PRODUCT EVALUATION FOR SINGLE FITTED BEDSHEET:
"Very easy to use. Easy to put in place and remove. Makes the nights sleep more comfortable on wounds. Very soft and extremely comfortable. No problems with washing. No disfigurement or stretching. Since using this fabric in the pillowcase and the sheet, Melissa endures a more comfy nights sleep. Less trauma to the skin is caused throughout the night. A superb fabric!"

M.H., Stockport

Patient Clinical Background:
A 58 year old married lady was admitted for neuro- rehabilitation. She had acute confusional state following a fall at home and was diagnosed to have acute subdural haematoma with ventricular enlargement.

She has severe cognitive communication difficulties affecting both expressive and receptive language. She is disorientated to person, place, time and situation.

She also has a few behavioural issues identified:

1. Psychomotor agitation in the form of moving up and down her bed on her hands and knees and spinning on her coccyx.
2. Verbal agitation if she is not responded to immediately
3. Low level physical aggression in the form of grabbing staff if her questions are not responded to immediately.

Status of Skin Damage:
She developed superficial abrasions on her hands, knees and buttocks as a result of behavioural issue no. 1 mentioned above. The dressings applied to the affected areas kept on rucking and dressings had to be changed frequently. These contributed to her being more agitated due to the pain and discomfort.

Intervention with Parafricta® low friction fitted Bed sheet:
The low friction Parafricta® fitted bed sheet was trialled for two weeks used by this patient in place of the usual bed sheet. This is to establish if this bed sheet is of clinical benefit to the patients and to find a suitable product for patients whose delicate skin needs protection against friction and shear.

Outcome:
Using the low friction fitted bed sheet prevented further skin irritation and breakdown as a result of friction and shearing for this patient. It also prevented unnecessary dressing change allowing the affected areas to heal quickly and improve the quality of life of this patient.

C.Q., Senior Practice Development Specialist, Putney, London

"We purchased our first Parafricta® items last year, and have just ordered more.

I wanted to take the opportunity to let you know that these products have made a significant difference to our most frail and vulnerable residents. The product is not only comfortable, non-clinical in appearance and hard-wearing, but extremely effective. As all of our residents have either a dementing illness or enduring mental health problems, as well as often complex physical problems, finding products that are effective, lasting and clear value for money can be problematic.

We have now incorporated the use of Parafricta® items into our formal risk assessment / care planning processes and look forward to the development of an even greater range to choose from!

Our grateful thanks."

F.E., Director of Nursing Alexandra House Care Services Ltd

PRODUCT EVALUATION FOR UNDERGARMENT:
"Very easy to use, comfortable and soft to the skin. Protected dressings from slipping, therefore protecting surrounding skin. Access to wound dressings very easy due to design of undergarment. Excellent for washing and quick to dry. Excellent design and fabric providing ease of movement in bed."

M.B., Surrey

Thank you very much for sending me the 2 booties. They are much appreciated as my heels, due to two dropped feet, were becoming quite sore when lying on my back in bed. As yet, thank goodness, the skin has not broken and if your boots can prevent that happening it will be marvellous.

Perhaps you could send me some literature on the products, so I could brief the Motor Neurone Disease Regional Care Advisor when she next visits. Thank you for your help and kindness.

Yours R.P., London

The following report describes the benefits to a 53-year old male patient with a 4 cm sacral sore being nursed at home.

Not only was the Parafricta® bedsheet much more comfortable for the patient, but also the absence of friction from movement on the sheet gave the bed sore a chance to heal, leading to a reduction in its size from 4 cm to 3 cm (as measured by the District Nurse) during the two weeks of the evaluation.

The patient and his carers expressed great satisfaction with this outcome.

"The pressure sore sheeting makes it very comfortable for moving around in a bed if you have to stay in bed for any period of time. The sheeting also gives bed sores a chance to heal so would not cause bed sores to start with. The sheeting used at present seems to cause friction and pulling of the skin causing bed sores and pain. Worldwide patients and staff would benefit by using pressure sore sheeting. The PS sheeting is easy to wash and is warm. Thank you for giving Mr W. the pressure sore sheeting. It is making his stay in bed now comfortable."

Report on use of Parafricta® bedsheet

"I've been a care assistant for 17 years and never really been able to find anything that worked well when it came to preventing pressure areas on feet. Most things just fall off during the course of the night so when my client was given the boots they were a great idea as they stay in place all night. My client was been treated by the nurse for pressure areas on feet but the dressings for comfort just kept coming off.

Since using the boots, my client has no pressure areas. Feet are not even red in morning. They seem to be comfortable and stay on all night."

Thank you. T.C., Home base care assistant

The Parafricta® Bootees were used on an 84-year-old gentleman who had restricted mobility and was maintained in bed on a pressure-relieving surface. He had necrotic pressure ulcers on both heels approximately 5 cm x 6 cm. The gentleman was of healthy weight for height ratio, however was nutritionally compromised. The wound was infected and antibiotics were prescribed. The patient was Diabetic.

Parafricta® bootees were used in order to assist in dressing retention as the gentleman wriggled his feet constantly causing “rucking up” of the dressings resulting in frequent dressing changes even though they were secured with bandages.

Allevyn Heel dressings with hydrogel were used and expected to remain in situ for 2 days at a time in between inspection of the wound, however in reality the dressing changes were carried out 6 times over a period of 4 days within the first week of treatment.

The Parafricta® Bootees were easy and convenient to apply and comfortable for the patient. The nature of the fabric also meant that the gentleman’s use of his heels to push himself up the bed lessened which was desirable.

Overall the Parafricta® Bootees significantly reduced clinician time in dressing changes, and reduced dressing changes to alternate days resulting in greater cost effectiveness, i.e. less dressings used and less clinician time. This also improved patient quality of life as dressing changes were carried out only when medically indicated and not because the dressing had been rubbed off. This meant that the gentleman had an improved rate of debridement, preparing the wounds for healing and prevented unnecessary damage to peri-wound delicate skin. The patient was discharged to a community hospital and became unavailable for further follow up to report on the outcome of the wounds.

C.H., Tissue Viability Nurse Specialist

"The Parafricta® undergarments went under the body fantastically well – easier than any glide sheet I have used. Very very easy to use."

J.E., Nuffield Orthopaedic Hospital

"I LOVED the bootees, even though they were soiled we kept them on. The dressings were changed everyday and they looked like I had just put them on 24hrs later at the next dressing change. Fantastic."

J.E., Nuffield Orthopaedic Hospital

"Dressing did not 'ruck up' – No need for adding on film or bandages to keep in situ. Reduced visits and hope to reduce further still. Very useful for dressing retention. Would use again."

S.H., Staff Nurse Stafford Community

"... easy and convenient to apply and comfortable for the patient ... use of his heels to push himself up the bed lessened which was desirable. Overall the Parafricta® Bootees significantly reduced clinician time in dressing changes, and reduced dressing changes to alternate days resulting in greater cost effectiveness, i.e. less dressings used and less clinician time. This also improved patient quality of life ..."

C.H., Royal Shrewsbury Hospital

"Prior to wearing the Bootee, dressing needed reapplying daily as it tended to 'wruckle up' due to friction & shear. After applying bootee dressing stayed on for the correct amount of time"

W.W., Burton-on-Trent

"In 2007 my Mother was suffering from terminal liver cancer and I was caring for her at home during the last few weeks of her life. Your kindness in providing Parafricta® sheets was a huge boon, not so much for their capability to prevent bedsores, but in this case, in particular, because of their frictionless slipperiness. It is really hard for home carers (especially 'amateur' family member carers) to move bed patients from a lying down to a sitting position, or move them sideways to help effect bed linen changes, or to get them out of bed to a commode, etc. Your sheets made these tasks possible with much greater ease and speed, and this without hurting the delicate skin of my Mother. On several occasions I believe I would not have been able to move her without these sheets and on one occasion, when she fell out of bed, I know there is no way I could have got her back into it and comfortably lying down again without the wonderful slithery properties of Parafricta®.

Parafricta® products aid the well-being and comfort of patients as well as maintaining better skin care and preventing possibly fatal sores. I believe they should be being used in all hospitals, NHS and private, as well as being available on prescription to bed-ridden patients being cared for at home or in old peoples' homes. These products are a must for so many reasons, not least because they aid in the retention of personal dignity and ease so much suffering, emotional as well as physical.
I cannot speak too highly of this fantastic invention and hope it achieves the recognition and widespread usage it deserves."

With kind regards, C.O., Bishopton

"I met Mr. J.M. locally he lives near to Crystal Palace.

While shopping in Sainsbury’s Supermarket, I saw Mr. J.M. who was in obvious pain and discomfort. I asked what the problem was and he told me he had developed some ulcers at the top of his stump and the creams and bandages that had been supplied to him by the clinic were having no effect. I offered to supply him with some light weight Parafricta fabric which could be placed between the prosthetic leg socket and the sump at the groin. He said he would be pleased to try anything that could end the pain he was suffering. I spoke with Mrs. M. who said she could make an apron of the fabric to hang from the retaining belt for his leg which could then be placed between the wounds and the hard plastic top of the prosthetic leg.

I saw Mr. & Mrs. M. two weeks later and was pleased to hear that the wounds were healed and he was no longer in pain. He said if this was such a simple solution to the problems and pain he had experienced, why was it not available from his clinic or the NHS? He thought he could not have been the only person to have the problem of friction and ulcers from a prosthetic device.

He has since spoken with his clinic and St. Thomas’ Hospital asking why Parafricta is not available to him and others affected by ulceration of their stumps.

I assured him Parafricta would become available in due course."

A.B. Pike, Technical Director, APA Parafricta Limited

"I wish to thank you very much for your kindness in sending the materials to my sister's husband. They are very pleased to have received them and my sister is going to come back with a full report on how this has helped Rob.

Also I have to tell you how fabulous 'the nest' is. I am showing this to the doctors in LA in October.

Once again thank you for your kindness, it is much appreciated."

J.M., Upper Norwood

"My mother is 90 years old and has been immobile for just over a year. She developed red pressure marks on her heels in November. The district nurse gave her foam protective heel covers but these did not keep in place well. The redness got no worse with this treatment but also it did not improve.

The special new booties that you provided kept on well and within a few days the redness diminished and was completely gone after about ten nights of use. She continues to wear the booties each night and her heels are remaining in a good condition."

C. Richardson

"I've been a care assistant for 17 years and never really been able to find anything that worked well when it came to preventing pressure areas on feet. Most things just fall off during the course of the night. So when my client was given the boots they were a great idea as they stay in place all night. My client was been treated by the nurse for pressure areas on feet but the dressings for comfort just keep coming off.

Since using the boots my client has no pressure areas, feet are not even red in morning. They seem to be comfortable and stay on all night. Thank you."

T. Chapman – Home base care assistant

"My husband has MS and could not move around in bed and had a sore heel. The Bootee worked really well - my husband had comfort in bed when using it."

Mrs. A.G. Cheshire

"My sore left ear is completely healed and I attribute that to my Parafricta® Pillowcases."

Mrs. R. Yorkshire

"For one who spends nearly 24 hrs a day in my armchair due to my disablement I would like to thank you for your product, this solves the biggest problem of inactivity, bed sores. I bought a pair of your undergarments; they were so good I bought 3 more pairs. As the advert says, it does what it says on the tin. I haven't been so comfortable for years. Once again thanks."

Mr. M.R., Somerset