Fallbericht: Leichteres Leben mit multipler Sklerose dank dem Mangar ELK Notfall-Hebekissen

Josefine Flecken, Euskirchen ,

Josefine Flecken is 73 years old and lives in an assisted living facility on the outskirts of Euskirchen. As a former clerk in the accounting department, she is now the treasurer of the facility’s social club and is happy to spend time with her 8-year-old granddaughter Nora.

 

Ms. Flecken was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when she was in her early 50s. At that time she had bowel and bladder weakness, which are often associated with this disease. In addition, she had noticed that one of her legs no longer „worked“ as usual. Doctors eventually confirmed that she had secondary progressive MS.

 

The consequences of MS

Ms. Flecken described that her lower limbs lost more and more mobility due to the destruction of the nerve fibers, even if her strength above the belt was still maintained.

 

After the diagnosis, Ms. Flecken was able to continue her work in a regional hospital with the help of a walking stick. When her mobility became increasingly limited, her husband Peter initially stood by her side to help with some of the personal hygiene. But unfortunately he died five years ago.

 

Over time, Ms. Flecken lost more and more mobility in her legs and she occasionally fell.

 

The solution

On the advice of her family doctor, she bought a Mangar ELK lifting bag that the nursing staff at the residential complex could use to help her up without having to call the emergency services. This was Ms. Flecken’s first encounter with the Mangar emergency lifting bags .

 

Ms. Flecken on this: “I don’t get injured if I fall, but I can’t get up alone. I feel safe and protected when I sit up with the ELK; the ELK helps me up again in a very pleasant way. „

 

Ms. Flecken wants to live a self-determined life as long as possible. Therefore, she uses adaptive tools that help her live a full life and maintain her dignity. She now needs an electric wheelchair, but she can still get out of her wheelchair on a chair by herself.

 

Twice a day she receives a visit from a nurse who helps her to get up in the morning and to go to bed in the evening. As Ms. Flecken’s legs became more and more “heavier”, she had ever greater problems getting her legs into bed by herself. This meant the nurse had to help her lift her legs into bed – a task that puts a lot of strain on her back.

 

After a referral to the occupational therapist, Ms. Flecken again contacted Mangar Health to introduce the leg lifter. The leg lifter is designed in such a way that it provides valuable support when lifting and transferring the legs to bed. It is attached to the bed under the mattress and can be easily attached and removed. The leg lifter does not need to be installed permanently. When not in use, it leans inconspicuously on the side of the bed.

 

The leg lifter is inflated with the Airflo compressor and then operated either by the caregiver or by Ms. Flecken herself using the hand control at the desired speed.

Ms. Flecken: “When I could no longer lift my legs myself, going to bed every evening was a struggle. Not only does the leg lifter do this job now, but it also means that the caregiver can no longer injure himself while helping me. And that makes me happy. „

 

The result

The leg lifter promotes the independence of the user and protects caregivers from musculoskeletal disorders.