I agree with Ron. Unless you've been to the home and assessed the layout of the bathroom (with gloves, paper, pencil and tape measure in hand!) you run the risk of ordering the wrong item for the patient. That's where the experience of the home health OT can be valuable; he or she should know all the different kinds of equipment out there and be in a position to make the most appropriate recommendations for the patient's needs and situation.
For example, I've run into so many different styles of toilets that there have been times where I have had to get down on my knees and inspect the underside of the porcelain bowl where the toilet seat bolt-holes are, in order to make sure that large wing-nuts of certain bolt-on raised toilet seats will fit! It's not always a smooth, flat surface under there...some toilet bowl manfacturers like to get "fancy" and curvy and stylized, and there's a risk that the seat won't secure properly and that can be quite a problem, since those items are non-returnable. Likewise, tubs come in varying heights, depths and orientations, bathrooms can be very narrow or cramped. The patient may have to bring their walker or cane into the bathroom, making maneuverability a consideration....adding a standard-issue tub transfer bench or bedside commode-over-the-toilet may not work in every situation. So, as a home health therapist, I do appreciate when the acute care therapists hold off on ordering equipment, unless they have been out to the home. I also appreciate when they talk about equipment with the patient, because they are then prepared for my assessment. Sometimes the acute care therapists give the patient pictures of adaptive equipment and circle the items that they think they will most likely need, too. That conveys some continuity of care, in my opinion, and I think the patients like that. Susan --- On Wed, 7/15/09, Ron Carson <rdcar...@otnow.com> wrote: From: Ron Carson <rdcar...@otnow.com> Subject: Re: [OTlist] Speaking of grab bars and other AE To: "Jennifer Fredrick" <OTlist@OTnow.com> Date: Wednesday, July 15, 2009, 7:05 AM Jen, IF I were in your shoes, I would not recommend specific locations UNLESS you've been to the actual house. There are too many variables to accurately predict where a person should place bars. Personally, I would not recommend any equipment because again, there are too many variables. I think it's great to educate patients on different types of equipment including the pros and cons, but leave the actual selection up to the patient and/or the home health OT and patient. Ron ~~~ Ron Carson MHS, OT www.OTnow.com ----- Original Message ----- From: Jennifer Fredrick <jenfredric...@yahoo.com> Sent: Tuesday, July 14, 2009 To: otl...@otnow.com <OTlist@OTnow.com> Subj: [OTlist] Speaking of grab bars and other AE JF> I'm new to working in acute care after several years in pediatrics, so I'm JF> trying to get the hang of things. As far as grab bars, is there a good JF> resource to consult for where they should be located, and how high, and any JF> other considerations besides those already mentioned? JF> And are there any other "Ugh, I can't believe the acute care therapist told JF> them to get THAT!" items that I should be aware of? JF> Jen JF> -----Original Message----- JF> From: otlist-boun...@otnow.com [mailto:otlist-boun...@otnow.com] On Behalf JF> Of Sue JF> Sent: Tuesday, July 14, 2009 8:13 PM JF> To: OTlist@OTnow.com JF> Subject: Re: [OTlist] Suction-cupped grab bars JF> I provide a list of trusted professionals who have worked with us for over JF> 10 years; but I always tell them that they are free to use whomever they JF> want to use. If they say they "know someone," I then write down the JF> important considerations, such as installing into studs of wall, type of JF> bars I prefer for their particular situation, etc., and I will mark in JF> pencil the approximate height and location of where I want the bar(s) to JF> go. JF> JF> Susan JF> -- JF> Options? JF> www.otnow.com/mailman/options/otlist_otnow.com JF> Archive? JF> www.mail-archive.com/otlist@otnow.com -- Options? www.otnow.com/mailman/options/otlist_otnow.com Archive? www.mail-archive.com/otlist@otnow.com -- Options? www.otnow.com/mailman/options/otlist_otnow.com Archive? www.mail-archive.com/otlist@otnow.com
