BBC News, East Midlands
Getty imagesA coroner has asked for clear warnings that are placed in armchair lap belts for the elderly after the death of a 72 -year -old woman with Parkinson’s disease.
Susan Lakin suffered mobility problems and his family bought him the restriction of the chair belt to keep it safe after she begins to fall out of bed and her seat.
However, the belt was caught around his neck after he slid in his armchair and died as a result.
The Forensic Isobel Thistlethwaite has now issued a future death prevention report that asks the Government to guarantee that appropriate warnings are issued in the back belts, which the NHS classifies as “high risk” equipment.
The armchair belts are often padded straps that fit around the lower torso of the person who uses it while sitting vertically, with the aim of keeping them in their place.
The article bought online for Mrs. Lakin promised to provide “adequate trunk stability” and minimize the possibility of “lesions, lean or slide.”
She had used it for more than 15 months without problems, died at her home in Leinteshire on February 19, 2024, according to the Forensic report.
He said: “The CCTV cameras captured Mrs. Lakin sliding down her armchair and under the lap belt that becomes caht around her neck.
“Mrs. Lakin could not self -feed when moving in the way some people could and, therefore, remained trapped, and effectively suspended by the lap belt around her neck, until a family found her visited him.
“Mrs. Lakin died shortly after being found.”
‘High risk’
The cause of the death of Mrs. Lakin was recorded as “respiratory commitment for support calls” and “postural deterioration” together with Parkinson’s disease and a rare neurological condition called corticobasal syndrome.
The coroner said that Mrs. Lakin’s family bought the lap belt with “good intentions”, since they wanted to keep it safe.
But the report added: “The announcement and sales details do not contain any warning about the risks associated with the use of the lap belt, nor any suggestion that the lap belt is used or professional is adjusted. Supervision of a therapist.
“The evidence heard in the investigation was that the lap belt should be considered a ‘high -risk’ equipment, it is classified as such in the standard operating procedure of the local NHS Trust.
“It is a group that people who do not have training in medical care can buy high -risk equipment for their loved ones online without being applied by these risks.”
The Forensic report has been sent to the Department of Health and Social Care, Medicine and Health Products and the Regulatory Agency and the Care Quality Commission, as well as Amazon UK.
Government organizations have received 56 days to respond.
