Numerous life-changing devices, like the geri chair, have been invented to give ease to people who are struggling. Read through to know what is a geri chair, and how it can be something that could help you and your loved ones.
As time goes by, we can’t help but age. Aging sets limits on the things we can do. With this, it will be helpful to have something to give us comfort, especially when we are bound to just stay in bed every day.
The Geri Chair
A geri chair — also called geriatric chair, positional chair, or clinical recliner — is a chair for our dear elders. It is used as an alternative to a home care bed or a hospital bed.
Its versatile design is suitable for older people who have been limited by age in moving around freely. They are at risk of suffering from injury or worsening conditions due to improper posture or being confined in their beds.
Although usually used by the elderly, geri chairs are also best for people recovering from injury or illness or just anyone with limited mobility. Even with all the limitations, the geri chair has the power to encourage independence among patients.
A geri chair provides various positioning solutions for healing while giving safe support and comfort. It can create significant improvements in a person’s quality of life by giving them independence which takes a big part in healing.
Being fully equipped with a tray, a safety belt, and side rails, it assures various supported positions for patients. Most of these chairs are designed to provide pressure relief.
Geri chairs are suitable anywhere a person with limited mobility is. They can be used in hospitals, assisted living facilities, rehab clinics, oncology and dialysis centers, and even in your own home — talk about convenience!
A geri chair gives a person a chance to escape from bed confinement and get to sit comfortably with enough support. It is a convenient way to provide the patient with a change of scenery to enjoy. It is indeed helpful not just to patients but also to those who take care of them.
What are the types of geri chairs?
Geri chairs are categorized according to the amount of support they can give to a patient. They can either be infinite position chairs, 4-position chairs, or 3-position chairs.
- Infinite position chairs offer complete freedom as they allow laying horizontal fully and even placing in a Trendelenburg position. This type is also multi-functional.
- 4-position chairs, from the name itself, can provide four positions. They can support an upright position and a deep reclined, casual reclined, and upright position, all three with elevated legs.
- 3-position chairs offer the least number of positions. They support an upright position, a reclined position with elevated legs, and an upright position with elevated legs.
How to use a geri chair?
Using a geri chair is not far from using a wheelchair. You just have to carefully transfer the patient from their bed or any surface then to the chair.
In reclining, geri chairs often come with a lever or bar. It is used to stir the chair into a position the patient is most comfortable and supported, then lock it in place.
Since it comes with a tray, you can also use the geri chair to assist the patient in eating. You just need to place the food in the tray when you do the feeding.
The geri chair’s difference from a basic recliner and a wheelchair
The geri chair is specifically designed to provide more support, comfort, and freedom than a basic recliner and a wheelchair. It is recommended for patients who need a more substantial and less restrictive seating platform.
It is furnished with a wider variety of options for positioning. The chair’s versatile design often aids in preventing ulcers or pressure sores and maintains good posture and blood flow for good health.
Additionally, geri chairs are also equipped with tools designed specifically for the safety of users who are weak and have limited mobility — like a tray, safety belt, and side rails. It is also featured with casters which facilitate easy transport between areas for improved comfort and safety.
For additional comfort, unlike a basic recliner and wheelchair, it is complete with padded seats, footrests, backrest and armrests. Commonly, a geri chair is made of hospital-grade materials which are sturdy and easy to clean and sanitize to avoid cross-contamination.
Conclusion
After knowing what is a geri chair, you can now help a grandparent or a parent who is struggling by giving them the right amount of comfort and support they need. To some, it may seem like a typical bulky chair — but for them, it may be a glimpse of hope.
A geri chair can not just provide assistance to a person with limited mobility but also a sense of independence. It can give them back some aspects of freedom they have lost.
The joy of sitting comfortably in a chair of their favorite color can bring so much happiness and hope than we can ever imagine. Someone’s fruit of creativity and hard work can truly be another one’s life-changer.
Hello my 87 YO mom is bedridden currently due to a broken femur. She has received rehab therapy, but can’t go any further since her dr has on weight bearing orders. She is ver weak and pretty much immobile. Would this chair be a benefit for her?
I mean to say non bearing weight and is very weak. Thank you