Bariatric Equipment For People Who Are Very Overweight Or Obese
Like the rest of the western world, a significant percentage of the Australian population is overweight or obese. The term frequently used today for people who are exceptionally large, extremely obese or very overweight is bariatric. People may be very overweight due to an unhealthy diet, insufficient physical activity and particular medical conditions. Bariatric individuals are at high risk of hypertension, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney failure.
Other risk factors are gall bladder disease, osteoarthritis, degenerative joint disease, incontinence, sleep apnoea and some forms of cancer eg colon cancer. These medical conditions combined with being extremely overweight may cause the person to tire quickly, be short of breath and have difficulty walking, restricted movement of arms and legs and joint pain. Therefore it makes activities of daily living like dressing, toileting and showering extremely difficult and greatly limits a person’s ability to do household and community activities. Added to this, the person often suffers from depression and anxiety.
Range Of Equipment
There is a range of commercially available equipment especially designed for the person who is bariatric.
Items include:
* Manual & Powered Wheelchairs
* Scooters (Gophers)
* Walking Frames
* Bath Seats & Shower Chairs
* Shower Bed Trolleys
* Over Toilet Frames and Toilet Seat Raisers
* Weighing Devices
* Hoists (Lifters) and Slings
* Electrically Operated Beds
* Lounge Chairs With Electric Lift
Suitability of Equipment
It is not sufficient for equipment to be just wider and deeper to accommodate the person’s size. It is critical that it can also accommodate the person’s weight and this is termed the equipment’s load capacity. Always check the load capacity specified by the manufacturer / supplier. Also consider whether the person’s weight is likely to increase.
Frames (of wheechairs, shower chairs, walkers etc) are strengthened by a variety of methods including reinforcing the tubing and/or joins, using a stronger metal (usually steel rather than aluminium) and/or using tubing with a thicker diameter. Rigid frames are usually stronger than frames which have moving parts (ie folding frames or frames with height adjustments).
Not only the frame but all components of the piece of equipment need to be able to support the person’s weight. For instance with a manual wheelchair in addition to a stronger frame the seat material and the screws that hold it in place also need to be able to sustain the person’s weight over a period of use.
Where commercially available equipment is not suitable, local or interstate manufacturers may be able to custom build equipment to suit the individual’s requirements (eg customised for the person’s size and/or weight). Custom built items include walking frames, bath benches, shower chairs, over toilet seats and wheelchairs.
Points To Consider
Since bariatric equipment is larger and has been reinforced it is generally heavier than standard equipment. Combined with the person’s weight it will be heavy for the carer to push eg manual wheelchair, mobile hoist, mobile shower over toilet chair. It may therefore require additional carers to assist. It may also be more difficult to transport, ie heavier to lift into the car and require more space, especially if it is unable to be folded.
Powered conversion kits can be added to a manual wheelchair to provide the carer with more power to negotiate ramps, hills and other gradients. Alternatively power assisted wheels help the user to push the wheelchair independently. It may be worth considering purchasing a powered wheelchair instead of a manual one.
Bariatric equipment is going to take more room to house and store and some items may need to be dismantled to get them into the room. Although it is possible to have some equipment customised to suit the person’s size eg. a walking frame, it may be then too wide to get through the average doorway. Even some commercially available equipment is suitable only for institutional use (nursing homes/ hospitals) where there are wide doorways.
Bariatric equipment is unique and specialised therefore suppliers often do not have bariatric equipment in stock and will have to order it. Hire equipment is difficult to obtain. In addition bariatric equipment is often more expensive than other equipment, especially if it is custom made.
For further information on bariatric equipment including product and supplier details please contact Independent Living Centre: www.ilc.asn.au
