Maintaining residents’ personal hygiene is one of the most critical ways for care homes to ensure adequate infection prevention and control and high patient welfare. 

However, patients can often be immobile, meaning even the most simple cleaning tasks can be complex for carers to perform.

Fortunately, the care market has many excellent products available to assist care home staff in keeping their residents clean. 

Compiled by the healthcare marketplace, Wippet, this guide showcases the essential products that can aid carers in maintaining the personal hygiene of those in their care.

What makes a product safe to use?

Before purchasing any new products for use in a care home, you need to ensure it’s safe for carers and residents. 

One of the best ways to decide whether a product is safe to use is to check whether it helps you in one of the five key areas of care:

  • Safety 
  • Effectiveness
  • Caring
  • Responsiveness
  • Leadership

These are the five key areas set out by the Care Quality Commission, the UK’s independent regulator of health and adult social care. So any product that positively impacts your ability to perform any of them will be a great addition to your routine.

Another great way to find safe and industry-standard products to use is by choosing regulated products from a trusted retailer. 

A healthcare marketplace, such as Wippet, is one such retailer and offers products from a range of trusted care suppliers, including Care Shop and Bayliss Mobility. You can be sure that anything you purchase on the Wippet website is safe for patients and staff.

Incontinence products

Incontinence products are a great tool to aid resident personal hygiene. They help patients to remain clean and dignified until the carers can assist them to a bathroom.

Wippet stocks a range of incontinence products:

Incontinence pads

Many residents prefer wearing incontinence pads because they give them peace of mind. Care homes should choose high-quality pads because they’re often more absorbent and comfortable for the wearer. Look for pads featuring a T-Shape design that fits the body’s contours for a better fit and is 100% breathable because it keeps the skin healthier for long-term wearers. 

Incontinence pants

Incontinence pants are specially designed underwear that keeps incontinence pads in the right place for the wearer to avoid leakages. The best ones feature a wide crotch area and elastic waistbands to ensure a tight fit and that the wearer remains comfortable, clean and dignified.

Commodes

Patients might spend a lot of time sitting in an armchair or resting in bed, and some might not have the mobility to make it to the bathroom when their bladder calls. Commodes aid dignity by offering residents autonomy about where and how they go to the toilet. As a commode is portable, it can be put in a place that best suits the patient and carer for easy access.

Wippet offers several types of commodes so that you can choose the ones most suitable for those in your care:

Extra-wide commodes

Designed to accommodate larger people with their extra width and robust construction, these commodes often feature armrests that can drop-down, swing-back or detach to offer the resident and carer easier access.

Adjustable height commode

These commodes feature extendable legs that make them ideal for use in care homes long-term because they’ll comfortably seat many different patients. In addition, adjustable height commodes often feature a wipe-clean padded upholstery seat for user comfort and a stackable design for easy bulk storage.

Hidden commode

Ideal for long-term use in resident bedrooms to offer extra dignity, hidden commodes are designed to look like a standard armchair when not in use. These commodes often have a seat that can be removed to reveal the toilet basin, and many residents prefer their style because their homely look offers more privacy.

Care slings

When you have a resident who needs help making the toilet, you may need assistance from a toileting sling. These slings take the resident’s weight and help you to manoeuvre them safely to the bathroom. 

Size is a critical consideration when purchasing a care sling because if you use the wrong one, the user could fall out and become injured.

Here are several types of toilet sling available:

Hygiene slings

Also known as toileting slings, these support the resident while you help them wash or go to the toilet without you having to remove them from the harness. Hygiene slings offer support to the user’s thighs, back and middle and hold them in a seated position while leaving the buttocks exposed so they can access the toilet.

Universal slings

These slings help you move a patient in an upright, seated position because they support their torso, legs and head. This type of sling is ideal for those who cannot control their hips and trunk and usually have a split section that allows you to control the patient’s leg position. 

Moving and handling slings

These slings are designed to help you reposition patients when you need to perform specific tasks. Ideal to aid personal hygiene routines, you can use them to turn the patient over in bed or lift certain limbs during a hand wash. 

The product types featured above are available on Wippet, a healthcare marketplace that offers carers time-saving through simplified invoicing and easy price comparisons. Visit our care home personal hygiene shop now.

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