What is a care home scale?
A care home scale is a Class III Approved weighing scale used to assess the health of care home residents. It is common practice in care homes to weigh residents on admission, and frequently from then on, so it is important that the care home scale used is highly accurate and meets patients’ needs. Marsden’s care home scales range consists of chair scales, bed scales, wheelchair scales and hoist weighing scales.
What does Class III Approved mean?
Scales used in a medical environment need to be Class III Approved - this means they have been prepared, tested and calibrated to a specific standard, in accordance with the Non-Automatic Weighing Instruments (NAWI) directive.
The directive states ‘all scales used in the determination of mass in the practice of medicine patients for the purpose of monitoring, diagnosis and medical treatment’ must be Class III Approved. To achieve Class III Approval, the scales undergo a rigorous testing programme by an EU Notified Body, to assure the user that the scales meet the required level or accuracy, reliability and repeatability. Find out more here.
All Marsden professional care home scales are Class III Approved.
Why should care home residents be weighed?
“As a care home it is very important to weigh our residents to keep a check on their weight. As some residents may have a poor appetite which will cause them to lose weight, by weighing them regularly this evidences means that we are aware of the matter and what action to take” - Gemma Storey, Deputy Manager of Chapel View Care Home, Barnsley told Marsden.
The weight of a resident can be the first, and sometimes, the only indication of poor health. The weight of the resident is one of the first things that will be found out following admission.
Furthermore, malnutrition affects up to 42% of care home residents, with a clear link between malnutrition and low body weight. More information can be found in this white paper.
How do I know which care home scale to choose?
There are many weighing solutions are available for weighing in care homes, with a choice of capacities, up to the 1000kg-capacity M-950 Bed Weigher.
Marsden chair scales are comfortable and easy to use. The Marsden M-200 is a premium, medically approved 250kg/300kg chair scale with a large seat, perfect for all care home residents.
The M-610 weigh beams are ideal for almost any wheelchair, as the beams can be positioned the ideal distance apart to accommodate every size of chair. The Tare function means the weight of the chair can then be easily deducted to leave the patient’s weight on the display.
The M-600, and the slightly larger M-605, are MDD Approved. These are the only MDD Approved hoist weighing attachments available in the UK, making them the only hoist weighers legal for medical use. Both are lightweight, battery powered and easy to use.
The M-650 is a professional weighing platform perfect for care home residents in wheelchairs. It has an easy to use indicator with functions such as BMI, and Tare can be used to remove the weight of the wheelchair.
The M-950 is a bed weighing scale and consists of lightweight pads ideal for portable bed weighing. Manufactured in our factory in South Yorkshire, the M-950 is a popular bed weighing solution in hospitals and care homes around the world.
Where can I find out more?
Marsden is the largest UK manufacturer and supplier of weighing scales to the care home industry. You can view each care home scale by clicking on the images above. To find out more about any Marsden care home scale, call 01709 364296 or contact us here.
