Appeal to public to help get innovative new lifting chair off the ground
An Associate Medical Director at Hywel Dda University Health Board is urging people to vote for his design for a new light-weight lifting device to aid those who fall, in a competition run by business tycoon Sir Richard Branson. Dr Mark Barnard and a team of engineers at Nemein Health Care Solutions have been busy designing a special ‘Kinisi’ chair, which is aimed at lifting elderly, frail and disabled patients in a dignified manner. Dr Barnard – who was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis as a medical student, and subsequently experienced difficulty getting back up after he broke his leg in a fall – said his team had entered the chair into the #VOOM competition in the hope of winning prize money to market the chair. The chair consists of flat canvas that can be placed under someone who has fallen, or who is able to shuffle onto it. A lightweight frame is then attached to the canvas, enabling the individual to be lifted safely and with dignity from the floor to a seated position, f...