As the director of nursing in an assisted living community, my goal is to keep our residents happy, so they can be healthy. Here’s how I do that…
Samantha Vedaldi
As the director of nursing for a local assisted living, people have asked me what would be the most important piece of equipment or furniture for a facility like ours. My answer will probably come as a surprise to you, the same way it surprises anyone who asks: The most important things we have in our assisted living are our reclining geriatric chairs, otherwise known as geri chairs.
Whenever I tell this to people, the response is always the same; I get a funny look that seems to say, “What on earth are you talking about? Why a geri chair, of all things?”
But before they have a chance to ask, I quickly explain.
The reclining geri chair has a ton of features, such as an adjustable head rest for neck support and adjustable leg rests for those who need to keep their feet elevated. The elevated leg rests also help with blood circulation, which can be very important for someone sitting for long periods of time. It also helps with those with leg fatigue and lower limb fractures. The back of the geri chair reclines fully, providing excellent comfort for people recovering from surgery. Once fully reclined, geri chairs can even be used as a temporary hospital bed. Most of these reclining chairs come with built in trays, thus providing the ability to eat comfortably while sitting. They are equipped with wheels which allow a nurse or caregiver to easily push the chair to any desired destination, thus making it useful as a wheelchair as well. The geriatric chair also comes with a safety belt, as well as the ability to lock the wheels into place, both of which are designed to help keep the patient safe and secure at all times. Some come with drop arms, making it easier for a caregiver to get the patient in and out. They also come with padded arm rests, adding some extra comfort.
But with all these great features, that’s still not the reason I like to say that geriatric chairs are the most important thing we’ve got in our assisted living.
You see, when caring for a patient or a loved one, making sure he or she is comfortable is not just a nice thing – it’s an absolute necessity. Most of the patients in an assisted living are already not feeling all that great, and they are often not in the greatest states of mind, so even small inconveniences can serve to make matters worse.
As caregivers, we must do everything we can to keep our patients and loved ones happy, even as we work to keep them healthy – especially as we work to keep them healthy. Studies have shown that when a senior is comfortable, not suffering and generally in a good mood, they have a stronger will to live, so when trials and tribulations arrive they have the desire to fight and live on, significantly increasing their chance of survival and longevity. Even a full medical regime can only do so much for a patient – no medicine can force a person to live; they have to want to live.
A patient – especially one who lives in an assisted living or any other type of facility – who lies in a bed all day or spends all their time sitting in a wheelchair is more prone to wallow in self-pity, have feelings of negativity and even suffer from depression. After all, all they have to do is look around their room and see all the hospital equipment lying around them, see how dependant they’ve become, and it’s enough to sour their mood.
This is where a geri chair comes into play. The geriatric chair encourages the patient to get out of their bed or wheelchair by offering a comfortable, safe and secure place to sit. It gives the patient his or her independence back, something which is crucial for seniors.
So now you understand why a geri chair is so important… It’s not about the recliner itself; it’s about what it accomplishes, what it offers to people who might otherwise feel sad and alone, and most of all, what it stands for – giving seniors not just a way to live, but a will to live.
