Serenity

Sensory Bed

The Serenity Sensory Bed creates a safe and calming environment for an older child, adolescent or adult with special needs to relax and sleep in. The beds ‘zip up sides’ can be either left open or closed.

The Serenity has a lower ceiling height by design. It is high enough for an adult, adolescent or child to sit up but not to stand because most people with special needs feel safer and more relaxed in a small area.

Tough, robust and durable - The Serenity can accommodate the most lively of users and is designed so that all parts of the inner bed create a soft safe place to protect from potential harm whilst creating an appealing personal space.

Spacesaverbeds Ltd, The Fourways, Bridge Street, Amble, Northumberland NE65 0DR Tel: 01905 347 538 info@spacesaverbeds.co.uk www.spacesaverbeds.co.uk

Home Assessment Throughout The Uk

> Available in a choice of colours

> Sleeping Area - 200 x 90cms

> Mattress Height - 40cms

> Internal Height - 100cms

> Overall Height - 140cms

> Frame – Beech wood

> Surround – Wipeable PVC

> Entry Access – One side or two sides

> Windows – Choice - sides & ends

ONE of the great pleasures for all of us in the mobility industry is knowing that our products will enable the less able to gain extra mobility.

We are delighted to share some heart-warming messages that have arrived at Topro recently. It is a rare delight to hear when one of our rollators is adding an extra dimension and joy from some seemingly simple tasks.

We are pleased to share the stories of two such ladies who have taken the time to write to us and share their exploits.

First let us introduce you to Mrs W who lives in the west country near Bristol. It is easier to just relate her own words, which speak volumes:

“I would like to thank you for the walker which made a great difference when I went out for the day. It means I can join in with the family when we go out.”

We also heard from Mrs B who, in her later years, is now residing in a Suffolk care home:

“I am writing to you today to confirm that the trolley has been the very best of equipment one could own. I walk round the lovely grounds daily, and I have every confidence in the Topro. I am very impressed with its clever way it folds and being able to carry small items.”

We like to think that Topro products are of the highest quality. Our factory is in Gjorvic, Norway. The Scandinavian healthcare systems are recognized as world leaders. Their health services are extremely well funded and the service to the elderly and infirm is the envy of many countries. As a result, we are proud to extol the virtues of our range of walking aids.

Our entry level product is the Hestia indoor rollator which is rich in unique features. The extra hand grips which enable users to rise from their chair, for example, are a perfect illustration of simple functional design.

We also have our long established Original and the 5G, both excellent all-round products, ideal indoors and out. For more rugged terrain, our Olympos ATR (all terrain) rollator is extremely popular. Also in our range is the carbon Pegasus. This is currently our fastest-selling product due to its spectacular design and reassuring stability.

In addition to these we have the extraordinary Odyssé rollator which can be folded and put in its own bag. Ideal for the holiday season. In addition to these rollators, is our range of clinical products such as the Neuro. The Neuro has an advanced braking system that provides vital assistance for those with neurological issues such as Parkinsons Disease. At the top of our range there are 5 clinical walking aids: the Forearm Walker 2 and the impressive Taurus variations. Supplied largely through the NHS, these are also available to the general public.

In January 2023 we launched our new report, sharing insight from employers and recommendations from us about how employers can become more inclusive for staff members who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus.

In our second of a series of deep dives on the report with Claire Lavery, Associate Director for Employment, we look at the important role that senior leaders play in championing hearing loss at work.

The role of senior leadership

An organisation’s culture is influenced by and reflected in its senior leadership. Leaders who place value on supporting the health and wellbeing of their staff and champion disability inclusion in their workplaces know that this contributes to the success of their business. However, leaders who go beyond this to talk openly about their own personal experience of hearing loss, create a culture where staff feel safe to share their experiences and to ask for the support they need.

One organisation we spoke to achieved a significant uplift in disability disclosure rates among their staff after more visible and vocal senior role models spoke about their own lived experience. Another reported how, during an online talk about hearing loss from a senior leader, they watched as the chat bar came alive with comments from staff with a shared experience.

Positive acceptance

Many of the employers we spoke to at our roundtable discussions agreed that senior leaders have a pivotal role in modelling positive acceptance of hearing loss at work. However, hearing loss is still hidden by most senior leaders. Another organisation which participated in a roundtable cited that none of their 270 senior managers had disclosed a hearing loss, and yet we know that 1 in 8 of them are likely to have some form of hearing loss.

There is a drive in modern organisations to encourage staff to ‘bring their whole selves to work’ but unless senior leaders grasp the opportunity to lead by example, hearing loss will continue to be something that staff keep to themselves.

Career aspirations

We know that people with hearing loss are more likely to work in lower status, lower paid roles. They have also told us that they are concerned that colleagues may perceive them to be less competent and that hearing loss may hold them back from seeking more senior positions.

When senior leaders discuss their hearing loss, it also sends a strong message to employees that hearing loss need not be a barrier to career progression.

What employers can do

In our recent survey only 32% of respondents said their organisation encourages open discussion about hearing loss. Not all organisations are large enough to have staff network groups on disability or hearing loss, but there are other ways to encourage discussion – on observance days, like World Hearing Day, or at Occupational Health events or staff meetings, or by sharing the RNID Hearing Check. You could invite RNID to come along to talk to your staff team alongside one of your senior leaders with hearing loss.

Sarah Petherbridge, who is profoundly deaf and wears hearing aids, was previously a Senior Tax Manager at EY and is now a freelance disability awareness trainer and public speaker. Here she shares her thoughts on what leaders can do to change the culture in their organisations towards becoming inclusive and welcoming.

Having an inclusive leader makes a difference – you feel safe and belonged…. Leaders set the tone for the culture and people look up to them to copy their behaviours and cultures. There are lots of steps you can take to become an inclusive leader, for example:

• Be aware of your own preferences and biases as a leader

• Be open to other people’s perspectives when decision making and encourage team members to offer new approaches and ideas in a safe environment

• Be explicit about the importance of understanding and valuing differences, such as cultural differences

• Be consistent and accountable – maintain consistent inclusive behaviours as role models and reinforce the need for accountability

• Adapt your own and others’ working styles to work with others effectively – remove any discomfort and stigmas. This will accommodate people’s disabilities so that they can work in a safe environment without fear.”