WZC Sint-Elisabeth Duffel

Physiotherapist Kathleen Goossens heads up the ergonomics working group in the residential care centre. The working group consists of around twelve employees who each represent a department: from nursing, care, logistics and administration to the kitchen team. “The colleagues in the working group play a warning role. If someone in their team talks to them about ergonomics complaints, they bring it to the working group and we find a solution together. Such complaints can occur with any action, from a colleague picking something up off a shelf to a caregiver bathing a patient”, says Kathleen.

If we encounter an ergonomics problem that we can’t solve ourselves, we can always contact IDEWE.

Ergonomics radar as a guide

Sint-Elisabeth has been on a whole ergonomics journey, and have been supported by an expert at IDEWE since 2013. Kathleen is well aware that she gave her first ergonomics training course at the residential care centre. “Since then, much has changed for the better. Back in 2014, the expert applied IDEWE’s ergonomics radar to our residential care centre. The tool gives us a good idea of where our organisation stands in terms of our equipment, work environment and ergonomics knowledge. That’s been the main guiding principle on our journey.”

Training courses during an ergonomics project week

After the residential care centre’s last ergonomics radar, it felt like the right time to freshen up their knowledge of ergonomics. As such, the ergonomics working group organised a project week, during which the centre’s staff underwent training sessions on ergonomics. “IDEWE’s expert and I held ten sessions focusing on the work of each department,” says Kathleen.

“We started with practical exercises straight away, such as picking up a pen or a container of water. We filmed the tasks and showed the videos to our staff once they’d completed the theory session. Giving them points for improvement alongside their own videos helps the message to stay firmly in place. We followed that with specific practical exercises in each session for each discipline with the support of the working group.”

Ergonomics and exercise are two sides of the same coin. That’s why the working group also organised exercise sessions with the goal of encouraging staff to take better care of their bodies. Kathleen: “We offered a large range of initiatives: a workout bench in the front garden, a walking marathon, an exercise scan, a pedometer challenge and more. Our colleagues were also able to take part in workout sessions for back and abdominal muscles found in the IDEWE Group brochures.”

TilThermometer calculates risks and provides an ergonomics report

Kathleen first became familiar with the TilThermometer on an IDEWE training course. The TilThermometer is a useful tool that looks at the resources caregivers need to help residents in comfort. Such resources include active and passive lifters, shower seats and slide sheets. The TilThermometer provides a score for the physical care load in a department at any given time. The better the ergonomics risks are dealt with by following the guidelines, the better the scores on the ergonomics report.

The TilThermometer shows you how to help and move a resident in the most ergonomic way.

“We created a profile for each resident by establishing their height and weight, level of independence or how much help they need, and the resources we currently use to help them. The tool then uses the profile to show you how to help them in the most ergonomic way”, says Kathleen.

“IDEWE has worked on analysing the data. The TilThermometer calculates percentages that shed light on the strengths and weaknesses in your organisations. We’ve noticed, for example, that we need to use our slide sheets more. We’re also going to purchase a height-adjustable shower seat to make showering more comfortable.”

Strong commitment to the ergonomics charter

At the end of the project week, the Sint-Elisabeth working group signed up to the ‘Healthy Care, Healthy Employees’ charter of Ergonomics Belgium, the country’s professional association for ergonomics. The prevention advisor explains: “Sint-Elisabeth is an institution that cares for both its residents and its caregivers alike. They have identified all the risks using the IDEWE Group’s tools, making them eligible to sign up to the ergonomics charter. This is fantastic recognition for their organisation and it sets them apart from other residential care centres.”

The charter also shows that Sint-Elisabeth is committed to reviewing ergonomics on an annual basis. “We’re going to work on the areas for improvement flagged by the TilThermometer every year," adds Kathleen. “Some of our residents have to be washed at the sink, for example, which means the caregivers have to bend forwards. It may sometimes be better to wash those residents in bed – depending on how much independence they have. Such adjustments make a huge difference in the long term.”