Bariatric care: in numbers
Is your care home equipped for bariatric care?
If not, you could be missing a trick. A lack of available facilities is also a growing headache for UK bariatric citizens.
Here’s a summary of obesity statistics in England. Source: Obesity Statistics – Parliament.uk
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The numbers of obese adults in the UK is predicted to more than double over the next 40 years1. Additionally, recent research by Tim Spector of St Thomas’ Hospital London, has shown that obesity accelerates the ageing process even more than smoking2.
This means that bariatric people may require formal care earlier in life. However, despite growing demand, a recent study by carehome.co.uk revealed that only 39% of care home owners, managers and staff had the facilities needed to care for bariatric residents3.
So are care homes missing out on valuable business? Although extending your care offering to bariatric residents will require initial investment, the business benefits are obvious. You’d also be offering a much-needed service to the community.
So, what would you need to get started?
One crucial area would be pressure care. We know that obesity can increase the risk of skin damage and inhibit wound healing. Another critical consideration would be moving and handling – ensuring you can maintain the safety of your staff.
Thankfully, there are a range of bariatric care products designed specifically for these purposes.
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| SB755 Wide Bariatric Profiling Bed | Hampton Extra Bariatric Air Mattress | VENDLET V5S Patient Turning System |
1. https://www.local.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/social-care-and-obesity-d-b2c.pdf
2. Valdes, A., Andrew, T., Gardner, J., Kimura, M., Oelsner, E., Cherkas, L., Aviv, A. and Spector, T. (2005). Obesity, cigarette smoking, and telomere length in women. The Lancet, 366(9486), pp.662-664.
3. https://www.carehome.co.uk/news/article.cfm/id/1588737/one-in-10-care-home-rejects-obese-residents
If you have any questions about how we can help you care for bariatric residents, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Reuben Bush
Reuben joined the Felgains team in August 2019, bringing with him passion and experience in marketing and design – from a rather different sector. His focus is now on improving each and every touchpoint of our customer experience and building a vast following of raving fans! He loves road cycling, and also happens to have rather a weakness for food – he’s a bona fide chocoholic!
