Movable apparatus for washing immobilised persons
Description The present invention relates to a movable apparatus for washing immobilised persons.
In the art it is known that difficulties exist with regard to the operations for washing persons who are obliged to remain immobilised on beds and the like, said operations being performed normally using sponges or gloves which are made of suitable material and are impregnated with a cleaning agent followed by rinsing water.
All the problems associated with performing these operations as described above are also known, said problems essentially consisting in the inevitable impregnation of sheets and blankets with the liquids used, resulting in the need to use wax-lined fabrics and/or replace the bed linen, thereby limiting the convenience of repeating frequently said washing operations during the day.
Moreover, in the case of communal facilities such as hospitals, rest homes and the like, there are also the difficulties resulting from the large number of patients who must undergo said washing operations. The technical problem which is posed, therefore, is that of providing an apparatus which allows the washing of persons immobilised on a bed or the like to be performed rapidly and in a hygienically safe manner, without causing wetting of the personal clothing and/or linen of the bed on which the person is immobilised.
Within the scope of this problem a further requirement is that the apparatus should allow a large number of washing operations to be performed, without the need for maintenance, and that it should be easily transportable into the vicinity of the person to be
washed .
These technical problems are solved according to the present invention by an apparatus for washing immobilised persons, comprising at least one sealed compartment for containing a washing liquid, associated with means for delivering said liquid, and at least one compartment for containing the delivered liquid recovered by means of a corresponding utensil connected to means for drawing off the said liquid. Further details may be obtained from the following description of a non-limiting example of embodiment of the invention provided with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention; Figure 2 shows a second utensil for washing and collecting the rinsing water;
- Figs. 3 and 4 show a third utensil for complete washing of the person; - Figure 5 shows a top plan view of a further embodiment of the apparatus for complete washing of the person;
Figure 6 shows a cross-section along the plane indicated by the line VI-VI in Fig. 5; - Figure 7 shows a side view of the apparatus according to Fig. 5;
- Figures 8a,b,c show a variation of embodiment of the side walls of the apparatus according to Fig. 5; and
- Figure 9 shows a perspective view of a further embodiment for personal use of the apparatus according to the invention and.
- Figure 10a, 10b, 10c show a side view of a side view of a further embodiment of the upper part of the apparatus according to the in three different opening position respectively.
As shown in Fig. 1, the apparatus according to the invention is composed of a container 1 divided up into several compartments 10, 20 and 30 respectively used for: containing a suitable quantity of clean water, containing a corresponding quantity of dirty water and containing accessories such as towels 31 and various accessories 32.
The compartment 10 is sealed and has, on its bottom, a coil 11 designed to heat the water contained in the said compartment; the coil may be, for example, of the electrical type and connected to temperature detection and control instruments 12 arranged on the upper surface la of the container so that they may be easily accessed by the operator. The upper surface la is also provided with an opening 16 for filling the compartment 10.
The compartment 10 also has, arranged inside it, a water supply pump 13 associated with a duct 13a, the external end of which is connected to a flexible pipe 14, the free end of which is in turn connected to a delivery device 15 equipped with a manual opening/closing control system 15a.
The compartment 20 has, arranged inside it, a suction pump 23 connected to a first end of a pipe 24 extending outside the apparatus, the other end of which is connected to a utensil 25 for collecting the water from the delivery device.
In the example according to Fig. 1, said utensil is in the form of a pan 25, but, as shown in Fig. 2, it could be in the form of a trough 125 particularly suitable for washing limbs or in the form of a bath 225 or 325, as will be described in detail further below with reference to Figs. 3,4 and 5,6,7. A tap 26 or the like, which may be connected to a pipe 26a, for discharging the dirty water recovered by the
utensil 25, is also mounted on the compartment 20. The apparatus is advantageously mounted on wheels 3 so as to allow easy movement and manoeuvring thereof in the vicinity of the person to be washed and vice versa in the vicinity of the devices for filling the compartment 10 and emptying and rinsing the compartment 20.
As mentioned, the water collection utensil may also be in the form of a bath 225 which may be advantageously of the inflatable type so that it may be easily inserted underneath the person to be washed while it is still deflated (Fig. 3), and then inflated (Fig. 4) for use. Once it has been emptied via the pipe 24, the bath may again be deflated so as to allow retrieval thereof.
As shown in Figures 5 to 7, said collection utensil may also be constructed in the form of a rigid bath 325 arranged above the compartments 10 and 20. In this configuration it is envisaged that the perimetral edges of the bath are formed by a first wall 325a which is fixed and internally hollow so as to contain a second wall 325b sliding telescopically inside the former from a position substantially inside the latter, designed to reduce the dimensions for transportation and the bath cleaning and disinfecting operations, into an extracted position, designed to increase the volume available for washing and at the same time help safely support the person to be washed. It is also envisaged providing snap-engagement means - known per se and therefore not illustrated - designed to lock the said movable wall 325b in the extracted position and be manually released so as to allow the said movable wall to be withdrawn into the retracted position. In this embodiment, the recovery pipe 24 may be reduced
to a short section coaxially connected to the bath outlet on the one hand and to the suction pump 23 on the other hand, which suction pump may in turn be provided coaxial with the outlet. In view of the elongated dimension of the apparatus in the longitudinal direction, in this embodiment it is also possible to envisage an additional water storage tank 210, which may be connected to the compartment 10 so as to top up its level and/or to the delivery device 315 supplying cold water.
Figs. 8a to 8c show a variation of embodiment of the movable walls 325b which, instead of being telescopically displaceable inside the thickness of the fixed walls 325a, are connected to the latter by means of a hinge 326 which allows the wall to be brought from a position folded up against the bath (Fig. 8a) into a substantially horizontal position (Fig. 8b) supporting the mattress 70 on which the person to be washed is lying, in which position the movable wall 325b forms a bridge with the bath 325 so that the person may be easily moved inside it, and into the final raised vertical position (Fig. 8c) with respect to the edge of the bath. In order to allow the movable wall 325b to be fixed in the various positions or at least in the final raised position, corresponding means which are known per se and therefore not illustrated or described in detail are envisaged. In all the versions of embodiment it is envisaged providing a buffer battery 50 for operating the electrical parts so that the apparatus is not connected to the mains during use.
Finally, Fig. 9 shows a simplified embodiment for personal use of the apparatus according to the invention.
In this case, the apparatus 101 has small dimensions in that it envisages a quantity of liquid required for washing a single person and the consequent possibility of raising and transporting it by means of a handle 103.
The apparatus 101 may also be provided without a water heating coil since the water may be directly taken from a domestic boiler, for example. The version in Fig. 6 is also shown with a rechargeable battery 50 for powering the pumps 13,23, which can be applied to the apparatus in order to avoid having to connect the latter to the mains voltage during use. As illustrated in broken lines in Fig. 1, it is also envisaged that the compartment 10 may be divided up by a baffle 111 so as to obtain two separate tanks, i.e. a first one 10 containing the clean water and a second one 110 containing the cleaning liquid or the like. In this case also, the tank 110 will have a supply pump and an outlet duct entirely similar to those of the tank 10 and therefore not illustrated or described in detail.
The upper surface la of the apparatus is provided with recesses 60 for holding, for example, various accessories or for receiving the delivery device 15 after use.
Into fig. 10a it is shown a further embodiment 425 of the upper part of the apparatus according to the present invention. More specifically the movable walls 425a,b,c,d of the upper part of the apparatus are all connected to the latter by means of respective hinges 426a,b,c,d which allows the walls to be brought from a position folded inside the bath (fig. 10a shows the opening of the walls) into a substantially horizontal position (Fig. 10c) supporting the person to be washed meanwhile
giving the assistant a comfortable access to the person itself.
A couple of legs 427 or similar means substantially orthogonal to each wall determine the blocking of the wall itself in the open horizontal position.