Healthcare Chairs: Advantages and Disadvantages
The last few years have seen a growing popularity in healthcare chairs in homes and various caregiving and hospital facilities. A UK study has attributed the increasing use of healthcare recliner chairs to ageing and rising workplace injuries. Having a lift chair in the home can be incredibly useful for individuals with mobility challenges. Healthcare chairs make it easier to get up from a sitting position or vice versa, especially when mobility creates discomfort or when you experience a lack of muscle strength during moving.
Why Do You Need A Healthcare Chair?
Seating specialists have reiterated the benefits of lift chairs to both the caregiver and the user. Transfers remain an everyday stressful and challenging activity many caregivers face since they usually lean over and pull their patient into a standing position or move them to a wheelchair. While the patient or caregiver can easily suffer an injury, a lift chair can lessen the risk for both the user and caregiver. A lift chair is handy for improving a patient's psychological well-being since they have a sense of independence, which is crucial for enjoying a good quality of life.
Benefits of Healthcare Chairs
Lift chairs offer a steady means of getting up and down from your resting chair. It’s additionally helpful when a family member or caregiver is assisting you into a standing position. Powered mobility chairs come with a remote to get the chair into numerous positions, such as sleeping, reading, or relaxing for the ultimate comfort. A lift chair is additionally equipped with a remote to raise the chair's back and your hips and knees to a near-standing posture. Since you are practically standing, you have to fix your back, and you are prepared to walk. Patients usually dependent on caregivers and family aides without lift chairs need to be supported or assisted with specific movements.
However, before checking the types of healthcare recliner chairs available, It’s practical to know the various pros and cons of healthcare chairs before making that informed decision.
Advantages of Using A Healthcare Chair
Several pieces of research have proposed a decrease in pain and discomfort when using lift chairs. Others have indicated that in addition to supporting the movement, lift chairs help keep muscle tone since there is a reduction in fatigue and regeneration in the lower skeletal joints. The main advantage of lift chairs is that; it reduces injury risk since users can move into a standing position without support. Here are some critical benefits of using healthcare chairs:
Durable
Whether you will use it in the home, a care or hospital facility, durability is crucial. Healthcare chairs are designed with high-quality materials to endure wear and tear even in a busy exam or waiting room. Furniture isn't only for the ambience since it adds finesse to the healthcare environment. Healthcare chairs need to be appealing and less refined compared to others in the market. However, advancement and cutting-edge tech have produced various alternatives.
The Use of Rise and Recline
A mechanised healthcare chair offers comfort, suitability, and easy usage. Although powered mobility chairs are common in health settings, it’s famous for health and comfort use at home. However, there are various identical mechanisms in domestic and health ranges, with the main difference being how they are utilised to support multiple health conditions. Rise recliners offer several means with individual choice based on care level regarding pressure management alternatives and postural positioning.
Infection Control
Regarding work areas and tables, make sure to use furniture that withstands scratch since such areas are reasonable breeding grounds for germs and later spread among patients. Lift chairs are designed with easy to clean, waterproof and durable fabrics with anti-bacterial or microbial properties to help in infection control. Meanwhile, Panaz's Shieldplus fabric is widely recommended due to its ability to protect against broad bacteria spectrum by acting on their physical structure.
Disadvantages of A Healthcare Chair
Despite the numerous benefits of using healthcare chairs, it comes with its downsides, too, just like every other product out there. Some of the disadvantages are highlighted below.
Healthcare Chairs Can Be Costly
Lift chairs are designed with the most technological devices conceivable to improve the quality of life in individuals who are limited to walking. Because of the high degree of technology, assets, and production, the prices of healthcare chairs are considerably much higher than other hospital products such as wheelchairs.
Many individuals do not comprehend the processes used in building lift chairs and their testing mechanisms. However, the specialist seating solution company, Repose offers various payment terms, which means you can afford any healthcare chair type even with the tightest budgetary limitations.
Specialised Healthcare Chairs May Be Required for Certain Health Conditions
Although a healthcare chair is recommended for patients with various mobility restrictions, some health conditions such as Parkinson’s may require specialised chairs. Studies have shown that 1 in every 500 individuals are diagnosed with the disease, which generally displays its signs after age 50. While the cause remains relatively unknown, it is a long-term degenerative disease that affects the central nervous system leading to shaking and muscular rigidity. Movement after that becomes slower with time, affecting gait and increasing fall risks, especially when transitioning from a sitting to a standing position.
However, when looking for the appropriate chair, here are a few considerations to make:
- Ensure that the seat width extends enough to prevent the user from tumbling to either side of the chair
- The seat height should permit the user to sit with their feet lying flat on the ground. Be sure to find out whether or not a client uses slippers since it impacts elevation
- Discuss the comfort pads and fabrics with the user to meet their specific needs
- Check if the healthcare chair has a suitable motor that supports a safe transition from sitting to a standing position and offer physical prompts to limit the risk of tumbling
Healthcare Chairs Aren't Suited for Outside Use
Healthcare chairs are best suited for indoor use, restricting user movement since they will be confined to one area, especially in the home. You can select healthcare chairs to be mobile to convene hospital patients from one room to another, however not for moving upstairs or outdoors for activities such as shopping. They are considerably vast and bulky to carry between home floors without an elevator.
Why Wait? Discover How Repose Can Help Reduce Manual Handling of Patients in Your Care Home
Repose aims to make the lives of your staff and patients easier from the moment you get in touch. See how we work closely with our care home partners to provide an improved quality of life for everyone here
Alternatively, you can contact our team by using our quick and easy contact form below. You can also speak directly to a member of our team on +44 (0)1384 567401 or by emailing us at info@reposefurniture.com. We look forward to hearing from you.
