toileting a resident

fuzzywuzzy, CNA · Feb 19, 2012

What's the Bethany lifting method?

MN-Nurse, ASN, RN · Feb 19, 2012

My goal is to keep the resident safe. And i know im going to have to ask for help since im not that strong to left by myself. But of course my instructor told me im going to have to learn to do this on my own since i might not be able to get someone to help me all the time.

Your instructor is an idiot.

student forever · Feb 20, 2012

i had trouble lifting the resident and being able to hold the resident one handed and trying to clean her up.

This just comes with practice. You will get very fast and efficient with one hand. Sometimes the hand/arm that is raising the res also holds their gown up (so it does not interfere with wiping) or their pants up (so they do not step on their cuffs as you raise them), etc, as the other hand cleans them. You will be more ambidextrous as time goes on!

student forever · Feb 20, 2012

I learned that for certain tall people that are dead-weight, it's easier to just raise the bed so that the person is almost standing when you go to transfer them. :)
QUOTE]
This is good advice. Sometimes, I raise the head of the bed to high Fowler's and raise the whole bed to hip height for them to get in a sitting position more easily. Then, lower the bed more as they hold on to the sides of the bed to steady themselves and put their shoes on before the bed is lowereed as low as needed. They may also need to scoot themselves (with assistance if need be) to the edge of the bed so their feet are flat on the floor as much as possible before the transfer.
This makes the bed transfer more like getting them out of those recliners that put them in a near-standing position also (for assisted living anyway).

nguyency77, CNA · Feb 20, 2012

What's the Bethany lifting method?

Pretty much what you do is you keep the bed low and try to let physics do a lot of the work for you. It's supposed to be really good for smaller people like me, but I find that only some of the moves are effective.

The only move I really use these days is something my teacher called "The Proposal." I use it to sit people up before I can transfer them into their wheelchair.

What I do is I put the resident/patient on their side and hang their knees slightly over the edge of the bed. Then I stand behind the bent knees, put my arms under theirs and hold their shoulders. I sit down on the floor like I'm gonna "pop the question"-- on one knee, hence the proposal-- and then they sit right up. It works because I use my weight to pull them up instead actually lifting them!

Edit-- MN-Nurse: You are totally right. My teacher would have never left me alone to transfer people, strong or not. Working alone is a skill you learn during orientation for your first job, not at school. That's dangerous.

jb2u, ASN, RN · Feb 21, 2012

Does your facility have transfer devices such as the Sara lift?

Otherwise, if you feel it is unsafe, I'd get a second person to assist me.

Team work is an awesome thing!!

nguyency77, CNA · Feb 22, 2012

jb2u: good point. I completely forgot about mechanical lifts; my work only one each of the Sara and the Hoyer! I never get to use them.

jose2010 · Feb 22, 2012

Yes they do. The sara and the hoyer lifts. My instructor said that if im nervous about a resident then to have a second person in there with me. I know that not all residents are not going to be able to support themselfs and the guard rails. Plus the mechanical lifts help out alot to if the resident requires a lift

fuzzywuzzy, CNA · Feb 23, 2012

Pretty much what you do is you keep the bed low and try to let physics do a lot of the work for you. It's supposed to be really good for smaller people like me, but I find that only some of the moves are effective.

So if you're transferring someone into a bed, you make the bed lower than the seat of the chair so gravity can take over? Because that's what I do all the time. lol.

nguyency77, CNA · Feb 24, 2012

So if you're transferring someone into a bed, you make the bed lower than the seat of the chair so gravity can take over? Because that's what I do all the time. lol.

Yup that's it. Gravity. Except for some weird reason, the Bethany insists that the bed be low at all times when transferring. That's why I only do some of the moves haha. Bed low = back pain when transferring huge people!