India has about 2100 – 2300 assisted living facilities / care homes for senior citizens. The total bed capacity is estimated to be 1,10,000 – 1,20,000 (based on personal research). While most of the new care homes are offering services on pay & stay basis however the older ones were set up by charitable trusts offering free services or are subsidised.
The larger point of debate is, as a country where do we stand w.r.t elderly care delivery guidelines and policies? Unfortunately not many homes have the financial or training bandwidth to up-skill the caregivers in professional service delivery.
In my view, need for national level policies is important and India specific training material should be freely available.
One important area for training is moving and handling of residents in care facilities especially for the oldest of old.
Manual handling of residents means moving or supporting a person’s hands or arms or by some other form of bodily effort. In the handling of people, this includes the use of force by a person to lift, lower, push, pull, carry, move, support and hold another person.
A research paper (Patient handling in India—Evidence from a pilot study) highlights the need for proper training, policies and guidelines in moving and handling residents.
Manual handling forms an important part of a health care worker’s daily routine. Faulty techniques may result in musculoskeletal injuries in health workers and further injury to patients.
Health care providers are prone to sustain injuries while moving or handling residents. Body parts most frequently injured during this process are the lower back, neck, thumb, upper back, and shoulders.
Studies show that over 88% of health care workers report work-related pain in at least one body part. This could be in part because of faulty technique, and excessive workload.
Improper handling has been shown to injure patients or worsen a patient’s injuries, leading to increased morbidity and prolonged hospital stay.
Care facilities must assess manual handling procedures and identify protective measures to avoid any injuries.
Examples of protective measures that could be used:
- Training in the use of a resident hoist or sliding sheet;
- Training of clinical staff in resident handling techniques;
- Widening of door openings to allow hoists to fit through;
- Installation of low gradient ramps and slopes to be used instead of steps;
- Undertaking of preventive maintenance programmes for equipment/facilities.
A guide book by Occupational Safety and Health Branch, Labour Department, Hong Kong is attached for further information.
The document can be accessed on https://www.labour.gov.hk/eng/index.htm or downloaded here (Manual Handling of People) or can be viewed below