This coming Thursday, November 17th, hospitals and many other healthcare facilities will take time out to promote and educate the wider healthcare community and general public on how to prevent and treat pressure ulcers.

Pressure ulcers, when they are allowed to develop, are a notoriously difficult affliction to treat and heal.

Though the Worldwide Pressure Ulcer day leads with Stop Pressure ulcers, the real message is all about prevention.

The basics of (pressure ulcer) prevention is all about education. The more people that know about pressure ulcers and how to prevent them, then the less people that will present with them. If you know nothing about pressure ulcers, this short video is well worth a watch: - those most likely to suffer from pressure ulcers - steps you can take to prevent pressure ulcers

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The Beechfield In-Home Demonstration Service is the ideal way to try out one of our mobility solutions from the comfort of your own home. If your Occupational Therapist of Physiotherapist recommends a mobility product, you can arrange for one of our experts to visit you in your home to show you how the product works.

The visual support provided by an in-home demonstration is an important consideration. When looking to purchase a specific mobility product, you will benefit greatly from seeing it in person. Scrolling through a website can only provide a superficial understanding, whereas the opportunity to see the product in you home is far more supportive. The ability to see, feel and sometimes smell the product is generally more appealing than simply reading a report recommending a particular mobility aid. This is especially true if you are a more visual or hands-on learner, as you often need to see the product in action to fully grasp its value

Mobility aids provide an excellent service to their users and make it accessible for them to travel across the road or even across the globe.

When people have a love for travel, it shouldn’t have to suffer just because they are struggling with mobility or increasing age. Mobility aids help to give them back their confidence and allow them to continue to travel with friends or families. We are very lucky to live in such a beautiful country with many historic and scenic attractions that are suitable for all ages and all levels of movement.

When you’re travelling around Ireland with a mobility aid, there are a few simple factors that should be considered.

Destination: Most of Ireland is reachable if you are travelling by car or public transport, and

Comfort is key priority for wheelchair users and we are on your side when it comes to providing it. Choosing the correct chair is a very important decision and you need to ensure that the one you are picking is going to be the perfect fit for you and your needs. You will want a wheelchair that is going to provide you with the finest comfort and also pressure relief. When picking your wheelchair, there will be a certain amount of factors that will determine what type of chair you go with. These factors include your reason for using the chair, diagnosis, body type and your transportable needs. Other factors may include the use of the wheelchair inside or outside the home, your strength and if you need a self-propelled, transit or amputee. While all of these factors need to be considered, there are options to give you extra accessories like adjustable height for the seats, cushions, head rests, bags and holders for your walking aid which can be handy of you only use your wheelchair for fatigue.

Pressure sores, also known as pressure ulcers or bed sores, are sores within the skin that cause damage to the skin and underlying tissue. The damage is caused by constant pressure or friction being applied to a part of the body. The extra pressure causes a disruption to the blood flow and without the blood supply, the area becomes starved of oxygen and nutrients.  This injury quickly develops for people who have reduced mobility such as wheelchair users or people who are confined to a bed or chair.

If you are a wheelchair user, confined to a bed or chair or have reduced mobility, your risk of getting pressure sores are higher. The areas where pressure ulcers will appear are areas where the body has less fat, so in bony areas like elbows, hip bones, tail bone, shoulder blades, or the back of your arms and legs. Some of the symptoms you should look out for are red, purple or blue torn skin, swelling, parts of the skin that feels warmer/colder than other areas or unusual texture.

The event saw athletes competing in 13 sports and Motor Activities Training, including Athletics, Aquatics, Badminton, Basketball, Bocce, Bowling, Equestrian, Football, Golf, Gymnastics, Kayaking, Pitch & Putt and Table Tennis.

Over 2,500 volunteers were on hand to judge competitions, guide athletes to various events and provide catering, entertainment, transportation and medical back-up and Beechfield Healthcare was delighted to be a part of the event, supplying all wheelchairs and shower commodes for the competitors of the Special Olympics in DCU & National indoor Arena.

Both athletes and volunteers travelled back to the four corners of Ireland with great memories of this year’s event with President Michael D Higgins praising their attitude and achievements when he said the athletes involved “have refused to be defined or limited, by any narrow stereotypes that might still linger in any corner of our society”, adding that they

Best value mobility rentals

We are delighted to announce that we have just launched our new rentals website – www.beechfieldrentals.ie.

We have recognised that sometimes this equipment is needed only for a set period of time. Injuries, accidents and illness may mean that you need a mobility aid only for the duration of your recovery.

 Our rental prices are unmatched throughout the Republic of Ireland. You can rent a knee walker or wheelchair from us from as little as €12 per week.  A Mobility Scooter can be rented from €60 a week.   Check out www.beechfieldrentals.ie for full details.

There is always an ongoing debate about what is the best pressure cushion on the market. Is there really one cushion that offers the optimum solution for pressure relief for all? In reality such a cushion doesn’t exist. However, at Beechfield Healthcare our state-of-the-art pressure mapping technology now offers you the opportunity find the optimum cushions for your patients.

What is a pressure map?

A pressure map is a computerised tool for assessing pressure distribution. To use it, you first place the thin sensor mat on a seat, wheelchair or mattress. When your patient sits or lies on the mat, a computer screen displays a heat-map of pressure distribution. The hotter colours (oranges and reds) indicate areas of higher pressures, and the cooler colours (blues) indicate areas of lower pressures.

Sample Pressure Map

By testing various cushions and their results on the chair we can help to find the best fit for each of your patients. OTs in particular

Choosing the right wheelchair is very important and you need to ensure that it’s the perfect fit to offer optimal comfort and pressure relief.   The Wheelchair you choose will depend on a number of factors.  The main factors are usually age, body type, diagnosis or reason for using a wheelchair, how transportable it needs to be and whether it will be mainly used inside or outside the home.  Our range of steel and aluminium Wheelchairs address all of the factors above.  For complex seating extra accessories like pelvic straps, different height backs, laterals and headrests can be added.  A pressure cushion may also be needed for pressure relief. 

Self Propelled Wheelchairs

Self Propelled Wheelchairs have large wheels on the back that allow you to propel yourself over short distances and are ideal if you have the upper body strength to steer and drive the chair on your own.  A Self Propelled Wheelchair, because of the large wheels,

In Ireland, a person who buys disability products is eligible for VAT relief. The term, ‘disability’, in this case, refers to people who suffer from both mental and physical disabilities. In this article, we will explain the criteria a person must meet and the processes they must follow in order to obtain VAT relief.

To find out if you are eligible to claim a VAT refund on your mobility product or daily living aid, take a read through the following criteria to see if you are applicable:

•  You must live in Ireland.

•  You must have a disability.

• You need the aid or appliance of a disability product to help with daily activities.

The following list of products for the disabled meet the criteria when attempting to reclaim VAT:

• Necessary domestic aids. Examples include eating and drinking aids