Edith is a client in her 80s She has rheumatoid arthritis, which has caused hyperkyphosis. This is a spinal deformity in which the upper back curves forward causing her chin to rest on her chest.

Edith has difficulty raising her head and experiences a lot of pain and discomfort in her neck and shoulders.

This impaired Edith’s ability to carry out daily activities, including eating, drinking, watching TV, range, and communicating with her family and friends. She also had difficulty managing her saliva and was at risk of moisture lesions in her neck creases.

Following the insertion of ChinGel support, Edith has reported that her well-being and quality of life has greatly improved. With her head comfortably raised her pain has reduced and her range of movement in her neck has increased.

Edith said: “I can now turn my head to look out of my older window to see the view and read my book in bed.”

She also explained that she uses her ChinGel when eating, as it helps with the swallow and management of saliva. Edith’s communication has improved, she can now make eye contact and is able to join more with conversations and social gatherings. Click here to find out more about ChinGel

Peggy is a lady in her 90s, with arthritis and her neck permanently fixed to the right side and unable to be raised. She could not tolerate support cushions or collars which she found uncomfortable and bulky.

Peggy wore a personal alarm pendant cord around her neck. Due to the moisture in the crease of her neck and the friction from the alarm cord other skin, she developed a pressure ulcer. Her chin on her chest also caused saliva control problems.

Peggy was prescribed a NeckGel support and a wrist alarm to replace the pendant. The new gel support improved Peggy’s airways, her ability to eat and drink with comfort and aided saliva management.

Unlike her previous bulky neck supports, Peggy, who has weakness and limited race of movement in her hands, also found the NeckGel easy to remove and replace herself due to its lightness. With improved airflow reducing moisture and sweating, this helped to heal her pressure ulcer.

We will be bringing details of our new NeckGel products soon. Please contact us for more information.

Phillis is a 92-year-old lady with end-stage Alzheimer’s disease. She lives in a care home and is cared for in bed. Phillis has developed grade 3 pressure ulcers in the crease of her arms and forearms due to very tight contractures.

The nurses are treating the ulcers and dressing them regularly, however, due to the pressure, heat, and moisture, the wounds are not healing. Phillis also has increased tone in her hands, causing her fingers to flex and contract into a fist. The care team is unable to open her hands out and the pressure from her fingers and nails are causing wounds on the palms of her hands.

Phillis was prescribed flat and dimensional gel, which was positioned underneath her forearms and in-between the creases of her arms. She was also prescribed custom-made gel hand rolls to put between her fingers and palm to encourage opening her hands for hygiene and to protect her skin.

Elin is a 78 Year old Lady, 5ft 4” tall, weighing 8 stone 9lb with Vascular Dementia. Elin lives with her husband and receives care four times a day.

She is hoisted between her hospital bed and specialist comfort chair using a portable hoist and universal sling to have her meals with her husband. However, after losing weight and recovering from a chest infection Elin developed redness and marking on her inner thighs caused by the sling when being transferred. She became very agitated during transfers and uncooperative with the care team.

From the Occupational Therapy and District Nurse Assessments, it was identified that the sling was causing shear, friction, and pain for Elin, and was the cause for her skin break down and her increased agitation and aggression during transfers.

Intervention

The following interventions were provided: Low profile SlingGel pads were inserted between the legs and sling to provide pressure relief and comfort for Elin when being hoisted. This eliminated the sling rims shearing on her skin and improved comfort straight away reducing her agitation. Loops of the sling were adjusted to recline Elin in the sling to reduce pressure from underneath her legs and improve her comfort. Her specialist chair was put into further tilt for transfers.

A ceiling track hoist was installed to make transfers more timely. As a result, transfers became much quicker and smoother. A new sling was prescribed, a Deluxe Leg with extra padding, which provided more support, comfort, and improved positioning for seating.

Low profile Silicone Gel Pads shown inserted into a sling The pads are made of medical grade silicone gel which emulates the characteristics of human fat tissue to protect sling users from skin damage. Review After two weeks of using the SlingGel inserts and reclining the sling, the redness and marking completely cleared. Elin was more settled and happier being hoisted.

After 3-4 weeks a new ceiling track hoist and sling were provided to further improve transfers and seating. The new sling worked well, and the sling gel continued to be used to prevent any further pressure injuries and maintain Elin’s skin integrity. Elin is back to sitting out in her specialist chair daily and enjoying her meals with her husband. Her nutrition, fluid intake, and weight has improved.