AU3120893A

AU3120893A - Portable device for care of the bodyhygiene

Info

Publication number: AU3120893A
Application number: AU31208/93A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Marianne Lonnqvist
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1991-12-01
Filing date: 1992-12-01
Publication date: 1993-06-28

Description

PORTABLE DEVICE FOR CARE OF THE BODYHYGIENE

- THE TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention refers to a device intended for the care of a bedridden person's bodyhygiene. The device consists of a bottom and connecting sides.

THE TECHNICAL BACKGROUND

When nursing a bedridden person it is usually difficult to take care of his bodyhygiene, to shower and wash his whole body in a satisfactory way. A problem is that the patient has to be transported to a bathroom which often is not designed for care that has to be assisted by one or more persons. It requires a specially designed bathroom with for instance a large floor, a lift device, an adjusted wheel¬ chair and a minishower.

In hospitals and institutions it might even be impossible to transport the patient to a bathroom or a room with water and drain, as the patient might be depended of medical devices for maintenance of life, such as a respirator or different measure and control instrument, strech devices, plaster-bandages or other similar fixed devices.

For a person who is bedridden in his home it is common that his personal hygiene is unsatisfactory cared for. There must be at least two persons present to lift and change his posture in bed and it is mostly hard labour to transport him to the bathroom.

So far the common solution has been a reconstruction of the bathroom to make the necessary assistance possible. In small bathroom the bathtub has been changed into a shower in a corner to get more space and facilitate the washingprocedure.

These changes does not solve all the problems concerning -the care of a bedridden person's •bodyhygiene. The problem with moving the patient into the shower or bathtub and lift¬ ing him from a wheelchair to a stool still remains.

Usually the moving of the patient is solved by using a lift-device, in or beside the tub. Such devices takes up a lot of space, are expensive and often difficult to handle. Besides, the solution is not satisfying for either the assisting persons or the patient. It can be, if not im¬ possible to move the patient with a lift-device because of the lack of space for manouevres.

To lift a patient manually can be very dangerous for the assistant's back, as the tub generally is placed along a wall and the lifting motion often involves a twisting manouevre at the same time as the back is maximally loaded. This can cause loadingda ages with long periods of sick- leave or if it comes to the worst, life long pain and sick- pension.

Another problem is slipping accidents because of wet floor in the shower space or mini-shower. The assisting persons also risk to get as wet as the patient since he usually can not rub himself with soap and thereafter rinse himself. A mini-shower makes it even harder for the assisting persons as they have to stand outside and work in an un¬ comfortable position. A shower-bath situated in a corner offer better working space but the risk of slipping and getting wet still remains.

In hospitals and other institutions there are big bathrooms with all kind of facilities. This means, however, that shower and bath must be scheduled to a certain day, often planned a week in advance, something that does not suit all patients. For instance patients with incontinence problems need to shower and wash several times a week. A scheduled bathday can not satisfy their need. The international patent application WO 88/03790 shows a bed-pan. The bed-pan has no drain appliance and can not be used for any quantities of water since it only has a device for collecting water. It is mainly ment to be used with a separate stand as the bed-pan is made of an elastic material such as foam rubber or similar materials. The bed-pan is also difficult to clean.

A SHORT REPORT ON THE CONCEPT OF THE INVENTION

This invention is ment to eliminate the mentioned dis¬ advantages when caring for bedridden persons bodyhygiene.

One of the main purposes with the invention is to make a device for care of the bodyhygiene adjusted to the patients need independent of external circumstances such as the supply of water and drain.

Another purpose of the invention is to make a device for care of the bodyhygiene that is flexible.

Another purpose of the invention is to make a device for care of the bodyhygiene that is simple and inexpensive to produce.

Another purpose of the invention is to make a device for care of the bodyhygiene that is easy to transport to different places when needed.

Another purpose of the invention is to make a device for care of the bodyhygiene that can be adjusted to the need of different people depending on the circumstances and on the situation.

Another purpose of the invention is to make a device for care of the bodyhygiene that can be handled by only one assisting person. ■ Another purpose of the invention is to make a device for care of the bodyhygiene that spares the back and shoulders of the assisting person.

Another purpose of the invention is to make a device for care of the bodyhygiene when the patient is sensitive to infections.

Another purpose of the invention is to make a device for care of the bodyhygiene that easily can be used in countries that lack a developed and well functioning infrastructure.

Another purpose of the invention is to make a device for care of the bodyhygiene that is lenient to the patient's body.

Another purpose of the invention is to make a device for care of the bodyhygiene that spares the foundation it is placed upon, for instance the patient's bed.

Another purpose of the invention is to make a device for care of the bodyhygiene that is easy to use, clean and disinfect.

Another purpose of the invention is to make a device for care of the bodyhygiene that can be used by every person, independent of his length and weight.

Another purpose of the invention is to make a device for care of the bodyhygiene that is not bulky, low in weight and easy to store when not used.

Another purpose of the invention is to make a device for care of the bodyhygiene that has a high standard but with a minimum time consumption. Another purpose of the invention is to make a device for care of the bodyhygiene that can be used by persons who only are bedridden temporarily.

These and other purposes are reached in accordance to the invention as described in the introduction, since the device is foldable and has stabilizing sheets in the bottom and in the sides, which are enclosed in a water-proof envelope, and that it consists of at least two bottom sheets with jointed and attached side-parts and the device has attachments to fix the side-parts to each other in raised position and it has a drain appliance included that can be connected to optional drain or container.

The invention will be described with reference to enclosed drawings where.:

No. 1. shows the invented device for care of the bodyhygiene from the side in a perspective with the side-parts raised and fixed to each other.

No. 2. shows the invented device for care of the bodyhygiene with the side-parts unfolded and unattached.

A DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED DESIGN OF THE INVENTION

On drawing No. 1 the device for care of the bodyhygiene is viewed in a perspective with raised and fixed sides, as it looks when a bedridden patient has been placed in it to have a shower, a bath or to be washed. This washing-bed consists of a device enclosed in a water-proof envelope and is made of a bottom part consisting of preferably two stiff bottom plates 2,3, which by attachment 16 are fixed to each other to give the washing-bed a certain stability. Furthermore the washing-bed has the side-parts 4-7 on the long-sides and the side-parts 8-9 on the short-sides. The side-parts 4-7 are raised and fixed to each other by the attachments 14-15. The short-side parts 8-9 are raised and fixed to the long-side parts by attachments 10-13 placed in each corner.

On one of the long-sides 7 close to the joint between the two bottom plates a drain appliance is placed 17,18, which is made of a drain-hole 17 in the washing-bed including a drain-hose 18 made of rubber or a plastic material, for instance, that leads into an optional container.

On drawing No. 2 the washing-bed 1 is viewed from above with the side-parts lowered as it looks before the care of the bodyhygiene has begun.

Here the construction of the corners 19-22 with folding advices is shown. The corner parts have no stabilizing sheets they only consist of the envelope material which make it easy to fold up the corners when assembling the washing-bed 1. In an intervening space 23 between the two bottom plates 2,3 only the envelope material is used which make it possible to fold thetibed up when not in use. The same is valid for the folding advice 24-31 , which also are joints between the stiff inside plates and where only the envelope material is used.

The envelope can be made of different water-repellant flexible plastic or rubber materials and the stiff plates can be made of a thin light-weight plastic material such as fibre-glass or similar. The attachments can be of diffe¬ rent types such as tape, strings or clasps, or else.

At the initial stage when the washing-bed is ready to be used the bed is unfolded, as shown in drawing No. 2, and it can easily be pushed in under the body of the bedridden patient. The attachments 16 are fixed. The other attachments 10-15 are yet not fixed. Thereafter, the long-sides and the short-sides are raised and fixed with the attachments 10-15. The washing-bed is provided with a water-repellant pillow on which the patient can rest his head.

The drain-hose 18 is led down into a container placed on the floor, or into a drain. The washing-bed is ready to be used and the patient can either be showered with a shower- hose or with water from a jug. The water can flow out of the bed through the drain-hose. Then the washing can start. After that the patient can be rinsed off the soap and shampoo with either a shower-hose or water from a jug. Again the water will flow out of the bed through the drain-hose into an optional container.or drain. After that the patient can be towelled and the sides of the washing-bed are lowered and the washing-bed is removed from the patient's bed, or from what optional foundation that has been used.

After use the washing-bed is easy to clean and disinfect on location or remove it to a room with water and drain. The washing-bed is then wiped and folded up and can thereafter be stored in a small place until the next time.

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS

1 Portable device for care of the bodyhygiene, such as shower and washing a bedridden person, consisting of a bottom and to this connected sides, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the device is foldable and includes stabilizing sheets in bottom and sides which are enclosed in a water¬ proof envelope and consists of at least two bottom sheets and to those jointed and attached side-parts that can be raised and lowered (2-9) and that the device has attachments (10-13) to fix the side-parts (4-9) to each other when in raised position and that it also includes a drain appliance (17,18) for connection to an optional drain or container.
2. Device for care of the bodyhygiene according to claim 1 , c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the water-proof envelope is made in one piece and that the stabilizing sheets (2-9) are fixed to it.
3. Device or care of the bodyhygiene according to any of the previous claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the stabilizing sheets are a bit smaller than the water-proof envelope whereby there is a section in these areas which only consists of the water-proof envelope (23-29) , which facilitates the folding up of the device.
4. Device for care of the bodyhygiene according to any of the previous claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the attachments (10-13) of the side-parts (4-9) are placed at the corners of the device (19-22) and at the middle of the long-sides (14-15).
5. Device for care of the bodyhygiene according to any of the previous claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that between the bottom sheets (2,3) there are attachments (16) arranged to connect the sheets with eachother and thereby stabilize the bottom plate.
6. Device for care of the bodyhygiene according to any of the previous claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the drain appliance (17) is placed at the middle of the bottom plate (23) close to the joint between the bottom sheets (2,3) and includes a drain-hose (18) .
7. Device for care of the bodyhygiene according to any of the previous claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the drain appliance (17) is placed at one of the long-sides (4-7) close to the joint (23) between the bottom plates (2,3) .