Condition:
- Multiple sclerosis
Challenges:
- Unable to weight bear
- Unable to maintain a functional position
- No bed mobility
Functional benefits:
- Wider width bed
- Hi-lo function
Description of case:
52-year-old Jenny has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, which has progressed to the point where Jenny is no longer able to weight bear and is transferred using a ceiling track hoist and access slings. Jenny is unable to maintain a functional position and move in her divan bed, as there are no mechanisms to assist with this and she has difficulty positioning pillows to provide appropriate support. This means that whichever position the carers leave Jenny in, is the position she has to remain in, which is uncomfortable and limiting for Jenny.
Main issues:
A profiling bed was recommended to provide Jenny with more independence with bed mobility. This would have been particularly beneficial as Jenny is hoisted into bed in the early evening and remains in bed until the morning. However Jenny declined this recommendation, as it was a single profiling bed. As a result, Jenny began sleeping in her armchair, where she was functionally independent in a seated position. Unfortunately, Jenny experienced several falls from her chair and required frequent paramedic intervention. In addition, being unable to lie in bed was having a detrimental effect on her tissue viability and caused swelling in her lower limbs.
Intervention:
A trial for the FloorBed 1 Plus, an ultra-low nursing bed was requested; at 1050 mm wide it provided the additional space Jenny required to feel safe, without compromising the carers when carrying out care. Had a standard wide bed of 1200 mm been put in place, the carers are likely to have had problems carrying out care, due to the need to reach and stretch across the wider bed. One of the other key benefits to the FloorBed 1 Plus is that Jenny can lower herself to the floor and use the floor surface to enable her to adjust her position.
Outcomes:
Jenny is now able to rest in a bed rather than sleeping in her armchair, which has been of great benefit in reducing the risk of pressure sores and fluid build-up in the legs, as well as facilitating more independent movement. The additional width was required to enable Jenny to feel safe using a profiling bed, but without causing difficulties for the carers when carrying out care. Since provision of the FloorBed 1 Plus six months ago, there have only been two call outs to the Telecare alarm service; prior to this there would have been multiple call outs each week where Jenny had fallen out of her chair.
