Use should include
- caring for and using prosthetic and orthotic devices
- assisting with the application and removal of braces and prosthetic devices
- assisting with ambulating (e.g., using gait belt, cane, walker, or crutches)
- assisting in transferring (a client/resident/patient who can stand) from the bed to the chair and from the chair to the bed
- assisting with the use of a wheelchair, shower chair, medical-clinical recliner (e.g., Geri-chair), and bedside commode
- transferring a client/resident/patient (using a lift sheet) from the bed to the stretcher and from the stretcher to the bed
- transferring a client/resident/patient using a mechanical lift.
Refer to Unit XI in Nurse Aide Curriculum, Virginia Board of Nursing, Virginia Department of Health Professions, 2018.
Refer also to Skill 22 in Virginia Nurse Aide Candidate Handbook (https://home.pearsonvue.com/getattachment/50009e72-ec19-410e-9148-2e8974e3f8c8/Virginia%20Nurse%20Aide%20Candidate%20Handbook-075300.aspx), Pearson VUE, 2019.
See OSHA Guidelines for Nursing Homes: Ergonomics for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders (https://www.osha.gov/ergonomics/guidelines/nursinghome/final_nh_guidelines.html) and the U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division Field Assistance Bulletin No. 2011-3 (http://www.dol.gov/whd/FieldBulletins/fab2011_3.htm#AttachmentA) on the operation of client/resident/patient lifts/hoists by youths under the age of 18.
Process/Skill Questions:
- What assistive devices are available to a client/resident/patient?
- What specific maintenance do assistive devices require?
- What are the proper operations of the various devices?
- Where does one find information about which devices are to be used for specific clients/residents/patients?