John & Mary regained their independence

The British occupational therapists Gill Creighton and Vicky Cole from West Berkshore Council have described how a heavily reliant man and his wife regained independence in their lives after the implementation of VENDLET V5.

The 67-year-old man, who Gill Creighton and Vicky Coles calls John, has been retired since the mid-1980s due to health problems. Previously, he worked first in the Navy and later in the police.
 
John has bi-polar disorder and psychotic episodes. He has an ongoing severe depression and suffers from anxiety. He has type II diabetes and peripheral neuropathy. John has reduced skin integrity and easily gets pressure ulcers.
 
John's wife, who in this case is called Mary, has for many years looked after John herself. But Mary has developed arthritis in her hands and knees and also has back problems. In January 2013 John got acute diarrhea and Mary needed help with personal care and the treatment of John's skin. Help was being given in the form of three caregivers three times daily.
 
Both John and Mary are very private people and the intense assistance had a bad effect on them both. The control they had had over their lives was taken away. Furthermore, the solution was costly and the caregivers working conditions were not optimal.
 
John already had a wide range of devices, including a bed, a chair and a ceiling hoist, but only manual slide sheets. In assessing the VENDLET V5 the following was considered in relation to John’s situation:

• Less manual handling means less risk of injury and pain
• Easier and more simple maneuvers performed by fewer caregivers, increases the mental well-being (it is very undignified when there is a need for many caregivers to perform personal care)
• Three carers three times a day - it is a violent intrusion into family privacy
• The reduced need of care provides greater surplus and opportunity to use resources on other things
• Greater flexibility in terms of when external help is to come, giving John and Mary greater control over their own lives
• The reduced dependency allows the patients to remain longer in their own homes
• The purchase of VENDLET V5 allows for a better, calmer and more efficient service.

In addition to the human and personal improvements for John, the implementation also gave a huge cost saving for the local council. The need for three caregivers three times a day was reduced to one caregiver two times a day. This reduced the daily cost from £113 to just £23.
 
A week after the installation of VENDLET V5 Mary said: "Fantastic. Really fantastic. That's all I have to say - it is just fantastic."
 
Four weeks after the installation of VENDLET V5, the following was found:

• John was in much better mood and more happy with his current situation 
• John was more willing to engage
• Mary had more time for herself and the opportunity to spend time on things she would like to
• There was more peace in the house and John and Mary's life was more normal

There is now a very good relationship between the caregivers and John & Mary.
 
The overall conclusion is that the implementation of VENDLET V5 has had a huge impact on the care given to John and on John's and Mary's quality of life. At the same time, the economic savings by implementing VENDLET V5 was significant.

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