While maintaining optimal mobility can be a common challenge for bariatric patients, it’s also true that those consumers’ individual needs can vary widely.
Bari+Max manual wheelchair with elevating legrests
Dynarex’s new Bari+Max lineup of heavy-duty manual wheelchairs, walking aids, bathroom aids, beds, support surfaces, seat cushions, patient lifts, and patient room devices was designed to address those ranges of needs in a variety of environments.
Dynarex Corp.’s Bari+Max line, launched in February, includes “a robust selection of heavy-duty products featuring weight capacities of up to 1,000 lbs.,” the company said in a news announcement. “The line spans mobility, bathroom safety, long-term care beds, home care beds, patient lifts and slings, and more.”
Dynarex said it created the Bari+Max line “to meet the needs of larger users, prioritizing the safety of patients, caregivers, and medical providers.”
Rising Obesity Numbers Drive Need for Equipment
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) statistics show how common obesity is in the United States. Data from 2017 to 2018 showed the prevalence for obesity in adults was 42.4 percent, while 9.2 percent of adults were considered severely obese and had a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher. The highest number of adults in the severe obesity category were 40-59 years old, the CDC added.
The American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) said an estimated 15 million adults in the United States are currently considered severely or morbidly obese, with a BMI of 40 or higher. And ASMBS said about 50,000 adults in the United States are super obese, with a BMI of 50 or higher.
In a March blog post on its Web site, Dynarex said, “Inclusivity is a hot topic in healthcare today — and no wonder, as it aims to eliminate barriers to ensure access for all individuals. Weight inclusivity in particular focuses on promoting health and well-being for people of all sizes. But for patients affected by obesity, finding and accessing equipment that accommodates their unique needs can be a challenge. Fortunately, today’s bariatric equipment is designed to help larger individuals with mobility and daily living activities.”
Heshy Grosinger, Bariatric Product Expert for Dynarex, said products in the Bari+Max lineup, “are specially constructed to accommodate the real-life needs of larger users and provide them with optimal comfort, safety, and mobility in clinical, long-term care, and home care environments.
To accommodate higher weight capacities, Bari+Max products feature larger widths, sturdier platforms, and heavy-duty supports, Grosinger said: “The welds for these items are reinforced and engineered for long-lasting use by larger patients. In addition, most of our Bari+Max products are designed for tool-free assembly and adjustments, providing time-saving convenience to users and medical staff.”
Facilitating the Provision of Bariatric Equipment
Dynarex’s Bari+Max strategy extends to making the lineup easy for suppliers to provide.
Dynarex said that other manufacturers produce bariatric equipment on a made-to-order basis, which is not the Dynarex model. “We are going to be one of the first companies to actually stock these products in all of our six national warehouses, and we will make these available through all of our distributors,” said Dynarex’s VP of Global Sales, Bill Roberts. “Thanks to Bari+Max, medical equipment distributors will find it easier to provide their customers with the high-quality bariatric equipment they need, when and where they need them.”
