JP2024134479A - Nursing aids and methods of using same - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a nursing care aid which makes leg opening possible without pain by a person in need of care who has an impediment in the waist joint and hip joint, and also to provide a method of application for the aid.SOLUTION: A nursing care aid 100 includes: a bottom part 10 which allows contact by the lower extremity situated in the lower side, when a person in need of care takes a lateral recumbent posture; and a support part 20 which is installed with an appropriate interval from the bottom part to support the lower extremity on the upper side. The method of application is that, with a person in need of care is preliminarily made to take the lateral recumbent posture, the bottom part is inserted into the lower side than one lower extremity where the bottom part is situated on the lower side of the person in need of care, with the nursing care aid temporarily fastened. Then, the other lower extremity situated on the upper side of the person in need of care is made to contact the support part. In a range in accordance with the interval between the bottom part and the support part, the lower extremity of the person in need of care is made to open and, a diaper is changed while this state is maintained.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a care support device that is used to raise the lower limbs of a care recipient when changing the care recipient's diaper.

Those who are unable to use the bathroom by themselves due to old age, accidents or illness and must be cared for by others use diapers, but the caregiver must change the diapers several times a day. In order to change a diaper, the lower legs must be lifted up high, which is not a problem if the person being cared for is a child, but for adults, this is not an easy task and changing the diaper itself is a burden for the caregiver.

Beds or assistive devices have therefore been developed to lift the lower limbs of care recipients (especially adults) to reduce the burden when changing their diapers (see Patent Documents 1 and 2). The invention disclosed in Patent Document 1 is based on the assumption that a height-adjustable bed is used, and is configured with a swingable leg holder, which holds the backs of the knees of the care recipient by swinging the leg holder and guides the position of the knees of the care recipient upward and toward the head as the bed is lowered. The invention disclosed in Patent Document 2 is configured to have a rotatable support arm with a center of rotation provided on the side of the bed, and to move the position of the knees using a foot bar at the tip of the support arm.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-192271 JP 2006-000232 A Utility Model Registration No. 3132423

The inventions disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Documents 1 and 2 both involve moving the position of the back of the knee of the care recipient by rotating or swinging an arm that supports a member that contacts the back of the knee, but the invention in Patent Document 1 requires that the bed be able to be raised and lowered, while the invention in Patent Document 2 requires that the bed be equipped with a drive unit that drives it to rotate. However, beds used by care recipients do not necessarily have this function, and the inventions have inevitably lacked versatility.

As a result, a protective device was developed that suspends the knees of the care recipient with a rope or the like (see Patent Document 3). This invention involves hooking a rope to both ends of a cylindrical holder that is positioned so that the backs of the knees of the care recipient come into contact with the rope, and pulling the rope upwards using a beam as a fulcrum, and using multiple movable pulleys to reduce the operating force required to pull the rope. This was an advantage in that it did not require any modifications to the bed itself, and the rope could be pulled manually by the caregiver.

However, in order to bring the holding part into contact with the back of the knee of the care recipient, it is necessary to lift up at least a part of the care recipient's lower leg (the knee), and even this advance preparation is not easy. In addition, the towing rope needs to be manually wound, but because the position of the knee moves toward the head, this requires moving the entire frame, including the beam, at the same time, which is by no means an easy operation.

Therefore, the inventors of the present application developed a care aid that is easy to operate and does not require difficult operations even in the preparation stage, and that can lift the lower limbs of a person receiving care, and proposed a method of using the care aid (Patent Application No. 2022-199838).

The above-described nursing care aid and its method of use are extremely effective when the hip joint, waist joint, etc. can be bent appropriately, but there is concern that it may cause pain to the person being cared for if there is a disorder in the hip joint or hip joint.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above points, and its purpose is to provide a care aid that enables care recipients with disorders of the lower back or hip joints to spread their legs without pain, and also to provide a method for using the aid.

The present invention, which relates to a nursing aid, is a nursing aid for spreading the legs of a care recipient in a lying position when changing a diaper, and is characterized by having a bottom part that allows the lower legs located below to come into contact when the care recipient is in a lateral position, and a support part that is provided at an appropriate distance from the bottom part and supports the upper lower legs.

According to the above configuration, the bottom part can be fixed by abutting one of the lower limbs against the bottom part, and the entire integrated assisting device can be fixed, while the other lower limb can be maintained on the support part. As a result, the care recipient in the lateral position is in a position in which the upper lower limb is separated from the lower lower limb, so that the care recipient can spread their legs in the lateral position without forcing the waist or hip joints to bend unreasonably. By maintaining this lateral position, the gap between both lower limbs can be used to facilitate diaper changing.

In the invention having the above configuration, the bottom part is configured in a plate shape and has an area that can be temporarily fixed by the lower leg abutting against it, and the support part is configured in a plate shape and has an area that allows the upper leg abutment and can maintain a state in which it supports the abutting lower leg, and the distance between the surface of the bottom part and the surface of the support part can be at least 180 mm or more.

According to the above configuration, the bottom and support parts are formed as plates with sufficient area, so that the lower leg can be fixed to the bottom part, and the upper leg can be easily maintained in contact with the support part. Furthermore, since the two are separated by at least 180 mm, it is possible to appropriately create a leg-spread state by selecting either the thigh, the vicinity of the knee, or the lower leg, depending on the extent to which the care recipient can spread their legs. Note that the average thigh size (circumference) of people aged 60 or older who may be in need of care is 500 mm or less (approximately 480 mm to 490 mm) and the diameter is about 160 mm, so if a gap of about 20 mm or more can be formed in the thigh, the minimum gap required for diaper changing can be obtained.

The 180mm or more spacing mentioned above does not have an upper limit, but this means that for care recipients with extremely large thighs, this can be changed depending on their size, and an upper limit of 200mm to 230mm would be appropriate. Also, when these spacings are expressed as the distance between the "surface" of the bottom part and the "surface" of the support part, the surface that the lower legs come into contact with (the upper surface) is referred to as the "surface".

In the invention having the above configuration, it is preferable that the bottom portion and the support portion are integrally configured by being connected by a continuous portion.

With the above configuration, the bottom part and the support part are integrally formed with the continuous part, so that the two can be used as a single nursing care aid without being separated.

Furthermore, in the invention having the above configuration, it is preferable that the bottom portion and the support portion are configured to have a symmetrical shape with the center of the continuous portion as the boundary.

The above configuration allows the bottom and support parts to be inverted for use, so conceptually, while there is a distinction between the bottom and support parts, the side that the care recipient's lower legs come into contact with during use functions as the bottom part, and the side that the care recipient's upper legs come into contact with functions as the support part. This allows the caregiver to use the product without having to check the difference between the bottom and support parts.

In the invention configured as above, the bottom portion, the support portion, and the continuous portion can be formed into a substantially U-shaped or substantially H-shaped cross-sectional shape.

According to the above configuration, when the continuous part is used in a state where it is positioned in front of the person being cared for, there is no continuous part behind the person, and there is no need to consider the presence of the continuous part when changing diapers.

In the invention having the above configuration, it is preferable that at least the areas of the bottom and the support that allow contact with the lower limbs are made of a material with a high friction coefficient or are fitted with a material with a high friction coefficient.

The above configuration allows stable fixation even when the bottom part is fixed by the lower limbs of the care recipient, and makes it easy to continue stable support of the lower limbs abutting the support part. As for materials with a high friction coefficient, since bare skin comes into contact with the material during diaper changing, materials that have a high friction resistance with the human body are preferable. For example, rubber products such as natural rubber and synthetic rubber, as well as silicone resin, can be used. In order to maintain the strength when using these, a method such as laminating the above-mentioned material in the relevant area (adhering a film-like material) can be used. However, this is not limited to this, and the bottom part and support part may be made of plastic or the like and processed to increase the friction resistance of the surface.

On the other hand, the invention relating to the method of using the nursing care aid of each of the above configurations is a method of using any of the nursing care aids shown above, which is characterized in that the nursing care aid is temporarily fixed by placing the care recipient in a lateral position in advance, inserting the base part below one of the lower legs located on the lower side of the care recipient, or artificially moving the lower leg so that it abuts against the base part, and artificially moving the other lower leg located on the upper side of the care recipient so that it abuts against the support part, thereby spreading the lower legs of the care recipient within a range corresponding to the distance between the base part and the support part, and changing a diaper with the care recipient in a lateral position with the legs spread.

With the above configuration, the care recipient can be easily placed in a lateral position with the legs spread apart by sequentially fixing the bottom part with the lower legs and placing the upper legs on the support part. Diapers can be changed from behind, taking advantage of the gap created by the legs being spread apart, and this gap can also be used to wipe the crotch area when changing diapers.

Another invention relating to a method of using the nursing care aid of each of the above configurations is a method of using any of the nursing care aids shown above, characterized in that when changing the position of a care recipient from a supine position to a lateral position, the support part of the nursing care aid is placed between the two lower limbs and the bottom part is placed on the outside of the lower limb, and the position of the care recipient is changed from a supine position to a lateral position while maintaining the position of the care recipient's lower limbs and the nursing care aid, so that the lower limb located between the bottom part and the support part abuts against the surface of the bottom part to temporarily fix the bottom part, and the other lower limb abuts against the upper surface of the support part, spreading the lower limbs of the care recipient within a range corresponding to the distance between the bottom part and the support part, and diaper changing is performed on the care recipient in a lateral position with the legs spread apart.

With the above configuration, for a care recipient with an extremely limited range of motion in the hip joints, etc., the care aid can be prepared in advance in the supine position within the range in which the legs can be spread, and in the lateral position, the action of abutting the upper lower limbs against the support part is unnecessary. Even when used in this way, the spread state of the lower limbs is determined by the gap formed between the bottom part and the support part, and a predetermined distance can be obtained, making it possible to carry out the diaper changing task.

According to the present invention, the base and support parts are arranged at a relatively narrow distance, allowing the legs to be kept in a spread-legged position, and therefore it is possible to provide a care aid that allows a care recipient with a disability in the lower back or hip joint to spread their legs without pain. In addition, since the diaper change is performed with the care recipient in a lateral position, the care recipient does not feel pain, and the caregiver (care worker, etc.) can change the diaper without having to pay attention to the position of the care recipient, as the care recipient maintains a lateral position, which reduces the burden on the caregiver (care worker, etc.).

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of a care assisting device. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing details of an embodiment of a care assisting device. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a usage state of an embodiment of a nursing care auxiliary device. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a first embodiment relating to a method of use. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a first embodiment relating to a method of use. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a second embodiment relating to a method of use. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a modified example of an embodiment of the nursing care auxiliary device.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. First, an embodiment of a care aid will be described, and then a method of using the care aid using the embodiment will be described.

<Embodiments of nursing care aids>
FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a nursing aid. As shown in this figure, the nursing aid 100 of this embodiment is configured to include a bottom part 10 formed in a plate shape and a support part 20 similarly formed in a plate shape, and by connecting the two with a continuous part 30, it has an integrated cross-sectional shape that is approximately U-shaped. Basically, it is configured to be symmetrical from the center of the continuous part 30, and the same shape will be obtained even if it is turned upside down. Therefore, the plate-like member on the lower side becomes the bottom part 10, and the plate-like member on the upper side becomes the support part 20.

The nursing care aid 100 configured as described above is used with the bottom part 10 and the support part 20 arranged one above the other, and both parts 10, 20 have an appropriate area so that they can abut against a part of the lower limbs of the person being cared for. The abutment surfaces of the bottom part 10 and the support part 20 are the surfaces that face upward when the two are arranged one above the other as described above.

Therefore, in order to allow a part of the lower leg to abut against the bottom 10 and support 20, as shown in FIG. 2(a), the surface of these parts is provided with a vertical (depth) D of 140 mm to 150 mm and a width W of about 200 mm. Also, the thickness (thickness) T of each part is 20 mm. Therefore, when the vertical is 140 mm, the depth of the upper surface of the bottom 10 is 120 mm. Generally, the age of a person who may require care (person requiring care) is 60 years or older, and the average size (circumference) of the thigh is 500 mm or less (approximately 480 mm to 490 mm), so the diameter of the thigh is about 160 mm. If the area near the knee is about 1/2 of the thigh, it becomes 80 mm, so if the depth is 120 mm, the area around the knee can be reliably abutted. Also, even in the case of the thigh, the center part (the part on which the weight of the lower leg acts) can be located within the surface. Naturally, the lower limbs can also be placed against the surface of the support part 20 in the same way.

The height H from the top surface of the bottom 10 to the top surface of the support 20 is set to 180 mm or more. As mentioned above, the diameter of the thigh of a person aged 60 years or older who may require care is approximately 160 mm, so when the care recipient is in a lateral position with the lower leg abutting the top surface of the bottom 10 and the upper leg abutting the top surface of the support 20, a gap of 20 mm can be created between the two legs. In the vicinity of the knees, a gap of (180 mm - 80 mm =) 100 mm can be created. If the height H is set to 190 mm or 200 mm, a corresponding gap can be obtained. However, if the height H is set to 250 mm or more, it will be difficult for the care recipient with hip joint problems to spread their legs, so it is appropriate to set the height H in the range of approximately 180 mm to 250 mm.

The reason why each top surface has a sufficient area is that by having an appropriate width W, the contactable area is increased and the state in which the bottom portion 10 is fixed and supported by the support portion 20 is stabilized. Therefore, when the vertical (depth) D dimension is as described above and the width W is 200 mm, the area of the top surface of the bottom portion 10 is 240 cm ² to 260 cm ² , and the area of the top surface of the support portion 20 is 280 cm ² to 300 cm ² .

This configuration allows the care recipient to spread their legs apart to some extent, and when changing a diaper, the gap created by the spread legs can be used to remove the diaper material that is attached across the front and back of the body from behind, and then new diaper material can be pushed in from behind to the front, allowing the diaper material that spans the front and back to be put on.

<Modification>
2(b) is a modified example of the above embodiment. In this modified example, synthetic rubber sheets are attached to both sides 11, 12 of the bottom 10 and both sides 21, 22 of the support 20. The synthetic rubber sheets used are relatively flexible and have a large coefficient of friction. This prevents the lower legs from slipping off the upper surfaces (surfaces) 11, 21 when the lower legs come into contact with them. The lower surface 12 of the bottom 10 and the lower surface 22 of the support 20 are not surfaces that the lower legs come into contact with when in use, but when the bottom is turned upside down and used, the surfaces 12, 22 become the surfaces that come into contact with the lower legs, and the lower surface 12 of the bottom 10 also has the effect of preventing sliding with bedding, etc.

<Usage>
Since the embodiment and the modified example of the nursing care aid are as described above, as shown in Fig. 3, by inserting the nursing care aid 100 between the lower limbs La, Lb of the care recipient HM (see Fig. 3(a)) who is in a lateral position on the bedding B, an appropriate gap can be formed between the lower limbs La, Lb (see Fig. 3(b)). The gap between the lower limbs La, Lb that is generated at this time can be used to change the diaper.

The upper lower limbs La of the care recipient HM in the above-mentioned position are supported by the support part 20 of the care aid 100, and this position is maintained, so the caregiver (care worker) does not need to support the lower limbs La of the care recipient HM and can concentrate on removing the diaper that needs to be changed. In addition, because an appropriate amount of space is created near the crotch area, wiping the area around the crotch when changing the diaper can be done without difficulty. Therefore, both the caregiver and the care recipient can cooperate in changing the diaper without difficulty.

<Embodiment of Method of Use>
4 and 5 show an embodiment of a method of using the nursing care aid 100. In this embodiment, the nursing care aid 100 is used in a case where the care recipient is placed in a lateral position (see FIG. 4(a)). In addition, it is assumed that the diapers OD and ND are changed from behind.

First, the bottom part 10 is inserted under the lower part Lb (between the bedding B) of the lower limbs La, Lb of the care recipient in the side-lying position (see FIG. 4(b)). The insertion is performed by the caregiver (care worker), but if the care recipient can freely move their upper limbs, the lower limb Lb can be moved manually or by the care recipient themselves. By inserting the bottom part 10 between the lower limb Lb and the bedding B, the lower limb Lb comes into contact with the surface of the bottom part 10, and the care aid 100 can be fixed by the weight of the lower limb Lb. At this time, the cooperation of the care recipient is not required for fixing. The other lower limb La of the care recipient is maintained as it is (side-lying position), and the lower limbs La, Lb are not spread apart.

When the care aid 100 is fixed as described above, the caregiver (care worker) can release his/her hands from the care aid 100, and the caregiver (care worker) supports the other lower limb (upper lower limb) La while lifting it upward (see FIG. 4(c)), and then abuts it against the surface of the support part 20 of the care aid 100 (see FIG. 4(d)). Since the caregiver (care worker) can use both hands freely, he/she can lift (artificially move) one lower limb La with both hands, and the burden on the caregiver (care worker) is reduced. On the other hand, the burden on the care recipient (especially those with impaired hip joint mobility) is also reduced because the legs are not spread widely. This state stabilizes the slightly spread state of the care recipient's lower limbs La, Lb.

While maintaining the above state, the old diaper OD that has already been worn is removed. In the case of a regular diaper, when the tape that secures it around the waist is released, it will be in a state where it straddles the back (buttocks) and front sides. Therefore, first release the tape that secures it around the waist, and then remove the old diaper OD from the back (buttocks) side by pulling it out using the gap created by spreading the legs (see Figures 5(a) and (b)).

When putting on a new diaper ND, the above steps are reversed, and the front half of the diaper ND is inserted from behind (buttocks) using the gap created by spreading the legs (see Figure 5(c)). After that, the diaper is adjusted and the fastening tape around the waist is attached, and the new diaper ND is put on (see Figure 5(d)).

This method of using the care support device 100 reduces the burden on both the caregiver (care worker) and the person being cared for. In particular, the caregiver (care worker) can concentrate on the task of changing the diaper, and the person being cared for can have their diaper changed without having to assume an awkward position and with their legs slightly apart.

<Second embodiment of the method of use>
6 is a diagram showing a second embodiment of a method of using the care aid 100. In this embodiment, the care aid 100 is attached in advance to an appropriate position on the care recipient HM in a supine position, and then the care recipient HM is placed in a lateral position.

That is, rather than putting the care recipient HM in a lateral position in advance, the care aid 100 is prepared in a supine position with the connecting part 30 facing upwards and the base and support parts arranged on both sides of one (later to become the lower) lower limb (the left lower limb in the figure) Lb in the position where it is planned to be used when the care recipient HM later assumes a lateral position (see FIG. 6(a)). Then, while maintaining this position, the care recipient HM is assisted to turn only half of his/her body (to face left in the figure) so that one (the left lower limb in the figure) Lb becomes the lower side and the other (the right lower limb in the figure) La becomes the upper side (see FIG. 6(b)).

At this time, as shown in FIG. 6(b), the bottom part 10 and the support part 20 of the nursing care support device 100 are positioned on either side of the lower (left) leg Lb. Therefore, when the patient assumes a lateral position, the bottom part 10 is positioned below the lower leg Lb and the support part 20 is positioned above the lower leg Lb. Furthermore, if the support part 20 is sandwiched between the lower legs La, Lb, the upper lower leg La will inevitably be in contact with the surface of the support part 20.

The legs La, Lb of the care recipient HM are now in a moderately spread position, so it is then possible to remove the old diaper OD and put on a new diaper ND, just as described above (Figure 5).

This method of use can be implemented when it is difficult to insert the nursing care aid 100 when the care recipient HM is in a lateral position. For example, the nursing care aid 100 can be used when the weight of the lower limbs La, Lb is heavy and it is difficult to insert the bottom part 10 between the lower limb and the bedding B in a lateral position, or when it is difficult to lift the upper limb La up to the support part 20 (to be able to spread the legs with ease) after assuming a lateral position.

<Other Modifications>
Although the embodiment of the present invention is as described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and each element may be appropriately modified or other elements may be added.

That is, as described above, the embodiment of the nursing aid 100 has been exemplified as having a substantially U-shaped cross section, but since the present invention only requires that the bottom 10 and the support 20 are spaced apart by an appropriate length, the nursing aid 200 may have a substantially H-shaped cross section, as shown in FIG. 7(a), for example. In this case, the part that will become the bottom 10 will be formed at two locations 10a, 10b on both sides of the continuous portion 30, and either one of them may be used. In addition, in the case of such a configuration, the surface area of the support 20 can be made larger, so that the upper leg supported by the support 20 can be made even more stable.

Also, as shown in FIG. 7(b), the nursing care aid 300 may be one that is not symmetrical from the top to bottom about the center of the continuous portion 30. In this modification, the bottom portion 10 is flat, while the surface of the support portion 20 is curved. The curved surface of the support portion 20 has a cross-sectional shape that is roughly arc-shaped, with a low center and high side edges, and the bottom portion 10 that is inserted below the lower leg is flat to facilitate insertion, and the support portion 20 can be stabilized when supporting the upper leg.

In both of the above-mentioned modified examples 200 and 300, the portion that comes into contact with the lower leg can be made of a material with a high coefficient of friction, such as synthetic rubber, or a film-like material can be attached. Furthermore, these materials with a high coefficient of friction can be provided on the entire surface, not just the area that comes into contact with the lower leg, and the increased frictional resistance of the surface of the continuous portion 30 can be ideal as a non-slip surface for the caregiver (care worker) when using the device.

10, 10a, 10b Bottom portion 11, 12 Both sides of bottom portion 20 Support portion 21, 22 Both sides of support portion 30 Continuous portion 100, 200, 300 Nursing care aid B Bedding HM Care recipient La Lower limbs (lower side)
Lb Lower limbs (upper)
OD Old diaper ND New diaper

Claims (8)

A nursing care aid for spreading the legs of a care recipient in a lying position when changing a diaper, comprising:
This nursing care aid is characterized by having a bottom portion that allows the lower limbs located below to come into contact with the bottom portion when the person being cared for is in a lateral position, and a support portion that is located at an appropriate distance from the bottom portion and supports the upper lower limbs. The nursing aid according to claim 1, wherein the bottom is plate-shaped and has an area that allows the lower leg to contact the bottom and temporarily fix the bottom, and the support part is plate-shaped and has an area that allows the upper leg to contact the bottom and supports the contacting lower leg, and the distance between the surface of the bottom and the surface of the support part is at least 180 mm. The nursing aid according to claim 2, in which the bottom part and the support part are integrally formed by a continuous part. The nursing aid according to claim 3, wherein the bottom part and the support part are configured symmetrically with respect to the center of the continuous part. The nursing aid according to claim 4, wherein the bottom portion, the support portion, and the continuous portion form a cross-sectional shape that is roughly U-shaped or roughly H-shaped. The nursing aid according to claim 5, wherein at least the areas of the bottom and the support that allow contact with the lower limbs are made of a material with a high coefficient of friction or are fitted with a material with a high coefficient of friction. A method for using the nursing care aid according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The care recipient is placed in a lateral position in advance, and the bottom part is inserted below one of the lower legs located below the care recipient, or the lower leg is artificially moved so that the lower leg abuts against the bottom part, thereby provisionally fixing the care support device;
By artificially moving the other lower leg located above the care recipient so that the other lower leg abuts against the support part, the lower legs of the care recipient are spread apart within a range corresponding to the distance between the bottom part and the support part;
A method of using a nursing care support device, characterized in that a diaper is changed on a care recipient in a lateral position with the legs spread apart. A method for using the nursing care aid according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
When changing the position of the care recipient from a supine position to a lateral position, the support portion of the care aid is disposed between the two lower limbs and the bottom portion is disposed on the outside of the lower limb,
By changing the position of the care recipient from a supine position to a lateral position while maintaining the position of the care recipient's lower limbs and the care support device, the lower limbs located between the bottom and the support part come into contact with the surface of the bottom part, thereby temporarily fixing the bottom part, and the other lower limb is brought into contact with the upper surface of the support part, thereby spreading the care recipient's lower limbs within a range corresponding to the distance between the bottom part and the support part;
A method of using a nursing care support device, characterized in that a diaper is changed on a care recipient in a lateral position with the legs spread apart.

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