulty standing on his/her own, or, by the transfer safety assessment is soon to be deemed needing a mechanical lift for transfers, this is the best time to get them started. This is where you will see the difference.
The other big difference I saw is that residents with cognitive difficulties, who have forgotten how to stand, are assisted with a very good physical cue, by having the sling underneath their bottom. We have a resident who no longer remembers how to stand on his own or with verbal cues and even with physical, manual cues, doesn’t stand up. With the sling underneath him, however, he goes up into standing and then we let him stay standing for up to 5 minutes and even do side-to-side weight shifting with him. The hardest thing to do with this gentleman is to get him to sit back down again. I think that he just enjoys standing so much that he doesn’t want to sit back down. He is no longer transferred manually; he is transferred with a lift at all times because of his reduced cognitive function. I am absolutely certain, however, that with the assistance of the Sit to Stand Trainer, we are helping him maintain some leg and trunk strength and usually the standing also helps his digestive system.
We have also used the Sit to Stand Trainer with a gentleman who hadn’t stood/walked in more than 3-4 years. He still had active leg ROM, just not enough strength to walk. He loves using the Sit to Stand Trainer. We started him with 30 lbs of assistance (it really doesn’t take much because the pounds of lift are strategically placed right where they count) and with time, we were able to wean the amount of assistance down. This is where you will see a difference.
Nancy Miles, OTR/L
Rehab Services Manager
Signature HealthCARE of Spencer County
Ms. M is an 80 year old with an extensive medical history and history of falls. She has been at our facility for 3 years. For the past year, due to weakness from a heart attack, she has had to use a wheelchair for mobility. Within the past 3 months, Ms. M has gone from transferring with Max Assist x 2 people to Min Assist x 1. Therapy has been using the new Sit To Stand Trainer with her!! Approx 2 weeks after sustaining a wrist fracture, she is already able to walk 10-15 feet with a platform walker and is building her Upper Extremity exercise routine!
Ms. M is a hard worker who has proven that although she was down, SHE WAS NOT OUT!!
Way to go Ms. M and Therapy Team!!
Caregiver & Patient, Good Samaritan Hospital, St. Croix Valley:
Caregiver:
Pt is a 72 Y.O. female who came to Good Sam after a hospital stay for a pretty substantial CVA. Left sided paralysis as well as neglect. She spent roughly 120 days here. She is discharging to home with her husband and home care.
Patient:
Speaking about the NeuroGym Sit-to-Stand trainer: This piece of equipment is absolutely wonderful; it was able to do the work of three nursing aides. Even without the use of my left side I was able to progress and gain some independence. This was a big reason that I am able to go home. After my home care I am looking forward to returning as an outpatient to use the Sit-to- Stand Trainer and maybe progressing to the NeuroGym Bungee Mobility Trainer. This is something I wouldn’t have thought was possible. This equipment is truly lifesaving.
Lori Coleman PT, GCS, WCC, DCCT Director of Clinical for Serenity, Signature Healthcare, Louisville, KY:
This is a great treatment resource to improve transfers and sit to stand in an objective way. It is an evidence-based treatment with several supporting studies that are available on the website.
Gail Lascelle, Restorative Care RPN, West End Villa, Ottawa, ON:
Nothing short of a miracle!
As the name implies, the machine helps people stand from a sitting position. With the use of counter-weights, it strengthens weight-bearing muscles and increases standing stability and endurance; the weight being reduced as the person gains strength. However for one of Gail’s residents in particular, it has provided so much more.
Charles (whose name as been changed to protect privacy) was a big man who had been the quintessential lawyer. At 6’4”, 240 lbs, the octogenarian was larger than life, confident and with a dignity that commanded respect. Then a severe fracture and a diagnosis that he would never walk again brought him crashing down to earth. Movement that he had taken for granted was no longer possible. For every transfer, he needed the use of a mechanical lift, or ‘baby cage’ as he resentfully called it.
Faced with the impossible, Gail and the Physio staff decided to try Charles on the sit-to-stand, starting with 100 lbs of counter-weight. Within a couple of months he had progressed to 80 lbs then 30 lbs then no weight at all. Charles can now get up from the bed and also transfer to a toilet with the use of a simple pole. He can even walk the full length of the hallway with a platform walker.
Being able to get up has also resulted in many other benefits. Charles who suffers from bowel obstructions has had fewer setbacks and since training on the sit-to-stand his breathing has improved.
“What we’ve given him can’t be measured,” says Gail. “Yes, he’s regained his mobility, but he has also regained his self-worth and dignity.”
Gail goes on to say that while the sit-to-stand undoubtedly helps improve mobility, it is also vital for promoting independence and boosting client confidence. “I’ve seen it give both residents and staff a whole new outlook on life. It gives residents the feeling it’s not the end of life in long term care but a different life.”
Ginette Whittingham, Administrator, Villa Marconi.
“I’ve been in long term care for 16 years and this is actually the first time that I can see a piece of equipment impact so much the self esteem and the quality of life.”
Dianne Barsevich PT, Burloak Long Term Care Centre, Burlinton, ON:
Lucy, who has organic dementia for many years hadn’t walked in five years and had no hope of doing so until she was put into the NeuroGym Sit-to-Stand Trainer. Everyone wants to walk, but in a long term care facility there’s a point when you’re up against too many hurdles – safety, weight, number of staff needed for support – and you stop trying to walk certain residents. Dementia residents, in particular, are a challenge because they typically don’t follow instructions and there’s the concern that they will sit down when you’re not expecting it. The Sit-to-Stand provides a safe option for overcoming all of those obstacles. It feels so much safer because it does all of the supporting. There’s no strain on staff and no fear of the patient falling. So you are more apt to try the ‘impossible’. For example, the physiotherapy team put a female resident with progressive dementia and OA, who hadn’t walked in 1.5 years due to inability to transfer with 2 staff, in the Sit-to-Stand to practice weight-shifting. After standing up, the resident just started to walk and took 25 steps.
Nancy Martin, DOC Burloak Long Term Care Centre, Burlington, ON:
I thought we bought the Bungee Mobility Trainer and Sit-to-Stand for the residents but the staff are so enthused with getting residents up, it’s a party every week