Video + PDF Book Chapters: A Therapist's Guide to Caregiving - Comprehensive Course

Welcome caregivers! Whether you are a new caregiver, or if you have years of experience, our goal to equip you with the tools you need to thrive in this role. In this section, you will learn more about your trainer, and the passion behind this content.

Client handling skills are the skills that you utilize any time that you have your hands on a client to assist with standing up, walking, turning, rolling, or moving from place to place. In this section, we will cover:

• Mobility Devices

• Functional Mobility

• Standing Up & Sitting Down

• Transfers

• Bed Mobility

Mobility devices are tools and equipment that support a client in their ability to walk, move or ambulate. This lesson will provide a review of the most common mobility devices, their features, and how to use them safely. This lesson will cover:

• Canes

• Standard Walkers

• Rollators

• Wheelchairs

• Gait Belts

Functional mobility describes the way that a client moves about. Functional mobility can involve walking, with or without an assistive device, or using a wheelchair. This lesson will guide you through the process of assisting a client with mobility with varying levels of assistance. This lesson will cover:

• Walking with various mobility devices

• Going up and down the stairs

Believe it or not, there is an art to standing up and sitting down. Ensuring that our clients are set-up properly can decrease the amount of lifting the caregiver needs to provide. This chapter introduces a core concept called a knee block, which allows the caregiver to use leverage and momentum to assist the client, instead of lifting, reducing strain on the back, neck, and shoulders during the self-care process.

If your client is a wheelchair user, you may find that they have a tendency to slide forward in their chair. This lesson will guide you through the most efficient techniques for helping a client to scoot back in a chair using the knee block technique reviewed in the previous lesson.

“Transfer” is just a fancy word that is used to describe the process for helping a client move from one surface to another. We will describe this process using different types of adaptive equipment and with clients of varying ability levels. There are several different types of transfer techniques.

• Stand Pivot Transfers

• Scoot Pivot Transfers

• Squat Pivot Transfers

Part 1 of this lesson will cover stand pivot transfers.

As mentioned in the previous lesson, “transfer” is just a fancy word that is used to describe the process for helping a client move from one surface to another. A lateral transfers means that the client scoots or slides from one place to another, instead of standing and turning. This technique is used for clients who are unable to safely stand and pivot. There are two types of lateral transfers. This lesson will cover:

• Scoot Pivot Transfers

• Squat Pivot Transfers

Bed mobility describes the process of helping a client get into and out of bed, as well as the process of rolling and repositioning once they are in bed. This lesson will cover several techniques for this process to assist clients with varying levels of need and assistance.

This section begins our chapter on self-care skills. As we approach assisting a client or loved-one with self-care tasks, there are several core concepts that we will introduce to guide our mindset and treatment approach. These concepts will be further explored in each lesson of this chapter. This chapter includes:

• Grooming

• Toileting

• Bathing

• Dressing

• Bed Level Care

Grooming includes the tasks of washing a client’s face, brushing teeth, combing and styling hair, and applying face lotion, chapstick, and/or makeup. This lesson will guide you through the steps of providing safe and compassionate care for these tasks.

Toileting includes the process of helping a client on and off the toilet, managing their clothing, and wiping. A client may require assistance with one or all these tasks. This lesson will guide you through the steps of providing safe, thorough, and compassionate care for clients of all ability levels. This lesson will cover:

• Toilet transfers

• Clothing management

• Hygiene

Bathing includes the process of helping a client get into and out of the bath/shower, and wash and dry their body. This can occur in the shower, seated at the sink, or in the bed. This lesson will guide you through the steps of providing safe, thorough, and compassionate care through this entire process. This lesson will cover:

• Shower Transfers

• Bathing Techniques

This lesson will cover basic dressing techniques for clients who are dressing at a seated level, including tips for assisting someone with an injury or pain.

This lesson focuses on the techniques used to provide care for clients at bed level. These clients may be bed-bound, or they may need self-care tasks to be completed in bed due to significant leg weakness and/or the inability to stand. Here, we will cover the techniques for completing hygiene, dressing, toileting, and changing sheets/linens in bed.

The methods for functional mobility, sit-to-stand, and transfers listed in the previous lessons are effective for most clients. However, there are cases where it may be too difficult or unsafe to do this on your own. This lesson will cover a variety of client lifts and transfer devices that can be used to transfer clients who are unsafe with the lifting methods taught previously. This lesson will cover:

• Sliding Boards

• Hoyer Lifts

• Sit-to-Stand Lifts

A sliding board is a device that is intended to assist with scoot or slide pivot transfers. If the distance between the client’s wheelchair and where they need to transfer is more than a few inches, the sliding board acts as a “bridge,” allowing them to safely slide or scoot across to their destination. This lesson will guide you through the steps for how to safely use a sliding board.

A Hoyer is a device that is used to mechanically lift and transfer a client who is otherwise unsafe or unable to safely stand or walk or move from one place to another. This two-part lesson will guide you through the steps for how to safely use a hoyer lift and how to integrate it into the self-care routine. Part one will cover:

• Parts of a hoyer lift

• Positioning the sling

• Basic transfer from the bed to the wheelchair

A Hoyer is a device that is used to mechanically lift and transfer a client who is otherwise unsafe or unable to safely stand or walk or move from one place to another. This two-part lesson will guide you through the steps for how to safely use a hoyer lift and how to integrate it into the self-care routine. Part two will cover:

• Managing sling loop positions

• Transfers to the recliner, bed and bedside commode

• Troubleshooting

Sit-to-stand lifts, like hoyer lifts, are designed to help clients who are unsafe to stand to move from one place to another. A sit-to-stand lift uses a mechanical arm and a sling to pull the client up into a full or partial standing position for transfers. This lesson will guide you through the steps for how to safely use a sit-to-stand lift and how to integrate the lift in to the self-care routine.

This course has been focusing on developing the skills needed to prevent a client from having a fall, but there may come a time when a client has a fall while under your care. There are important guidelines to follow when assisting a client after a fall to encourage your safety, and that of your client. This lesson will guide you through the process of assessing a client after a fall and assisting them to get up from the floor.

Working with clients with dementia can be a rewarding process, but it can also come with its fair share of challenges. This lesson will guide you through some basic strategies for working with this population to ensure your daily routine runs as smoothly as possible.

The author’s final thoughts on our training course and resources.