Sara-Stedy Devices Help Patients with Mobility Issues

It looks like a combination between a chair and a walker, but it does so much more! Thanks to an idea from Director of Nursing, Sarah Stadler, and funding from the Swedish Covenant Hospital Foundation, these Sara-Stedy devices are helping SCH patients with limited mobility move easily and independently from a standing to a seated position, and reducing the risk of falls.The ability to rise from a chair or bed is one of the most fundamental movements of daily life, occurring multiple times throughout the day. If a patient is unsteady or is difficult to assist, attempting to transfer them from bed to chair or toilet without the right equipment can put both patient and caregiver at risk of serious injury. The Sara-Stedy ensures that sit-to-stand transfers can be carried out safely, quickly and with ease for both patient and staff. In addition, by allowing patients to use their own strength to move, the Sara-Stedy not only improves the patient’s circulation, breathing, digestion and muscle tone, but it also enhances their activity level and provides them with an active role in their own recovery.Six, Sara-Stedy devices have been purchased and are now being used throughout the hospital. Patients and medical staff agree, the Sara-Stedy has been life-changing. According to Jacqueline Strzalka, unit manager of 4N, “Even patients who don’t have the strength to take steps on their own can stand using this device, which allows the patient to feel more independent and enables the staff to mobilize the patients more quickly and safely.”Although small in size, the Sara-Stedy has also made a big impact on our patients. As one patient recounted to his caregiver, “…using the device allowed me to take a shower for the first time in two weeks! The Sara-Stedy made me feel in control.”The Foundation is delighted to support these initiatives, and with your donations, we can continue providing innovative equipment and programming to improve the health and welfare of our patients and staff.  To learn more about supporting patient care initiatives at Swedish Covenant Hospital, contact the Foundation at foundation@swedishcovenant.org or 773-293-5121.