MEDIA RELEASE: Balhousie Care Group installs LifeVac anti-choking device in all homes

Tuesday March 22, 2022

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The award-winning Balhousie Care Group is installing a life-saving anti-choking suction device in each of its 26 care facilities.

The leading residential care provider, which operates across six regions of Scotland, started training staff this week on LifeVac and will roll out the device over the next few weeks. The device has a one-way valve system creating suction to safely remove lodged food or objects. It is non-invasive, meaning there is no risk to damaging the oral cavity, pushing the obstruction further down or pushing the tongue back.

Matthew Banagan, Sales & Marketing Director for LifeVac Europe, said: “LifeVac is particularly useful for someone who relies on a wheelchair. One of the biggest fears of carers is dealing with a choking incident with someone in a wheelchair or high-backed chair. It’s difficult, if not impossible, to get your arms around them and by the time you get them free of the chair to perform a traditional anti-choking technique, often they have become unconscious.”

Sheilah Harvey, Head of Operations at Balhousie Care Group, said: “LifeVac is simple to use, non-invasive and the statistics speak for themselves. It’s a wonderful opportunity to add this to our suite of services for our residents in our care homes.”

Leading the way in airway clearance device technology, LifeVac and its one-way suction technique has saved hundreds of lives worldwide, including more than 120 in the UK. The company claims that traditional choking protocol, such as back blows, abdominal thrusts and CPR, are only 70% to 76% effective when performed correctly.

“For wheelchair users this statistic drops drastically due to being unable to receive abdominal thrusts or back blows,” said Matt.

3 Facts About Choking

1. Choking is one of the leading causes of accidental death in adults over the age of 65.
2. Dysphagia – difficulty or inability to swallow certain foods or liquids – affects around 84% of people with dementia. It is estimated that 50-75% of care home residents have
3. BLS Choking Protocol – performing abdominal thrusts and back blows – is 70-76% effective when performed correctly in a perfect situation. That effectiveness drops to around 30% for people in care homes due to their frailty or being in a wheelchair.

Source: LifeVac Europe

For more information on Balhousie Care Group visit www.balhousiecare.co.uk

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For media enquiries please contact Gillian Drummond on gillian.drummond@balhousiecare.co.uk or call 01738 254254/07365 284994.

For LifeVac media enquiries please contact Matthew Banagan on matt@lifevac.co.uk or 01271 316044/07773538853

 

Notes to Editors

About Balhousie Care Group

Balhousie Care Group was formed 30 years ago to fill a gap in quality residential care in North East Scotland. Today, with 26 homes in the area, it is one of the leading providers of care for the elderly in Scotland, providing care to over 900 residents.

Balhousie Care prides itself on its person-centred approach to care. Putting people right at the forefront of everything they do; it’s inclusive of everyone. They capture this philosophy through the roll out of ‘Together We’re Great’, an initiative which recognises the skills, talents, attributes and support areas for each and every person involved in the organisation. Together We’re Great aims to value individuality and promote excellence across the organisation.

A Participation Charter – a first-of-its-kind in the care home sector – commits to residents getting a bigger say than ever in the care they receive, from writing care home policies to recruiting staff.

Balhousie Care Group is the recipient of numerous awards. These include three Scottish Care Awards, a 2021 Great British Care Award, 2019 Growth Business and 2018 Service Business of the Year at The Courier Business Awards, 2019 Growth Business of the Year Perthshire Chamber of Commerce STAR Award, and SME Scotland Business Man of the Year 2019 for Chairman Tony Banks.

About LifeVac

LifeVac Europe is a family-operated business that has set out to save lives when standard choking BLS protocol has failed or cannot be performed.  LifeVac Europe are the manufacturers of LifeVac for the UK and EMEA, where we have a leading distributor network, dedicated to helping save lives.

We have helped save hundreds of lives in the UK and around the world. One of our main focuses in the UK is to help put an end to one of the leading causes of accidental death in adults over the age of 65…choking.

We have already made such a huge impact in the UK care sector working with thousands of care and nursing home providers, having built a leading reputation by saving lives, training people on the use of LifeVac, choking prevention, raising awareness of choking, providing peace of mind when time is of the essence and all other methods fail.