'Total' Approach Helps Obese People Live Independently

Published by Angela May for Total Hygiene in Housing and also in Health

Latest research* shows Britain is now the ‘fat capital’ of Europe, with some 13m people being obese, the rate of adult obesity growing at 1% of the population a year, and cost to the NHS over £2.5billion a year.

 As a consequence, Occupational Therapists are discovering new ways of helping overweight people cope with day to day living: installation of Total Hygiene’s Clos-o-Mat Palma ‘wash and dry’ toilet, often with accessories such as lifters, ‘one-touch’^TM operating switch and Clos-o-Mat benches.

 Explains Mark Sadler, Total Hygiene national sales manager, “There is a noticeable increase in the number of Clos-o-Mats being supplied for bariatric use, as health practitioners realise that as well as helping obese people address their weight, there is a corresponding need to help them cope with day to day life.

 “We all visit the toilet on average eight times a day. A typical side effect of obesity is Type 2 diabetes, a symptom of which is increased urination. Because of their size, obese people find it hard to undertake personal hygiene: in basic terms, they physically cannot reach the appropriate parts of their body! Their bulk affects accurate positioning over the pan. And in extreme cases, a standard WC cannot handle their weight, and breaks.”

 Jody Gysling is just one person who has had a Clos-o-Mat installed to answer the weight issue. Explained his brother Marc, “Jody is a hefty man but like all of us he likes a clean bum!. His size meant it was difficult to reach certain areas of his body. The Clos-o-Mat automatically washes and dries, so personal hygiene is maintained without having to contort the body to use toilet paper.”

 The Clos-o-Mat Palma is rated to withstand 30stone, though when tested, the floor gave way before the toilet did! Its integral douche and drier ensure the user is properly cleaned after toileting without any need to manually cleanse.

 Total Hygiene has developed a range of accessories for bariatrics: a Clos-o-Mat bench gives a larger, padded seat area, with the aperture in the correct position, while the optional ‘touch sensitive’ switch makes it as easy as possible for them to operate. The Aerolet Bariatric lift, which can accommodate someone up to 660lbs (300kg), further supports them effectively and securely whilst they toilet: the electronic lift unit is positioned over the toilet pan, and replicates the natural motion of standing up and sitting down, safely lowering down to just 39.5cm (15 ½”) and raising to 50cm (19 ½”) over the toilet as required depending on user height and leg length, whilst enabling the feet to remain in contact with the floor and maintaining the centre of gravity above the feet for balance.

 Further, the company is unique in offering in-house customer support and service, ensuring users have peace of mind that should there be a problem with their Clos-o-Mat it will be quickly remedied. Currently, over 40,000 Clos-o-Mats are installed in the UK alone, some of which have been in regular use for over 30 years.