Meeting clinical requirements for clients is always top of mind for Occupational Therapists and Physios. However, clients are sometimes concerned that the highest level of care will jeopardise a stylish living space. The bedroom is one of the most personal rooms in anyone’s home, so it’s vital to have furniture and equipment designed for their clinical needs, whilst making them feel at home. It’s this common compromise that drove Enable Lifecare to create a bed that would exceed in all areas, clinical requirements, safety, and personalised style.
The Empresa Bed Series is a collection of three bed configurations from one frame construction which addresses three main areas; living situation, the level of care needed as well as style consideration.
To ensure all clinical needs are being met, each of the Empresa Configurations are designed with following clinical functionality:
1. Comfort and Pressure Care
Comfort is high on the priority list for everyone and is especially important as we age, or our mobility becomes limited. The dynamic BodyMove™ system, helps to form part of your first line of defence against tissue damage from pressure related injuries.
When moving from a supine to sitting position in bed, the body naturally lengthens. Empresa's BodyMove™ auto-regressing feature accommodates this change, so not only does it help with pressure distribution, it helps improve comfort too. It’s the regression distance which is clinically designed to redistribute pressure and sets the Empresa apart from other adjustable beds on the market.
This bed positioning, where the head and feet are elevated, is commonly known as zero gravity or zero-G; it’s quickly becoming a widely used sleeping position because of the amazing benefits it can bring to the user:
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Minimising pain
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Reduce swelling
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Breathing easier
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Improved heart health and digestion
2. Ergonomic Handling
Simple operation of any healthcare equipment is essential for a comfortable and stress-free experience. That's why it was important to include an easy-hold handset with a simple one-touch operation. It activates pre-programmed care and comfort positions, as well as other profiling options. With safety top of mind, there’s a lockout function to prevent unauthorised and inadvertent use, as well as an auto safety stop, inhibiting the bed from being lowered to below 200 mm.
Helping ensure effortless manoeuvrability and even greater levels of safety, the Empresa bed also comes equipped with eight castors and the UnisafeTM braking system. Moving the bed around the room couldn’t be easier and it takes only a single press of a pedal to secure each set of brakes.
3. Ultimate Flexibility
We’ve already mentioned that the Empresa bed is fully customisable. This built-in adjustability provides the option to vary dimensions and a wide range of universal accessories allows you to utilise your assets fully, even when the profile of your resident changes. Combined with less risk of downtime, streamlined procurement and reduced training needs, the Empresa bed deserves a closer look.
Clinical functionality supports nursing care when needed, with full height adjustment for caregiver safety – all packaged in a choice of eye-catching and bespoke designs to help showcase your home.
Now that we know more about the main functionally of the bed, we can show how each configuration in the series is customised to individual situations. The Empresa Series is comprised of three bed configurations and purchased pre-configured as your chosen bed.
The Empresa Home Care bed - Premium
Designed for the perfect addition to your bedroom at home, the Empresa Home Care Bed means you don’t have to comprise between style and functionality.
The Empresa Home Care Bed includes all the functionally mentioned in the first section of this article with the addition of stylish accessories to create an inviting, homely feel.
The Home Care bed has two main style options to choose from:
Alexander
This stylish design channels modern chic with its quilted-inspired headboard. The textured upholstery in Dove, removes any clinical and sterile feelings usually associated with hospital or nursing beds. We are so happy to be able to provide this option to our customers because it’s at the heart of what we do at Highgate Healthcare, raising the standard of living for South Australians.
Bento
This crisp, white finish brings a modern Scandinavian feel to your home. Any bed coverings will complement this modern headboard, making the bed a stylish addition to any bedroom. The white gloss finish of the bento option provides a high level of wipe-ability and is easy to clean and sanitise; perfect for users with incontinence or are likely to be eating and drinking from bed.
Accessories
There are a wide variety of accessories available for the Home Care Bed to create an even greater level or customisation and personalisation.
Lifting pole – an option available for those who require extra assistance to reposition or get in or out of the bed. The addition of this overhead accessory can provide further independence for the user which can help to improve quality of life. It has a wide base for stability and user safety. The lifting pole also attaches to the bed frame for added security and to ensure clear floor space beneath the bed, enabling the easy use of other equipment when needed.
Bed Lever - the bed lever is an assistance tool which helps users get in or out of bed or to help reposition. This however is fitted to the side of the bed, meaning there is no need for the user to reach above their head, like they would if using the lifting pole. The bed level can also assist with patient transfers.
Folding side rails with bumpers – This accessory provides a level of safety for people who have a high falls risk or have spontaneous, involuntary movement. This can provide piece of mind for users and create a more relaxed environment and sleeping experience.
Width extension – The accessory allows you to extend the width of the bed, making it suitable for individuals who need or prefer a wider bed, and allows the use of a wider mattress. The adjustment kit adds an extra 150 mm to the width of a standard bed.
The Long Term Care Bed
With Floor Bed Technology
Designed primarily for nursing homes, residential care and other long-term care facilities, the Long-Term Care Bed considers the importance of functionality in the facility setting without compromising on style. The Long-Term Care Bed has all the functional listed at the beginning of this article, but also has an additional feature, the Empresa Floor Bed technology.
Proven Solution For Falls Management
The risk of serious injury from a fall is a scary reality for many people in residential care. With falls the leading cause of death and series injury in older people, the Empresa’s Floor Bed capability provides proven effectiveness in the management of bed falls and prevention of associated injuries. Height is a crucial factor in bed selection; the impact force of a fall from a bed at 100 mm is 50% lower than at 200 mm.
The Empresa Long-Term Care bed lowers to 100 mm from the ground, which significantly reduces chances of injuries as well severity of injury. This has potential to dramatically increases quality of life for high falls risk residents.
Another great benefit from the Floor Bed technology, is the level of configuration it has for bed positionings. This adaptability can help residents regain their independence in a variety of ways.
An example of this, is for people who have trouble lifting their legs into bed. The Floor Bed technology allows lowering of the foot end in isolation, so that when a user sits on the end of the bed, they can swing their legs on the bed in the lowered position and use the easy-hold handset to raise the bed back to a level position. As the bed is much lower to the ground, it becomes an easier action to perform. This is a great solution for people with low hip or knee mobility.
Design options for the Long-Term Care bed include the timber head and foot boards in Lissa Oak. These come in two shape options: The Arc and the Skandi.
Arc
The Arc is the standard for the head and foot board design and is the most affordable option. The curved wood finish is easy to clean and sanitise and the Lissa Oak colour brings a homely feel to the bed.
Skandi
The Skandi supports a beautiful, bevelled edge that brings a little something extra to the look of bed. The Lissa Oak wood finish is easy to clean and sanitise. The Skandi will make a wonderful addition to any bedroom.
Empresa Complex Needs Bed
With Floor Bed Technology
The Complex Needs Bed provides the highest level of safety and care out of all the beds in the Empresa Series. Designed with all the features of the Long-Term Care, its point of difference is the full height padded side rails.
The fabric full length side rails can be used to help create a safer environment for the bed user and come standard with the Empresa Complex Needs Bed. They have an easy lock and lower mechanism, that locks securely in position and the integrated padding acts as a bumper. The side rails do not impede transfers, as they lower to below the height of the mattress.
The bed has been designed for people with complex needs such as Huntingtin’s disease or other conditions where people may be prone to uncontrolled movements, increasing their falls risk.
Lissa Oak Wood Finish
Padded Vinyl in Night Sky
The Empresa Bed Series couples well-researched and engineered clinical requirements with carefully considered style and design to make it a standout in the high-care beds category. There are many different options, giving you the power to make your own design choices. For more information or to book a showroom or in-home trial please contact the lovely team at Highgate Healthcare on 1300 350 350.
Or email us at support@enablelifecare.com.
Enable Lifecare is an assistive technology wholesaler in Australia, selling disability equipment to dealerships and providing support for Occupational Therapists. We strive to produce and source high-quality and innovative products to help Australians improve their quality of life.
