June 16, 2022
Plus-size patients at St. Boniface Hospital are further ensured safety, comfort, and dignity during their stays after a donation in 2021 helped purchase a suite of bariatric equipment last fall.
Patients of more than 350 pounds require a bariatric hospital bed and other items. The new equipment delivered to the Hospital in October includes a bariatric wheelchair, a bariatric bed with mattress, a fully adjustable and motorized therapeutic chair, and a pair of padded harnesses for sit-to-stand lifts nurses use to move and reposition patients. The equipment can accommodate patients up to 650 or 1,000 pounds in some cases.
Foundation donors Len and Ruth Carol Podheiser, of Winnipeg, stepped forward and agreed to help pay for the bariatric equipment at the recommendation of former Hospital President and CEO Martine Bouchard.
“We were informed the Hospital had some of this equipment, but not as much as they would like to meet demand. That motivated us to fund this initiative,” explained Len. “This type of equipment is useful for patient care. Without this equipment on hand, it’s hard on both caregivers and heavier patients. It can even be dangerous.”
“For us, the most important thing was to have the equipment put to good use by the Hospital – right away and often, which I understand it has been.”
The additional width and weight capacity of the bariatric bed adds to the patient’s comfort. It reduces injury and supports productive recovery, said Rhonda Cairns, Executive Director, Health Services & Chief Nursing Officer, St. Boniface Hospital.
“Rather than having a plus-size patient suffer the indignity of not fully fitting on a standard-sized hospital bed, placing the patient in a bariatric bed allows the patient to shift their position and ensure their own comfort while resting, as well as alleviates the fear of the bed tipping or breaking,” she said.
“A significant patient injury can occur if a hospital bed breaks under the weight of a heavier patient or if health-care staff cannot transfer the patient safely from a bed to another surface.”
The Podheisers have been proud supporters of St. Boniface for many years. “Our family has used the Hospital facilities – my wife’s grandfather was there for some time, my mother, my wife, and myself,” said Len. “We have such respect and appreciation for all the great work done by the Grey Nuns, and they have made us want to do something like this in return.”
Help make St. Boniface safer and more comfortable for plus-size patients throughout the Hospital. Donate today.