Manual Handling
Increasingly, clients with higher care needs are choosing to stay in their own home rather than moving into residential care. A common need for care results from an individual becoming weaker and less mobile. Once someone needs assistance with standing, walking, and transferring it can increase the risk of injury to both client and their carers.
A Manual Handling Assessment, carried out by the Occupational Therapist, will assess the risk and provide solutions to reduce the risk of injury to all involved. Where paid carers are being used, the client has a responsibility to ensure they have access to a safe working environment and manual handling equipment.
Recommendations
Following a detailed assessment, recommendations may include:
90 minute Assessment
Due to the varied nature of the disability, a manual handling assessment can take 90 minutes. It is best completed when the client's carers are present to demonstrate current practices eg during the early morning visit when the client is assisted out of bed and set up for the day.
Risks and recommendations report
Where paid carers are used, a report is prepared with a summary of risks and recommendations. This will provide clinical justification to pay for follow up visits where training or trials are required. It will also enable manual handling equipment to be funded or subsidised