Falls can happen anywhere, and the team at Active Healthcare has long recognised the impact. Over 300 falls happen every single day in New Zealand, and a significant number of those require emergency attention.
Mark Bishop, General Manager at Active Healthcare was motivated to make a difference in the management of falls after seeing a loved one transferred on a bed sheet onto several different surfaces after a serious fall; “It was difficult standing-by watching a loved one, in pain, being transferred haphazardly across multiple surfaces using a sheet.”
“It was no fault of the dedicated healthcare staff, they were simply doing their job with the equipment they had available,” Mark explains, noting that at the time of the fall there was a lack of awareness of falls retrieval solutions.
“Active Healthcare had identified a need prior to this event for improved falls equipment, and it made us work harder to get it across the line, this included the HoverTech range.”
For families and whanau they are often left feeling helpless watching loved ones being assisted from a fall, a debilitating experience for the fallen person. “The right falls retrieval solution can help to restore dignity in patients while aiding healthcare workers to promote trust through safety,” says Mark Bishop.
The HoverJack air patient lift is recognized internationally as the gold standard in safe lifting. This inflatable air mattress allows caregivers to safely lift patients who have fallen while eliminating any exposure to hazardous lifting.
The clever HoverJack mattress (by HoverTech) works as a stretcher that then inflates to lift patients from the floor or stretcher at the correct height in a supine position. Maximizing comfort and minimising risk of further injury to patient and harm to the lifter. It works efficiently and easily accommodates patients up to 545 kg in weight.
“We’ve found the HoverJack extremely popular due to how easy it is to work with,” says Mark, who has been involved in HoverJack training with District Health Boards across New Zealand. “We have found that when the clinical staff discover this product they are ecstatic with the possibilities, lifting patients can be time-consuming and dangerous and we are focused on making everyone’s life easier.”
HoverJack has been designed with every possible patient in mind, from elderly to bariatric patients. It is also designed to work in numerous environments and is highly mobile in order to be used in confined areas where other lifting products cannot work as efficiently. Alongside this, it is often that someone is injured in a fall, so the utmost care must be taken, this means using the HoverJack cloud-like system to transfer patients without further disturbance.
Active Healthcare is proud to be providing a solution that works to benefit carers and patients in many ways. It is important on us to grow on our innovations to build a comprehensive range of fall-based preventions and solutions. We are hosting a falls Webinar this month, you can click here to learn more and register online.
Watch how the HoverJack works in the video below:
