Katsumi Morishima
Chairman of Moritoh Co., Ltd.

1. Introduction

Try to remember the swing you used to play on when you were a kid. The Buranpo is almost the same as the swings we all know. This piece of equipment, however, is not used in a park but rather at the bedside. It can be raised with the use of a care lift, and slowly swung anywhere within the reach of its arm. Using the Buranpo makes easy mobility possible. The top of the triangular reinforced plate is lifted by three belts so that the user can have stability while sitting. This product is devised to prevent the user from falling forward, sideways, and backward.

By using a care lift and Buranpo together one can create new bed space for people with moderate or severe care needs and bring big potential to increasing an “Active Life” for these individuals. Not only can the equipment swing back and forth, but it can also move up, down, left and right and rotate, allowing one to reach and move within a range of 1.5m around a care lift’s fulcrum.

2. The first step to becoming independent starts with getting out of bed!

Recently, the phrase "bedridden elderly people" has become an obsolete term, but I don't think that there are any fewer people who fit this description. There is a need for caregiving that supports the sitting and standing postures, eliminates disuse as much as possible, and motivates people to lead a healthy lifestyle. Not surprisingly, that's what the individual, his/her family, and everyone involved should want.

With the actual scene, however, there is a reality that, even if wished-for, cannot be obtained. Since there has been no direction given to improvement of the human, physical and technical environments, the worst aspects of caregiving: Severity, Danger, Giving-up, and Neglect (Henceforth referred to as SDGN caregiving) have spread. Therefore, in order to break away from SDGN caregiving, there is a need for a direction of care that reduces the amount of labor for caregivers, is safe, and encourages the individual to be healthy.

Our first proposal was to use a harness (a hanging device that integrates a waist belt and a crotch belt). This is a method to easily maintain the sitting posture from a lying position.

It is based on the know-how of the safety suspension device that has been researched and developed by Fujita Health University and our company for about 10 years by using a harness to secure a stable and safe posture while in the sitting position. This makes it easy to assume a sitting position without supporting a person’s back or a standing position. One may need help when putting it on, but there is no need for one’s caregiver to continue to give assistance from start to finish. If one can operate the switch by oneself, he/she will be able to work while facing the table, read a book, and maintain a stable sitting posture while making adjustments so as to not fall. Harnesses are recognized as hanging devices by long-term care insurance, which can be purchased with insurance paying 10% of the cost. The next proposal was Buranpo.

3. Fine caregiving using Buranpo!

The purpose of developing Buranpo is to help users become independent. Supporting independence begins with eliciting the hidden desire to help oneself, make decisions, and start one’s own life activities. Suppose those who lose their desire to lead active lives and spend their days just lying on their beds could use their remaining abilities, although little might be, and use their own limbs to move themselves of their own free will, they will most likely find a trigger to initiate the start of new life activities. It may be possible to start on the path of independence and taste the joys and pleasures of life. Buranpo was developed with this idea in mind.

Many uses can be thought up for Buranpo. If one raises Buranpo a little with a care lift, one’s body rises and sways, so if one presses it with the fingertips, one can move his/her whole body smoothly. One can then reach things like that bookshelf that could not be reached before while lying on the bed. If Buranpo is lowered, the soles of one’s feet will reach the floor, and if one moves his/her feet a little, it will sway, the knees will bend, and then his/her ankle joints can bend forward and back. In this way, one can experience the movement of one’s own body under his/her own will and abilities. Nerve cells begin to understand this process. Sensors all over the body start to move, and the body’s balance is restored. It is a real activity of daily living (ADL) that can never be obtained by merely muscle training alone. Wheelchairs are the most common means of transportation for individuals with moderately severe disabilities who cannot use a walker. Although it is a small space around the bed, depending on the layout, one can use the sink to wash face and put on makeup every morning by oneself with this new means of getting around that has never been experienced before. The individual can move from bed to another chair or table with little effort, sit on a tatami mat and sit at the kotatsu with one’s family. This is the first step towards independence and the beginning of Fine long-term care.

4. Example of the Buranpo experience

We had Mr. A try Buranpo with the consent of his therapist. He is slightly obese, with paralysis in both lower limbs. He has no dementia, but needs full assistance with ADLs. He is able to assume a sitting position to some extent, can use his upper limbs (Normal with MMT5), and is motivated, wanting to expand his range of life activities. After entering the hospital, there was no training for standing and the transfer movements were fully assisted by a nurse.

Next are the impressions of the therapist who was present. "My biggest takeaway was his realization that he was able to move so much. Mr. A was more surprised than we were that he was moving on his own, using his hands and his almost motionless legs. Then he blurted out in a loud voice, ‘Oh, my legs moved.’ I still remember his expression at that time very clearly. It was an expression of hope.” It seems that his motivation for rehabilitation became even stronger because he was able to move more easily with his abilities. This exceeded his expectations.

5. Future issues and possibilities

Who can Buranpo be used for? Various usages are possible. Currently, it is thought that an individual can assume a sitting posture for about 3 minutes with the assistance of a handrail or some human support.

After leaving the hospital, the question being asked is how to maintain and improve the health of these individuals at home. If nothing is done, the worst condition of SDGN caregiving might happen in the blink of an eye. At home, one will not receive the same guidance as in-hospital rehabilitation. It is important to increase natural movements while expanding one’s independent daily life and aiming for active social participation.

While at home under care, it isn’t just the expansion of living space around the bed and an awakening of a desire for independence but also the expansion of the range of motion of muscle joints, balance training, and practicing multiple tasks together at the same time, etc. In addition, the device can be used as a playset for children with disabilities, and it can be used for repetitive facilitation therapy by stimulating the senses.

6. Summary

Buranpo is an extremely simple suspension device that one just rides. However, by manipulating the usage of the device, one can look forward to big outcomes. It’s possible to move in a sitting position, walk in a sitting position, and practice standing up from a half-sitting position. Further improvements will allow one to walk using a harness and use the toilet independently.

A care lift has been recognized as a safe transfer device used as a measure against back pain for caregivers. Now, the care lift has been assigned a new role as a device that supports the user's independent movement and as an independence support device that eliminates disuse while maintaining and improving health.

Buranpo is a new product sparked by a new idea. For those of you who would like to try this product, if you have a care lift already, you can rent Buranpo. Please contact us. We would appreciate your feedback.

◆ Contact information　Email: sodan@moritoh.co.jp