One of igility’s main services is providing access and education to Safe Patient Handling products in Atlantic Canada. Recently, our products through Guldmann Solutions were highlighted in a progressive article about a patient who needed support in his recovery. This blog post will delve into the details about these products and how they are beneficial for rehabilitation.
Last spring, a Nova Scotian unfortunately took a late-night fall which changed his life substantially. He sustained a harsh injury of a bruised spinal cord, which led to losing the use of both hands, right leg, and some function in his left leg. Within 24 hours of the fall, he had gone through spinal surgery to help reduce swelling and strengthen his spine. He then proceeded to spend four and a half months at the Nova Scotia Rehabilitation and Arthritis Centre at the QEII, where he would re-learn how to walk using the Guldmann Trainer Module and GH3+ Lift. With the help of this system, he has taken his first steps to recovery and will continue this journey.
The lift system was purchased and installed in 2022 with the help of the QEII Foundation’s Rehabilitation Endowment Grant, and has helped this patient as well as others. The Trainer Module is a unique system compared to our competitors on the market. Most lift systems are focused on transfers only, while Guldmann broadens its purpose to training and treatment, as well as transfers.
The Trainer Module is used for offsetting a portion of the patient’s weight—up to 225 lbs—to assist with sitting up in bed, exercises, or learning how to walk. The main goal of this system is to rehabilitate the patient to recovery, not to do the work for them. Paired with the GH3+ Lift, the Trainer Module has a built in scale that can be customized for the needs of the patient. The GH3+ Lift features a positioning lock on the X and Y axis, where it can be locked on either axis or both. This acts as a balance mechanism for the patient, for example, to limit lateral movement when learning to walk. Additionally, this product helps with fall prevention as the offset weight allows the patient to fall in ‘slow motion’, therefore eliminating the risk of injury and fear of falling.
This combination of products is especially helpful for those learning to walk because the weight percentage can be customized as the patient grows stronger and more coordinated. Not only do these products provide the patient with support on their road to recovery, but improves facility operations and overall patient care. Physiotherapists are able to use this system to treat more patients simultaneously while reducing physical strain on staff.
A QEII physiotherapist who works with neurological and spinal cord injury patients expressed, “Before, if I was trying something without body weight support, maybe I’d have two or three extra therapists helping me facilitate that task to make sure the client was safe and supported.” Now, the Guldmann system allows patients to fully depend on the support of the lift and trainer module, while staff can better focus on the patients’ recovery.
For more information about the Trainer Module and GH3+ Lift System, reach out to our Safe Patient Handling Representative, Steve Croft.
For the full original story, click here.