Safe moving, handling, and rehabilitation of children
Caring for children of any age, including those with disabilities or medical conditions, requires careful consideration and specialized attention.
Children are not just small adults and understanding their unique needs and developmental stages are crucial for providing effective care. This includes assisting with recovery after an accident or surgery, outpatient care and therapy, and providing speciality care for medical conditions or disabilities.
Childhood development and learning occur through interaction and movement in their environment and with others and utilizing technology can help make the scary post-surgery transfer smooth and fun, promote independent standing to play with friends or siblings, or strengthen core muscle groups and balance.
However, when caring for children with special needs, moving and handling them safely and comfortably can be challenging. Children with disabilities or medical conditions often require assistance with their activities of daily living (ADL), rehabilitation exercises to improve mobility and muscle strength, and overall quality of life. This can be physically demanding and put a lot of strain on caregivers, especially when space and equipment are limited. Fortunately, a ceiling hoist system can make this task much easier and safer for everyone involved.
A ceiling hoist can transfer the child from a bed to a wheelchair, from a chair to a bath, from one room to another, and even aid in gait training and mobilization without requiring manual lifting.
These systems can be installed in private homes, schools, daycare centres, institutions, and hospitals to ensure the safe and comfortable handling of children with special needs.
Frequent paediatric moving, handling, and rehabilitation tasks, where a ceiling hoist can be used:
- Transfer between bed/chair/wheelchair
- Transfer in and out of a padded chair
- Repositioning in chairs
- Transfer to and from the toilet
- Assistance with daily tasks
- Skin care and wound care
- Support with mobilization
- Gait training
- Active exercises
- Exercises with partial weight-bearing
- Treadmill training
- Aquatic therapy
- Balance and posture exercises on e.g., trampoline
- ADL activities
- Playing – kicking & throwing ball; running; access to water sport
- Dancing
- Mat and floor activities
- Recovery from injury / accident therapy to return to sports
- Hippotherapy or/and other animal therapy
Enhance safety, comfort, and quality of life
Rehabilitation for children with special needs involves a range of individual physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and care activities, such as walking, swimming, cooking, socializing, playing, horseback riding, and school tasks. The goal of rehabilitation and activation is to increase and maintain the child's best possible functional ability. However, the limited mobility and self-help ability of these children require therapists and caregivers to compensate with safety, security and play in mind. In this regard, Guldmann has devoted careful consideration to designing solutions that meet the needs of small children, adolescents, and teenagers.
Guldmann Lifting hangers are available in sizes proportional to young children's bodies, while the Dynamic weight relief feature of the Trainer Module provides crucial sensory real-time feedback during movement. Moreover, features of slings specific for children include an integrated safety belt, standing support for trunk posture, padding and stretch for comfort. One of the main benefits of Guldmann's ceiling hoist system is that it reduces the risk of injury to both the child and health staff during lifting and transferring.
Manual handling of children with limited mobility can put a lot of strain on the back, shoulders, and arms and cause discomfort or pain for the child. However, with a ceiling hoist, the child can be lifted and moved safely and controlled, without any physical exertion on the part of the health staff. This not only prevents injuries but also promotes a better quality of care, optimizes training, and provides a more positive experience for the child.
Another advantage of a ceiling hoist is that it allows for greater flexibility and independence in the child's daily routine. Children can use the hoist to play or perform tasks with less aid from others, with greater ease and confidence, which can boost their self-esteem and improve their overall well-being.
Moreover, Guldmann's solutions consider the environments in which children and teenagers live, play, and recover – hospitals, clinics, private homes, outdoors, and water environments such as pools, lakes, and oceans.
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