Bariatric Scales Having The Capacity To Weigh The Obese

                                                                                         

The weight of the world is increasing! The human race is getting larger and larger in developed countries around the world. Some blame fast food, still others say it’s the food pyramid that has us eating too much flour. The most likely cause is that our bodies and our diets have not adapted to the technological age, and while we still eat like farmers, we’re doing less than half the work. Our bodies need fewer and fewer calories every year, as technology improves and information becomes the new currency.

No longer do we toil in fields or chop wood to heat our homes. Nowadays we spend upwards of four hours a day sitting in front of a lighted screen in an office environment, or our so-called “manual” jobs now require nothing more than the touch of a button or the pull of a lever. And when our day is done, we plop ourselves down in front of the television and wolf down dinner portions that could feed a starving family for a week.

Add to this the preservatives in our foods, the high fructose corn syrup used to flavor our favorite drinks and snacks, and the high sodium content in pre-packaged meals; it’s a wonder we aren’t heavier than we are!

Because of our ever-increasing girth, there is a whole new market out there catering to the larger person. Gone are the old days when dad would skulk into the Big & Tall store to get a new suit. Now most stores have sizes previously unimaginable. The diet and fitness industries are worth billions of dollars a year, hawking everything from pills to exercise equipment to low-cal versions of your favorite foods.

The medical industry has also had to adapt, providing sturdier equipment for this newer, bigger generation of patients, termed “bariatric patients” by the medical profession. As more and more overweight and obese people turn to their doctors for help controlling their weight, the scale becomes the oracle through which they will learn whether or not they are on the right path to wellness.

While the standard medical scale can handle weight up to around 400lbs, a bariatric scale can range anywhere from 600-1100lbs. These special scales can be found now in hospitals, clinics and weight-loss centers.

Some bariatric patients are incapacitated, either due to their weight or for other health reasons, and must be weighed using a lift or wheelchair scale. A wheelchair scale is exactly what it sounds like: a flat surface on which a wheelchair can be placed.

Lift scales are a bit different. A non-ambulatory patient confined to their bed will have a specially made, extra-sturdy pad rolled under them, much the way a nursing assistant would change their bed sheets. This pad is then attached to a hydraulic lift that lifts the patients – in the supine position – inches above their bed and calculates their weight, minus the padding and any bedclothes. Though lift scales are used for non-bariatric patients such as geriatrics, there are now stronger, more durable models available for bariatric patients, too.

About the author:
Universal Medical is a premier provider of obese patient scales also known as bariatric scales

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