In 2016, around 13% of adults worldwide were affected by obesity, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO, 2021), characterising an abnormal excess of body fat posing health risks. Epidemiological studies indicate a steady rise in obesity prevalence in recent decades, reaching epidemic levels (Großschädl & Stronegger, 2019; NCD-RisC, 2017), with projections indicating a continued increase (Thomas et al., 2014).
The prevalence of obesity among residents in nursing homes is also on the rise, potentially impacting required nursing care, facility provisions, and morbidity rates. A US study revealed a significant increase in obesity prevalence among newly admitted nursing home residents, rising from 16.9% to 25.8% over ten years (Cai, Rahman et al., 2013). Additionally, residents with moderate or severe obesity had a 15.0% higher likelihood of developing pressure ulcers compared to non-obese residents in the same facility, highlighting associated health risks.
Unfortunately, increased body mass often leads to reduced mobility, complicating care tasks such as repositioning and increasing the risk of secondary health issues, all contributing to pressure ulcer development risk factors.
Ensuring accessible care for all is paramount, particularly in private and non-purpose-built nursing homes. Considering these statistics, it’s evident that plus-sized patients require specialised care with the appropriate equipment. However, this presents its own challenges for both care homes and community equipment providers.
Sourcing the required equipment can be challenging. This leads to many care providers lacking the necessary equipment to support bariatric individuals, especially in larger quantities. This impacts timely care delivery, care home admissions, and patient discharge from hospitals.
Residences may also face infrastructure limitations hindering care for plus sized individuals further complicating care provision. Acute care environments recommend spacious rooms for plus sized patients, posing a further challenge for many long-term care settings (Muir, 2009).
At Prism Healthcare Group, we are dedicated to easing the burden of sourcing and fitting bariatric equipment, allowing caregivers to concentrate on delivering high-quality care. Our Prism Plus line features an extensive range of bariatric products designed to streamline selection, backed by knowledgeable customer service and sales teams ready to address any challenges.
Our products are designed to enhance the quality of life for residents and caregivers, ensuring equitable access to care and support.
Please visit our Prism Plus pages for more information on our plus-size offering.
References
Großschädl, F., Schoberer, D., Eglseer, D., Lohrmann, C., Everink, I., Gordon, A. L., Schols, J. M. G. A., & Bauer, S. (2023). Obesity and its associated factors in older nursing home residents in three European countries—Secondary data analyses from the “International Prevalence Measurement of Care Quality”. International Journal of Older People Nursing, 18, e12530.
Cai, S., M. Rahman and O. Intrator (2013). “Obesity and pressure ulcers among nursing home residents.” Medical care 51(6): 478-486.
Muir, M. (2009) “Space Planning for the Bariatric Patient.” Bariatric Times.
Prism Medical UK, a leading designer and manufacturer of affordable, clinically effective healthcare products, is delighted to announce a new partnership supporting the continued education of healthcare students.
Partnering with the University of Central Lancashire, Prism Medical UK has provided a range of market-leading healthcare devices to enhance healthcare education at the university. In return, Prism Medical UK will have access to the facility to support us in running training and educational health-based workshops.
Over 3,000 students on a variety of Allied Health Professional programmes, including occupational therapy, physiotherapy and nurse education, will have the opportunity to get hands-on experience with equipment such as our Freeway TA180 transfer aid, T80 shower chair and a variety of slings and moving and handling aids. Prism Medical UK’s sister company, Harvest Healthcare, has supported this collaboration by providing a Woburn Community Profiling bed. We also installed our new Freeway TX Advanced ceiling track hoist with a quick-release trolley and an H-system layout.
Chris Claydon-Butler, Managing Director for Prism Medical UK, commented, “Training and education are fundamental to achieving high-quality care. We are delighted to have the opportunity to support our next generation of healthcare professionals. This partnership is an excellent chance to help students reach their educational goals, provide them with the resources they need to succeed and train our future stars in this industry. We hope this training facility will help ensure everyone can access the best possible medical care.”
Tara Brookes, Principal Lecturer, School of Nursing, University of Central Lancashire, said, “We are delighted to be working in collaboration with Prism Medical UK. The partnership will not only support our current simulated learning strategy but enable students studying on health-related course to learn in an environment reflective of contemporary healthcare. Additionally, we are delighted in return to support Prism Medical UK through the provision of clinical learning spaces to provide training for Occupational Therapists in the Northwest area.”
We are excited to see what this collaboration will bring for the students and look forward to working closely with the University of Central Lancashire.
Please get in touch if you’d like to find out how Prism Medical UK can help you or discover more about their new range of ceiling track hoists. To discuss healthcare beds, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team at Harvest Healthcare.
We are delighted to announce the new strategic partnership we’ve formed with IoT Solutions Group [IoTSG], a specialist provider of Internet of Things [IoT] enabled solutions for both the public and private sector. This partnership will enable us to advance our product offering and expand into the ‘Smart Healthcare’ space, in line with growing market demands.
At Prism Healthcare, our mission is to transform the quality of life of people with health and mobility conditions by providing solutions that offer choice, value for money, and help make care delivery easier. In addition to this, one of our key strategic objectives is to express our personality by connecting with our market, prescribers, and customers. Our partnership with IoTSG not only demonstrates our commitment to our mission but will also help us to achieve this goal.
By securing IoTSG as our new technology partner, we will now be able to extend our level of care to end-users through the deployment of advanced, ‘in-home’ assisted living sensors, which cleverly monitor the daily activity of vulnerable people living independently.
This technology can be simply placed in the kitchen of a vulnerable person, where it discreetly and unobtrusively monitors their day-to-day activity. In response to any significant decrease in a resident’s activity levels, a customised alert can be sent to carers or family members, enabling swift and appropriate action to be taken and thereby significantly minimising the risk of severe injury or death.
Speaking about the new partnership, our CCO, Claire Litton, said: “We’re delighted to have partnered with IoT Solutions Group and to have their support in achieving our aspirations to move into the ‘Smart Healthcare’ space.
“The future of healthcare truly lies in technology like this, and we take pride in enhancing the products and services we provide for the benefit of vulnerable people living independently and their loved ones.” To find out more about IoT Solutions Group, go to https://www.iotsg.co.uk/.
1st March 2022
We are pleased to announce that Prism Healthcare has a new investor – Charme Capital Partners (London). Charme will be the majority investor supported by our existing investor Limerston Capital.
Under Limerston’s ownership and guidance, Prism Healthcare has consolidated its position as a market leader in Homecare and Long Term Care services. Over the last three years the business has doubled in size, acquired additional services and products to become the most comprehensive provider in the country by helping our customers make caring easier for their clients.
Charme’s investment will support the Group’s expansion plans through the continued development of its high-quality offering, investments in IT and UK manufacturing to enable the very best client care. Charme will also support the Group’s growth via acquisition, both in the UK and internationally.
Paul Morton, CEO of Prism Healthcare, remarked:
“We are thrilled to welcome Charme as a new investor in Prism Healthcare to support the Group’s continued development. We are confident that Charme is the right partner, with the right skills and experience, to help us realise our ambitious growth objectives. We are excited to embark on a new chapter for Prism Healthcare, whilst continuing to support our customers and their clients in homecare, long term care and the paediatric market by making care easier.”
