What we do is who we are

It is more evident now than ever that what we do is really who we are. And if we are doing good and great things, we are good and great. If we are doing nothing, then we are nothing. But anything can change with the right attitude. So how do we help those that are doing nothing because they can't physically do anything with out help? Or live in fear of doing things because of age or frailty or injury. We can engage incrementally. The first step is to get someone moving in the right direction, literally. If you know of someone that needs help in just moving, let us know.
TVR

Universal Language

The Universal Language of pain! Ouch is readily identifiable in any language on earth. And the pain of repetitive motion injuries is an unkind cut when it may have been preventable. The signature beauty of the SDS Medical Vest is that it is not only the nicest way to move semi-ambulatory people but it drastically reduces the potential of injury in the caregiver....
TVR

New Year is fast approaching

It is with a lot of anticipation that we await the coming of the New Year. I think the economic climate will pick up...and things will speed to recovery. Not so for some people however. My Mother in law has severe MS and I see nothing on the horizon that suggests a quick cure. I know of certain cancers that capture life extremely quickly. There is still work to be done. Our new vest is almost ready and promises to be a boon to all semi-ambulatory people and especially to the care givers. What a wonderful world where you can prevent repetitive motion injuries, bad backs and shoulders and sore arms. More to come on the New Vest for a New Year!

Countdown to Christmas

23 December, 2009
Christmas is right around the corner. Gifts keep appearing under the tree and cookies bake and disappear quickly. Weather is going to be a problem if the temps drop at all in the Midwest with a call for freezing rain and sleet. In Wisconsin we have a good 6 or 7 inches of ground cover so we should be having a white Christmas this year. All in all there is certainly a lot to be thankful for. I know that some folks suffer from depression this time of year, while others are absolutely giddy. But with world wide hunger and poverty at all time highs, it is not hard to find the silver lining in our lives. Food on the table, a roof over our heads, family or friends nearby. Some of us are more mobile than others but all of us can take flights of fancy and dream. Dream of new tomorrows and better worlds. Peace to you.
TVR

Year of the Tiger

2010 is the year of the Tiger (not the Woods type) on the Chinese Calendar. That means to us that it is time to get aggressive in getting the SDS Transfer Vest the exposure it deserves. I hope that sometime in 2010 everyone that needs the kind of help we provide, Aides and Nurses, semi ambulatory residents and patients....anyone who needs a little help, a little lift...gets a chance to use this wonder vest.
TVR

Christmas is coming!

As I was working through the day's messages and doing some research on falls, it dawns on me that there could be no better Christmas Gift than to regain a freedom lost. For many people that would be the ability to move, walk, visit, talk and touch. I think we may give away some vests next week so that someone can regain some of the dignity they have lost.
tvr

Oh my aching back!

I recently spent time demonstrating the vest for a visiting nurse group who were interested. And the youngest nurse there (go figure) was suffering from a back strain and did not want to participate in the active part of the demonstration where I ask everybody to play the part of the semi-ambulatory resident in addition to doing the actual transfer itself as caregiver. She reluctantly put the vest on and allow herself to be transferred discovering there was no discomfort (thanks to the energy dispersing design). She then tentatively agreed to try a transfer and discovered that with the straight back and rocking technique for lifting..not a twinge. Needless to say, she is a convert!
tvr

Anatomy of a Vest

When Allan Thomas was thinking of best ways to help semi-ambulatory people, he designed over time the current SDS Transfer Vest. His thoughts and sketches and ideas created a unique item that manages to raise the level of care in both the patient/loved one/resident and the caregiver.

Straps that brace the vest to spread the energy of a lift over the entire torso.
Soft Neoprene construction to protect and cushion the loved one.
Clavicle area handles to facilitate a "non bending" lift for the caregiver.
Kidney handles to help the two man move and for extra ambulating support.
Velcro closure and poncho design to make it fast, easy and nonthreatening.
Anti microbial treatment as a preventative measure.

All in all, WOW
TVR

The Vest is best

Today is a day for thousands of people to learn that they are having more and more trouble moving, getting up, walking and ambulating around the house and home. It is the miracle that allows us to be the longest living generations ever also allows some of our human structure to slowly fade. Nature will take it's due and we can but hold the tide back as best as we can. But it is not a reason to give up and it is not a reason to allow the quality of life to slip away. We can help in one dramatic way. We offer the cure to moving with help in the safest and most dignified way. The SDS Vest is helping more and more people everyday. 866-600-2772 for more information.

The snow has stopped but the wind chill is minus 20 today in southeastern Wisconsin!
As the cold settles into the landscape I found a startling statistic..

Nurses are lifting up to thousands of pounds every day. How many 150 pound patients does one nurse lift in one day? Lifting patients up in bed, transfers from bed to wheelchair, wheelchair to bed, et cetera, is estimated at 1.8 tons per day.


World Champions at lifting!

With all that weight going up and down, unsteady load balance, injuries are going to happen. All I can say is..they need the SDS medical Vest and soon..
tvr

when it snow it rains

There is some weather happening today across much of the country. I wonder how many people will slip and fall on the slippery slopes? Unfortunately many of us have to navigate in all the slop and I pity those that need help and will not get it today.
tvr

Reason number 7 to use the SDS Transfer Vest

In a myriad of studies, patient handling was found to be an extremely hazardous job that had substantial risk of causing low back injury. The SDS Transfer Vest removes that job hazard and substantially reduces the risk involved in handling patients. And just as significantly it makes patient handling safer for the patient as well. One of the few durable medical equipment pieces that lift the level of care in both the caregiver and the pateint or resident.
TVR

Monday December 7th, 2009

As continuum of care evolves in the world it becomes more important than ever to work towards never events. And one never event is a fall during transfers. Falls in hospitals break down like this according to a study in 2004, 9.5% occur in hallways, exam or treatment rooms or by nurses stations. 11% of falls occur in patient's bathrooms. And 79.5% occurred in patient rooms. Breaking it down further 19.1% occurred during ambulation, 10.9% when getting out of bed, 9.3% while sitting down or standing up, 4.4% while using a bedside commode.

Can all falls be prevented? Maybe not but a lot of them can certainly be prevented. Use of the SDS Transfer Vest is one way to insure that you sit up or down, ambulate and move from the bed in a safe way that treats the patient with dignity and comfort.
tvr

PT Vest

I recently traveled to our vest manufacturing facility in Mexico to help with the design of our new PT vest. I was very impressed with the size and scope of the operation. 250,000 sq feet of production with 600 employees busily making medical equipment. The engineers and management were great and the design patterns got made while I was there. We should have prototypes shortly and will begin shipping in January. It will be a great boon to the OT and PT departments.

We have also made the decision to donate a fair amount of vests to injured war veterans...more on that later!

The SDS Transfer Vest reason 102

This amazing vest is so interesting because it not only helps semi ambulatory people in their transfers but it lifts the quality of care in the caregiver too!
Because the poncho style vest has perfectly placed handles in the clavicle area, the caregiver does not have to bend over to help with the transfer eliminating the number one injury issue with caregivers world wide, repetitive motion injuries to back , shoulders and arms.
tvr

Reason 21

Did you know that the least amount of indirect cost to direct cost in the case of an injury or accident is 1:1? That can easily rise to 20:1. So if my direct cost is $5,000.00 for lost time due to injury the indirect cost is $5000.00 to $100,000.00 making preventable injuries an expensive hobby.

Reason 37

Did you know that it takes $20.00 of billing to replace $1.00 of loss? According to OSHA that is indeed the case. Makes it quite expensive to lose time to preventable injuries. Another reason to buy an SDS Vest
tvr