Top 5 Tips to Protect Yourself From Caregiver Injuries
Being a caregiver is physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausting work. On top of that, it’s often a thankless job. CNAs, nurses, LPNs, and others in this line of work may not get any feedback from patients and family members unless it’s negative feedback. As healthcare corporations push and push to squeeze as much money as they can out of every patient and employee, caregivers have seen their patient loads increase year after year.
Knowing this, it’s clear why caregivers are suffering so many injuries. Use these tips to keep yourself in your healthcare job. If you suffer an injury at work, let us help you fight for the compensation you deserve. Call Pisegna & Zimmerman at 818-888-8888 to schedule a consultation at one of our convenient office locations. Need to meet remotely? We are Zoom-ready and able to process your documents via DocuSign.
Lean on Assisted Lifting Devices
Occupational injuries are incredibly common among healthcare providers, especially those on the front lines of patient care. A significant part of these injuries come from lifting. Lifting patients may be a significant part of your daily work, and it gets easy to go through the routine tasks of patient care. When you have a long list of patients to care for, it may seem easier to just do a two-person lift in lieu of getting the Hoyer out and doing a mechanical lift.
Regardless of what is faster, using mechanical lifts is undoubtedly safer for care providers like you. These machines are designed to take a massive amount of the load off of caregivers, limiting the risk of occupational injuries. This is important, considering the risk of occupational injuries. In too many cases, caregivers are pushed to resort to less-safe lifting methods in order to get through patient care more quickly. This isn’t just related to a caregiver’s choice to use a mechanical lift or not—in fact, better nurse-to-patient ratios is associated with a 31.6% drop in occupational injuries in California. Employers, too, must do their part to keep caregivers safe.
Review Safe Lifting Practices
Mechanical lifts aren’t always an option. In some cases, different mechanical lifts are too hard on a patient’s joints or they are not safe enough for a patient who thrashes or flips during transfers. There will be situations where you need to lift patients physically, and when you do, you must follow safe lifting mechanics. That means avoiding curving your spine when you bend to lift, keeping a flat back, and putting the majority of the weight in your legs. You should also avoid twisting, as that can put an enormous amount of stress on your spine. No matter how long you have been in this field, it’s easy to settle back into bad habits. Review safe lifting mechanisms on a frequent basis to keep yourself safe.
Keep Up With Preventative Medical Care
Caregivers often put their own care needs last. If you regularly skip physicals, checkups for minor injuries, or routine dental care, you’re not alone. Long shifts and heavy workloads make it hard to care for yourself. But if you keep up with your preventative medical care, you can do so much more for your patients. Repetitive stress injuries and lower back injuries are common in this field, and with routine medical care, you can catch these issues before they become severe enough to end your career. You know you don’t use enough of your paid time off anyway—take a day or two to catch up on your healthcare needs.
Take Advantage of Training Opportunities
Lifting isn’t the only way caregivers can become injured. They can also be hurt by angry or aggressive patients. If you work in a specialty or setting where you regularly come into contact with aggressive or violent patients, you should get lots of training on how to de-escalate situations and protect yourself. Many of these facilities have continuing education opportunities for caregivers that focus on evading physical attacks, defending yourself without harming patients, and removing yourself from dangerous situations before they reach the point of no return. If your workplace offers these classes, attend them. If they don’t, talk to your supervisor about setting them up.
Hurt On the Job? Call Pisegna & Zimmerman
If you’ve suffered a workplace injury, you may be entitled to compensation for everything you have lost. The worker’s compensation lawyers at Pisegna & Zimmerman is here to defend you against accusations of fraud, fight back if your workers’ compensation claim is denied, and help you get the compensation you’re owed. Schedule a consultation now by calling us at 818-888-8888 or reaching out to our team online. We conduct meetings over Zoom and allow document signing via DocuSign, so you don’t even have to leave home.
William Zimmerman is an experienced Los Angeles work injury attorney at Pisegna & Zimmerman. He offers invaluable advice and assistance when dealing with the often complicated workers’ compensation system. As part of Pisgena & Zimmerman, he and his team are a full-service law firm that is dedicated to obtaining the maximum amount of compensation from all available sources.