Hospital bed rails and manual handling - please help

[Cheeseandlobster]

I have dyspraxia and am due to attend a manual handling course tomorrow as part of my new job. I am dreading it as practical things don't come easy to me. I also have anxiety so am working myself into a bit of a tizzy about bed rails and hoists.

Can anyone tell me how to lower bed rails on a profiling bed? I have looked online but can't find anything. Also I am worried about using hoists as I have never had to do this before. Does anyone have any advice please. I am worried that everyone else will know how to do these things ( the course also acts as a refresher for experienced staff) and that I will make a fool of myself.

In my experience they go very slowly in manual handling courses. Every bed brand has a different mechanism but they will show you. Don’t feel silly for asking Qs, this isn’t a clinical exam, the trainers are there to explain everything to prevent litigation!

And if it’s any reassurance, I do a refresher every few years and between equipment changes and rarely using equipment I usually have no idea what I’m doing either.

please don't worry, no one expects you to know these things. You are there to learn, and they are there to teach you. Enjoy the day, there is usually free food.

Profiling beds are not all the same so the lowering of bedrails differs though there is nothing complicated about it, it is very very easy. There will either be a knob to pull out to release it, a button to press to release eg.
Just take your time and have a look at the bedrail and you will find the release catch.

As for the hoist you will not work with a hoist alone, it requires 2 so don't worry too much if you dont pick it up first time as you will be with someone who does know and you can learn from. It really isn't as hard as you think.

I meant to say hospital beds not profiling beds. Not all hospital beds are profiling ones.

I know it sounds easier said than done, but honestly don't stress about it.
Everyone that is at the training will have been in the same position as you at some point.
Some hand rails are as simple as simply pulling up to release.
You won't be expected to show them what you know. You will be slowly shown how to use all aspects of the bed and hoist, as well as different types of slings.
And when working any decent place will place you with someone experienced who should guide you.

Thank you everyone. I will keep my fingers crossed for a kind instructor. I struggle with even basic things like knots sometimes so they will need patience i abundance

I've been working as an OT for over a decade and lowering bed rails still foxes me at times! Don't stress, you'll not be expected to know everything. That's why you've got the training. Good luck!

I really don't mean to be unkind but given your dyspraxia, is it essential that you do a job involving manual handling of presumably ill/elderly/fragile people? Is there perhaps an option to do other types of care work? Not all service users need that type of care and it sounds like it will be a lot of stress/pressure for you.

If there is no alternative and you need to be able to do this, there are lots of videos on YouTube that I've personally found useful in the past about operating different sorts of beds, safe lifting/moving of patients, use of slide sheets etc

There are so many different beds and they all seem to have different ways of lowering the rails, so it's quite normal to have to look for the correct way .

Also, when you hoist a patient, it's always a two man job so you will never be on your own .

@TheOccupier

I really don't mean to be unkind but given your dyspraxia, is it essential that you do a job involving manual handling of presumably ill/elderly/fragile people? Is there perhaps an option to do other types of care work? Not all service users need that type of care and it sounds like it will be a lot of stress/pressure for you.

If there is no alternative and you need to be able to do this, there are lots of videos on YouTube that I've personally found useful in the past about operating different sorts of beds, safe lifting/moving of patients, use of slide sheets etc

I am an OT and have recently changed the area I work in. Perhaps it wasn't the best idea, in hindsight but I am willing to try my hardest . The local equipment store has a practice room and one of my colleagues is dyspraxic too so we are both going to book the room once I have had my initial training

@TheOccupier do you have any YouTube links? I couldn't find many earlier

Profiling beds are all different but all fairly straight forward, either a lever to pull out or a button.
Hoisting on the other hand (and other moving and handling) is obviously much more complicated but hopefully the training will give you a good overview. In our Trust as OT's we give out picture instructions for moving and handling for carers, it'd be worth asking if they have anything similar. Also if you can find out the make of hoist, slings etc then there will be instructional videos on YouTube.

It does depend on exactly what equipment you'll be using - as @NamelessNinja says, manufacturer videos are often made by manufacturers or distributors. I needed to know how to use certain Immedia items so I searched YouTube for those. There are also videos if you search for things like "manual handling" or even manual handling nhs. Etac supply various brands including Immedia and I found their channel useful:
www.youtube.com/channel/UCjADKHEvebJVmCDGcXmwL2Q/about

Your instructor might also be able to recommend some videos - I was in the situation where I suddenly became a carer to a relative, lots of mobility aids got delivered with no instructions, nobody showed us how to use them and not all of the agency carers knew! So I didn't have anyone to ask but thanks to Youtube I learnt a lot and felt much less anxious that I would do something wrong and cause harm or discomfort.

One thing that is so important, which as an OT you may well already do as second nature, is to say hello to your patient, ideally using their name, and tell them what you are going to do before you touch them. I was surprised that not all of my relative's carers remembered to do this, even when she was clearly awake/conscious.

Moving and handling training tends to be very basic. They go over the safety needed when transferring and lifting, but to get comfortable with beds rails and hoists, you need to keep practising. This will depend on whether you are ward or community-based.
You can learn a lot from nurses, physical/neuro and SS OTs as they do a lot of this.
Once you learn the basics, keep practising.

With dyspraxia, you need to find safe techniques. Neuro OTs are usually experts with this.

During the training, ask as many questions as you need.

Moving and handling will be basic and they are there to support staff to be confident in safely moving patients. They will support you, I’m sure.

The hoist, the main thing is measuring the sling which they will go through. It’s very straightforward once you are shown how to fit the sling and attach it. And it will always be at least 2 people to hoist.

Can’t comment on bed rails as we don’t use them but you won’t be expected to know how they all work.

You will be fine. Normal to have some anxiety about things but this isn’t something you need to worry about.

Thank you everyone for your advice and reassurance. I really appreciate it

I have dyspraxia and as part of my current role I had to do manual handling instructor training... Was dreading it, but now I enjoy delivering the training myself. If I can do it so can you, it's simpler than you think.

I am dyspraxic, and have to use hoists, move beds and people. Tbh it's a bit of a pain, but my colleagues are very gentle with me, and help me out when I get flustered!