As part of my role as a care worker, from time to time I may be required to assist service users to move or reposition them. It is important to understand the basic anatomy and physiology to help reduce any harm to myself or others when using moving and handling procedures. Muscles act like levers and allow bone, at a joint, to act like hinges. Muscles pull and move bones at particular joints which makes the joint move and therefor the body moves. When a muscle contracts it pulls the bone at a joint in the direction in which it is designed to move. With reduced mobility muscles can become floppy which makes movement slower and more difficult but when the muscles are used regularly they remain firm and move more easily. When supporting, moving
…show more content…
the elbow and knee joints have limited movement so to try to extend the joint outside their range can be painful to the service user and may damage the joint. Nerve fibres run all through the body and send impulses to muscles which enable muscles to contract or relax. Nerve fibres are delicate structures and are easily damaged through poor moving and handling.
1.2 Describe the impact of specific conditions on the correct movement and positioning of an individual.
There are a number of conditions that can have an impact on the correct movement and positioning of service users e.g. arthritis, Parkinson’s disease, amputation, cerebral palsy and stroke. Arthritis: People suffering with arthritis often have painful joints and stiffness and limited movement in affected limbs. Care is required when moving arthritic service users to avoid causing pain or discomfort. Arthritic joints can have limited movement and care is needed not to move them further than their natural limits. …show more content…
Unsafe moving can result in serious injury to either the care worker or the service user. According to HSE records almost 50% of all accidents reported from the Health and Social Care sector, in particular, assisting those service users with mobility problems. Legislation is in place to reduce the risk of injury. The Health and Safety Act of 1974 has made it a legal requirement to ensure the care worker and those with mobility problems make it a legal requirement for employers to ensure that the health, safety and welfare of employees (including care workers) have a duty to take reasonable care of the health, safety and welfare of service users and themselves. The manual, Handling Operations Regs 1992 (amended 2002) came into effect 1/01/1993, to allow European Directives on the handling and moving of goods. The regulations impose duties on employers, self-employed and employees. They state that care workers must avoid all hazardous manual handling activities when possible. If not possible then they should first assess all risks involved and reduce any risk to the lowest possible level. Care workers have to follow work safety regulations or systems as taught to them by their employers to protect themselves and the service user. If a service user needs moving it is the responsibility of the care worker and the employer to ensure the safety of both the care worker and the service user. The HSE
the elbow and knee joints have limited movement so to try to extend the joint outside their range can be painful to the service user and may damage the joint. Nerve fibres run all through the body and send impulses to muscles which enable muscles to contract or relax. Nerve fibres are delicate structures and are easily damaged through poor moving and handling.
1.2 Describe the impact of specific conditions on the correct movement and positioning of an individual.
There are a number of conditions that can have an impact on the correct movement and positioning of service users e.g. arthritis, Parkinson’s disease, amputation, cerebral palsy and stroke. Arthritis: People suffering with arthritis often have painful joints and stiffness and limited movement in affected limbs. Care is required when moving arthritic service users to avoid causing pain or discomfort. Arthritic joints can have limited movement and care is needed not to move them further than their natural limits. …show more content…
Unsafe moving can result in serious injury to either the care worker or the service user. According to HSE records almost 50% of all accidents reported from the Health and Social Care sector, in particular, assisting those service users with mobility problems. Legislation is in place to reduce the risk of injury. The Health and Safety Act of 1974 has made it a legal requirement to ensure the care worker and those with mobility problems make it a legal requirement for employers to ensure that the health, safety and welfare of employees (including care workers) have a duty to take reasonable care of the health, safety and welfare of service users and themselves. The manual, Handling Operations Regs 1992 (amended 2002) came into effect 1/01/1993, to allow European Directives on the handling and moving of goods. The regulations impose duties on employers, self-employed and employees. They state that care workers must avoid all hazardous manual handling activities when possible. If not possible then they should first assess all risks involved and reduce any risk to the lowest possible level. Care workers have to follow work safety regulations or systems as taught to them by their employers to protect themselves and the service user. If a service user needs moving it is the responsibility of the care worker and the employer to ensure the safety of both the care worker and the service user. The HSE