The Secret to Safer and More Confident Therapy Sessions

Hi, Laszlo here, Senior VP and Head of Sales and Marketing at Therapeutic Industries, Inc. I recently had an insightful conversation with Carly, a seasoned physical therapist with extensive experience across various rehabilitation settings. Carly first encountered the Barihab Treatment Platform in 2017 at California Rehab Institute and was immediately struck by its versatility. Unlike traditional setups, Barihab integrates multiple therapy functions into one piece of equipment, streamlining patient care and ensuring quick adaptability during emergencies.

Carly shared that her initial experience with Barihab revolutionized her approach to patient care. The platform’s unique design allowed her to assist patients with complex needs—such as those with severe neurological impairments—single-handedly, minimizing the physical toll on her and reducing reliance on multiple staff members. This efficiency not only enhanced patient safety by limiting transfers but also promoted therapist well-being by preventing repetitive strain injuries, a common concern in the field.

A particularly compelling point Carly raised was how the Barihab significantly bolstered therapist confidence and reduced anxiety during treatments. Knowing that the equipment provided stability and support enabled her to perform more ambitious and beneficial therapy without hesitation. She noted that when patients perceive the therapist’s confidence, their own sense of security improves, fostering active participation and more effective rehabilitation.

We also explored how equipment like the Barihab reshapes safety protocols. Carly highlighted that despite the awareness of ergonomic practices, real-world scenarios often necessitate spontaneous actions to prevent patient falls. Barihab’s multifunctionality aids in reducing the risk of such incidents, supporting both therapists and patients in achieving safer, more effective outcomes. Our discussion reaffirmed the essential role of reliable, innovative tools in enhancing therapeutic practices and preventing caregiver burnout.

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Transcript:

Laszlo (00:00):

Okay. Awesome.

Carly (00:04):

Okay

Laszlo (00:05):

So Carly, When did you first discover the Barihab table? How did that come about?

Carly (00:14):

Yeah, I think I used the Barihab Mat Table first when I started at California Rehab Institute, So that was back in 2017? Yeah.

Laszlo (00:30):

What were your impressions, I mean the first time you used it? Were you like, What is this thing? Or how does this work? What kind of patient diagnosis can I use this on? What was that thought process?

Carly (00:44):

Yeah, So luckily at California Rehab, they had them in all of their separate gyms on the floor, so it was accessible to all patient diagnosis, which was great because to answer your question, I was just like, you could literally use this with so most like patient that are in patient rehab. So but yeah, it definitely took a little bit of getting used to for all the bells and whistles that it offers. But after, it’s not that hard to figure out once you went through like a demo with an employee. So after that, it was pretty like seamless, but it was automatically like so exciting because I worked at other rehabs that just didn’t have the capability of putting everything all in one spot, meaning you could do a standing frame, you could just help with sit to stands, you could facilitate just like weight-bearing with a number of patients. And then the best part about it, I think, is like if things go wrong, meaning like dropping blood pressure or things like that, you could automatically be like flat on a table versus like being in these other devices, like standing frames, for example. You can only get back into the chair that you stood from, or you’re stuck in a standing frame in the seated position, and you have to transfer out of it again. Like, I just think it was really cool. I was just like, this is amazing. Every rehab needs it, and luckily they had a ton there. So, Yeah.

Laszlo (02:22):

So how long have you been a therapist?

Carly (02:25):

Yeah, so I had been a therapist for like four years at that point, and up until then I kind of work, I always say I worked at Rehabs, big, little, and small. I worked at an independent stand-alone, one that had like 60 beds, and then I worked in a hospital unit. And those historically just don’t have a ton of resources in general. It’s just on a floor in a hospital. And then I went, Cal Rehab, I call is the big one where there was like a hundred plus bed, like brand new too. So I had a lot of experience with inpatient rehabs even being as a PT for like four years.

Laszlo (03:07):

So, What’s interesting to me is, so how you choose, what organization or what facility you’re gonna work for, what are the things that you look for in a building, let’s say, and you’re interviewing with the DOR or whoever, and you’re going, oh, okay, well, what are you looking for that really kinda seals the deal for you? I mean.

Carly (03:34):

Yeah

Laszlo (03:35):

What are the important things?

Carly (03:38):

For me, the important things are that both the patients have the resources that they need, but also that the staff does. The staff has resources, so that can come in manpower, that can come in the amount of productivity, I guess expectations they have, or the equipment. And so those are things that I really look for whenever I’m interviewing to work for a place because my longevity is part of the equation as well.

Laszlo (04:10):

Yeah. How long can you continue to work? Right,

Carly (04:13):

Right, exactly.

Laszlo (04:16):

You know, injuries to therapists, clinicians in general, healthcare workers in general. I think a lot of people are unaware of how often an injury can occur and how they can occur. It’s not always just a one-time thing I did wrong and now I’m injured. It’s the repetitiveness of doing the same thing over and over again day after day, and that’ll wear you down as well. So it’s not just one thing.

Carly (04:50):

Correct. Yeah. And I think also as physical therapists, as much as we know how to use proper body mechanics and all the things, we also care so much about our patients. And if we like, we are oftentimes doing too much, if we don’t have the resources to do it, You know, dependently walking, some Hemi, You know dense Hemi strokes is like something I definitely did, and I don’t look back and regret it, but it was like, it’s hard on your body, and so but you want to get these people and the goal, you have such finite amount of time, it’s getting shorter and shorter and shorter, how much time they can spend.

Laszlo (05:29):

Right, right.

Carly (05:30):

These facilities, so you don’t want to waste any of their time. So the amount, the help that your MAT specifically can provide is just getting people weight bearing, especially very low-level strokes, brain injuries, and spinal cord injuries. They are really benefiting, I think, from the standing frame capability of it. And I think that’s the biggest thing because I can get someone who has almost like no muscle control standing by myself.

Laszlo (06:07):

By yourself. Exactly. Yeah, that’s the beauty of it you know, I think that have you experienced where a therapist has less anxiety and more confidence to do things with a patient because a piece of equipment is actually supporting the patient, the therapist isn’t supporting the patient, so you may want to do more, try more and accomplish more in that environment where you’ve got a piece of equipment that you can rely on to provide the safety and all of that?

Carly (06:50):

Yeah, for sure. Like I said, the resources whenever I look at places is like manpower. So if I had three people helping me stand someone, I’d be very confident, but if I had that same patient scheduled and I didn’t have the manpower to do it, it wouldn’t happen. Or I’d take a different intervention that likely wouldn’t be potentially as effective. So yeah having this piece of equipment is having three sets of hands, which is.

Laszlo (07:22):

Yeah, Yeah. Do you think the patients feel more secure and if they feel more secure, does it translate into less anxiety, less fear, and then do you think that they’re willing to do more because they’re less anxious and less fearful?

Carly (07:41):

That’s a good point. And I would say probably it does take some convincing, because like I said, as much as I don’t prefer to stand someone dependently with like a dense right-sided stroke, I can, but they look at me and they’re like, you can’t do this. So sometimes I take it as a challenge, but they often will for sure hesitate and not move as appropriately also. So when people aren’t confident in your ability, then not only are they more willing to participate, but they also will move more appropriately and safer on their end as well.

Laszlo (08:17):

Right. Right. Now, when you go to work someplace in their therapy department, do they have an ergonomics program or some sort of manual that you look at and you go, oh, okay. Is that common or is that unusual?

Carly (08:37):

Well, my assumption is that they would probably assume that we are the ergonomics experts. So the need to like orient a provider that way isn’t.

Carly (08:49):

Of mind. So what if it is? I’ve seen it as part of because again, I’ve oriented to like four different rehabs now. They do have it as part of their onboarding in a couple of places. I will say it’s oftentimes maybe something that does not get highlighted as much with therapy staff versus nursing staff. And if there’s like less time, because orientation is also laid out in this pretty little timeline and handbook, but as we know, getting you to patients is the goal. And so some things do get cut out, and I think that oftentimes gets cut out. So at least in the therapy department, because again, we should know and we do know the appropriate ways to do things.

Laszlo (09:34):

Right. Well, I’ve heard it said that ergonomics programs are great, but you can throw it out the window when you’re working with another human being because they’re so unpredictable. You can’t predict what happens one way or another. And if that patient is going down, you’re gonna sacrifice your body.

Carly (09:56):

Yeah, For sure.

Laszlo (09:56):

Keep that falling. Correct?

Carly (09:59):

Hundred percent.

Laszlo (10:00):

Yeah. Yeah. So the equipment really kind a matters. You know, Not only our equipment but all equipment. Hoyer lifts other standing frames, and our goal, in the beginning, was to try and eliminate transfers. Because we know that most transfers occur, most injuries occur during a transfer. So the thought process is if we can eliminate the need to transfer, we can reduce the risk of injury, and that was our goal.

Carly (10:37):

It’s interesting that you say that, and it’s definitely like a good starting point, but you actually make it possible for people to practice transfers more. So really in the rehab setting, We are wanting, We want patients to put in the repetition of practicing sitting, standing, turning, or cyborg transfers doing them at varying levels. So that’s what a normal mat adjustable mat could provide. But you also have some ways to put like the poles up where you can practice if people have grab bars at home, things like that. So it’s another thing. So that might’ve been your initial goal, but I will say in rehab, we use it frequently to practice transfers.

Laszlo (11:25):

Right, because they’re gonna have to transfer when they get home. Right. So one of the things that we developed is called a quick start program, and that quick start program really focuses on three types of transfers, A transfer to and from a commode, to and from the bed, and to and from a car. So if that patient can do those three transfers, then they’re a candidate to be discharged and go home.

Carly (11:57):

Yeah. Right.

Laszlo (11:58):

Is that correct?

Carly (12:00):

Those are the big ones. Yeah. I would say those are the big ones.

Laszlo (12:03):

Yeah. Yeah. Well, taking care of your own hygiene is probably the biggest.

Carly (12:08):

Yeah, it is the biggest. I will say that’s the one that insurance cares the least about, really. Yeah. I mean, if a patient was very mobile or family could take care of them in all other aspects of their life, but they couldn’t get to and from a toilet or manage their own toileting, then I don’t think it gets covered. Those kinds of hygiene things are not what insurance is looking for.

Laszlo (12:38):

For. Right. Well, I think the other part of the Barihab equipment is really focused on providing a way that seniors can continue to go from a sit to stand.

Carly (12:57):

Yeah.

Laszlo (12:58):

Because once you lose your ability to go from sit to stand, a big part of your independence is gone. And so maintaining that muscle strength, a lot of people think, oh, you know what? You can walk, right? Which is great, you can ambulate, but you have to be able to stand first. And standing is more difficult than walking.

Carly (13:21):

Yeah.

Laszlo (13:22):

Takes more leg strength. So that whole sit-to-stand idea with the barihab, with the seat lift, you know helping the patient, they need that. And the table height really, really works. 

Carly (13:40):

And also that all those things accommodate bariatric-size patients as well.

Laszlo (13:46):

Are you seeing larger patients?

Carly (13:48):

Yeah. When the hospital has the equipment to accommodate them in certain rehabs, there’s definitely not the same population there. I think the general population is heavier as a whole, but for the bariatric sides that really need the beds and the hoyer lifts and mats, I’ve worked at those facilities and they’re definitely there. And it’s interesting. I mean, a lot of them actually are stronger than you think, but it is the confidence piece of like what if something does go wrong or if they sit here. So having the equipment available is necessary for sure.

Laszlo (14:35):

When you see a patient, I find this interesting. When you see a patient that’s 250 pounds, 200, 300 pounds, you’re going to need help transferring that patient. So you gather around as many people as you can to make that transfer as safe as possible. But when you see a 90-pound geriatric patient, you have a different view, right? But the fact is, is that a 90-pound geriatric patient is somewhat even more dangerous to you because you’re not registering up here. This is, 90 pounds is heavy, right?

Carly (15:17):

Yeah.

Laszlo (15:20):

Any way you look at it, lifting a 90-pound weight, whether it be a human being or a sack of cement.

Carly (15:27):

Yeah.

Laszlo (15:27):

Is heavy.

Carly (15:29):

Well, and the goal is also for the patient to do as much as they can on their own. So even if I am looking at a 90-pound patient who’s a dependent transfer or a dependent set to stand, the goal is for them to do those as much as they can on their own. So I mean.

Carly (15:47):

It still comes in handy because we can adjust the height where we start practicing from and things like that, versus I’ve been in rehabs where it’s like, okay, this mat doesn’t go high enough, or I can’t block their knees in this situation, but I can do it in the parallel bars, but I want to be out of the parallel bars. There’s just a lot of things that come into play, and then you’re kind of grabbing things that are a little bit questionable. It’s all safe. We would never put someone in an unsafe position, but you’re also like, well, let me pad it up with this yoga block and this other thing. And I worked with the brain injury population a lot too, and I also enjoy the Barihab for the like seat function because the backrest comes up before you.

Carly  (16:35):

So you can do a lot of things with just like core exercises by using that, you can get into tall kneeling, especially a lot of these more mobile like traumatic brain injury patients can kind of get into quadro pad or tall kneeling and use that to kind of work on balance and core work and all the other things without having to grab like wedges and other pieces of equipment that do help. But they’re also, it just becomes this piecemeal thing that you put together. And sometimes the equipment’s unavailable, and sometimes it is, and just kind of throw off. If you walk into the gym and someone’s using the rainbow and I can’t use that, but I want to do this.

Laszlo (17:24):

Well, that’s one of the things that we’ve heard from a lot of facilities that purchase a Barihab. They put up a signup sheet, well, I’m using this piece of equipment from 10 to 10:30, and then you can have it. And that way it’s coordinated a little bit better. Obviously. I always suggest, well, maybe you need another barihab, but.

Carly (17:52):

I was going to say, my first introduction was a facility that had them on every floor, and I would go to different floors. We didn’t have a signup sheet. There were so many, so we would just be like to the next floor and use it there. But I will say it was used on every floor. So therefore used for like when you ask for a diagnosis, it can be used for like every diagnosis.

Laszlo (18:17):

And that makes us feel good because we want to make a difference in the lives of patients and therapists because you got to partner together in order to achieve the best possible outcome. Right?

Carly (18:32):

Yep, for sure.

Laszlo (18:34):

That’s the big deal. So what’s in the future for you now?

Carly (18:39):

Yeah, so I’ve kind of pivoted from inpatient neuro rehab to I do pelvic floor physical therapy, so I started my own business doing that. But I do PRN inpatient rehab still here in Nashville. So right now it’s a little bit of both. I don’t know for sure what my future has. I didn’t think I would be starting a pelvic floor physical therapy business, so that’s for sure.

Laszlo (19:10):

Well, you know what? It’s just great to talk to you and just to get your perspective on therapy in general and then the therapy that you’ve experienced with our product. And we just appreciate all your input and appreciate all that you do for the patients you come in contact with. And man, we wish you the best of luck. We want to help.

Carly (19:39):

Well, thank you. I wish you guys the best of luck. I think any new rehab I go to, I’m just like, if you can use a good new mat soon, you should probably get this mat. So don’t stop talking about it.

Laszlo (19:49):

I’ll send you a bunch of brochures. Okay?.

Carly (19:52):

Okay. Awesome. Sounds good. I’ll pass them out.

Laszlo (19:55):

Alright, well thank you.

Carly (19:58):

You’re welcome.

Laszlo (19:59):

Appreciate your time.

Carly (20:00):

Yep, have a good day.

Laszlo (20:02):

You too.