New Program Helps to Prevent Life-Changing Injuries to Family and Professional Care Providers

Medford, Oregon, June 21, 2006

With a rapidly expanding aging population and a large occurrence of obesity, the video/DVD program How to Use a Mechanical Lift answers the need for training care providers in the proper use of mechanical lifts in home and health care settings.

A survey recently completed for American Federation of Teachers Healthcare (AFT), a union representing nurses and other healthcare workers, reported that 56% of nurses and 64% of X-ray technicians had suffered injuries or chronic pain from manually lifting patients.

"Imagine lifting 200 pounds or more of dead weight by yourself several times a day. That's a typical day for nurses and X-ray techs, and it's becoming unbearable," said Candice Owley, chair of AFT Healthcare. AFT Healthcare advocates increased training and use of mechanical lifts to prevent career-ending injuries in an industry already stressed by shortages.

The new Healing Arts Communications program provides thorough training on use of a mechanical lift. An ergonomics specialist and occupational therapist demonstrates a step-by-step procedure for moving someone from bed to wheelchair and from wheelchair to bed. The program also covers parts of a mechanical lift, addressing patients' fear, sling placement, two-person mechanical lift transfer, one-person mechanical lift transfer and safety measures at each step of the procedure.

The new program is the sixteenth produced by Healing Arts Communications, whose educational resources are used by thousands of hospitals, home health agencies, assisted living facilities and state and county agencies. The company has received a variety of awards for the excellence of its resources, including the 2006 Caregiver Friendly Award from Today's Caregiver magazine and the 2005 Small Business Award from the American Society on Aging.

The 23-minute program is available for purchase through www.homecarecompanion.com or by calling 888-846-7008, and will soon be available for online viewing.