News & Events

On August 12, 2003 Carroll Healthcare Inc.was acquired by Invacare Corporation. Please read the press release below from www.invacare.com:

ELYRIA, Ohio–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Aug. 12, 2003–Invacare Corporation (NYSE:IVC) announced today that the company has acquired Carroll Healthcare, Inc., a leading manufacturer of beds and furniture for the long-term care market. Terms of the cash purchase are not being disclosed.
Carroll Healthcare is located in London, Ontario, Canada and will be operated as a part of Invacare’s Continuing Care Group (“ICCG”). Carroll will retain its own manufacturing and administration as well as its current sales channel and will continue its mission of providing high quality beds and furniture for the long-term care industry.
“With the combination of Carroll and ICCG, we are very pleased to become the market leader in furniture and medical equipment to the long-term care industry in North America,” said A. Malachi Mixon, III, chairman and chief executive officer. “The addition of Carroll will help Invacare continue toward its goal of reaching $2 billion in sales in 2006, both through internal growth as well as through acquisitions which will strengthen Invacare’s market leadership in both homecare and long term care.”
The acquisition of Carroll Healthcare is expected to be immediately accretive to earnings.
Also commenting on the acquisition, Charley Wallace, vice president and general manager of ICCG, said, “We are extremely pleased to add Carroll’s industry leading product offerings in beds and furniture to ICCG’s broad offering of products. Carroll’s products give Invacare market leadership with brand recognition.”

Invacare Corporation (NYSE:IVC), headquartered in Elyria, Ohio, is the global leader in the manufacture and distribution of innovative home and long-term care medical products that promote recovery and active lifestyles. The company has 5,300 associates and markets its products in 80 countries around the world. For more information about the company and its products, visit Invacare’s website at www.invacare.com.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “Safe Harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Terms such as “will,” “should,” “plan,” “intend,” “expect,” “continue,” “believe,” “anticipate,” and “seek,” as well as similar comments, are forward-looking in nature. Actual results and events may differ significantly from those expressed or anticipated as a result of risks and uncertainties which include, but are not limited to, the following: pricing pressures, increasing raw material costs, the consolidations of health care customers and competitors, government reimbursement issues (including those that affect the viability of customers), the ability to design, manufacture and distribute new products with higher functionality and lower costs, the ability to accelerate market acceptance of and transition to new products, the effect of offering customers competitive financing terms, Invacare’s ability to successfully identify, acquire and integrate strategic acquisition candidates, the difficulties in managing and operating businesses in many different foreign jurisdictions, the timely completion of facility consolidations, the vagaries of any litigation or regulatory investigations that the company may be or become involved in at any time, the difficulties in acquiring and maintaining a proprietary intellectual property ownership position, the overall economic, market and industry growth conditions, foreign currency and interest rate risks, Invacare’s ability to improve financing terms and reduce working capital, as well as the risks described from time to time in Invacare’s reports as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no obligation to review or update these forward-looking statements or other information contained herein.

CONTACT:
Invacare Corporation Investor Inquiries:
Robert Gudbranson, 440-329-6001
or
Media Inquiries:
Susan Elder, 440-329-6549

KEYWORD: OHIO INTERNATIONAL CANADA
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: MEDICAL DEVICES MERGERS/ACQ
SOURCE: Invacare Corporation

Those who haven’t visited a nursing home within the past ten years, may be surprised to find themselves feeling rather comfortable, in a warm environment that resembles many of the comforts of their very own home. Soon, gone will be the days where nursing homes are reflective of a cold and very institutional environment…the home-inspired design concept is changing the face of the traditional nursing home. Paramount to this movement is the evolving design of resident room furniture.

Over the past twenty years we have seen tremendous changes in the design of nursing home resident room furniture. Color preferences are shifting from darker mahogany and walnut woods to warmer tones of oak and cherry. Furniture designs are also changing, becoming less colonial and more transitional with sleek lines and simpler hardware.

Functionality is also becoming increasingly important as furniture designs evolve to cater to the specific needs of the aging. Over the past few years, facilities have begun to accept the more non-traditional use of laminate surfaces as a more cost-effective alternative to high priced real wood. Along with this trend, the use of special care furniture is becoming more wide spread throughout the industry.

Those in the purchasing role today, are faced with many new and complex challenges as they seek out furniture and capital equipment that will meet the needs of both residents and staff. The growing influence of architects and interior designers in the purchasing decision is making this challenge even greater. Factoring in the standard purchasing influences of color, product features, durability, design, and of course price – one may be little daunted by all the choices resident room furniture manufacturers have to offer.

The Furniture Industry Today

The Growing Acceptance of Laminate Furniture

Due to ever evolving technology, furniture manufacturers have been able to improve both the quality and style of laminate furniture. Historically manufactured with a glue construction (prone to pealing when exposed to moisture and everyday wear and tear) the laminate industry has evolved to a new thermal fusion process that binds laminate and plywood surfaces together with heat, as opposed to glue. This process creates a product that can withstand the abuse often inflicted upon nursing home furniture – an area where real wood furniture was simply not as functional.

In addition to advances in laminate construction, laminate design and style has reached new levels of sophistication. The raised panel look, which gives real wood cabinetry its elegance and sophistication, is making a name for itself in the laminate world. A material referred to in the industry as “vinyl wrap”, uses the same thermal fusion process as a laminate finish to create raised paneling on both drawer fronts and bed headboards.

In addition to the advancements of durability and style, laminate furniture is becoming a contender in nursing homes because of its affordability. Real wood can be almost double the price of laminate. When facilities add up the advantages of laminate’s superior durability, and factor in improvements in design, the choice for many purchasing managers seems quite obvious.

Color Choices

The traditional color for nursing home furniture used to be darker shades such as mahogany. The philosophy behind this color selection was cleanliness – darker shades are better at hiding stains. However, now with the introduction of laminate surfaces, the color choices for nursing home furniture have broadened. Not only are we beginning to see less of the darker, somewhat uninviting shades, newer nursing home facilities are embracing the opposite end of the color spectrum – favoring lighter woods.

Stains of oak and maple, and warmer shades such as cherry, are becoming increasingly popular in resident rooms. Commonly seen in residential homes, oak and cherry, add warmth and contrast to a room environment, and help residents to feel more at home in the nursing home setting. Paler colors such as ash, offer a more uplifting, but still homey atmosphere. At the same time, where dark colors can seem overwhelming, lighter colors help to create a sense of space by making small rooms appear larger. In addition, they give a cleaner more hygienic feel than darker colors, which can mask dirt.

The acceptance of lighter shades in resident room furniture can be attributed to the stain and fluid resistant composition of laminate (and vinyl wrap) surfaces. Not only do laminate surfaces help to repel water and fluid, they wipe easily clean and can withstand the use of harsher cleansers and disinfectants.

Special Care Furniture

As awareness and knowledge of disorders such as dementia and Alzheimer’s increase in the long-term care profession, caregivers are beginning to understand that these sufferers require special products and equipment to properly address their needs. In response, more and more manufacturers are developing “special care products” – and the furniture industry is no exception.

Furniture specifically designed to meet the needs of Alzheimer’s and dementia sufferers is becoming more and more prevalent in nursing homes across the country. Alzheimer’s and dementia furniture typically displays three unique features – a contrasting colorful top surface, contrasting colored handles, and keyless locking drawers.

Because depth perception is an ability that most Alzheimer’s and dementia suffers struggle with, contrasting tops on cabinet surfaces help residents to visualize cabinets easily, improving both their use of the furniture and their independence. Contrasting handles offer the same solution to depth perception difficulties, helping residents to accurately visualize and grasp drawer handles.

Keyless locking drawers offer a dual feature for both the resident and the caregiver. Without the use of a key, caregivers are able to restrict items placed in these drawers from the resident. With the simple push of a button, caregivers can open the drawer, and then re-lock it, simply by closing the drawer again – never having to carry or search for the right key. For the resident, the matching color of the locks with the furniture’s stain, allows the drawer locks to go unnoticed, encouraging the resident to access only the top (rummage) drawer.

In addition to the three features described above, Alzheimer’s and dementia sufferers (and elderly resident’s in general) require soft rounded edges on all furniture pieces, as well as on headboards and footboards. As people age their skin becomes thinner and more prone to cuts, scratches, and bruises. Alzheimer and dementia sufferers in particular, can become easily disoriented, causing them to toss and turn in bed and wander throughout their room. Rounded rubberized corners and edges on special care furniture pieces, help to prevent injuries that may occur in these types of circumstances.

Many nursing home residents also suffer from arthritis in their hands. This can cause great difficulty when these individuals attempt open bedroom cabinet drawers that feature tiny metal handles. The development of “flexible handles” has helped to solve this problem. Large enough for the entire hand to grip, flexible handles bend and move for easy manipulation, improving the independence of residents suffering with arthritis.

Finding Furniture that Meets the Needs of Housekeeping

The ergonomics of caregivers and housekeeping is at the forefront of issues in the long-term care industry. Key to this issue for purchasing managers, is finding resident room furniture that can be easily moved by one individual to allow for proper cleaning. To address this issue, cabinet and wardrobe designs have evolved from using four legs to using four casters, allowing staff to effortlessly pull them out from walls to mop floors. This feature, although great for housekeeping, ended up posing potential injury for the resident. Many residents often lean on bedside cabinets to help regain balance when walking, entering and exiting bed, or getting into and out of chairs. Today’s resident room furniture must be stable and sturdy enough to serve this purpose.

The use of a dual caster and glide system has recently been introduced by some manufacturers to meet the needs of both residents and housekeeping. Casters in the back, allow the furniture (when tiled backwards) to be effortlessly moved. Glides on the front of the furniture provide the needed stability for residents.

Another area of concern for housekeeping is how to clean furniture drawers. That’s why many long-term care manufacturers are choosing furniture designs that incorporate either a plastic drawer insert or a completely plastic-composite drawer. Because these drawer designs (referred to as ‘ABS-composite’) have no real seams or edges, they have the advantages of being extremely easy to clean and sanitize, as well as limiting the damage caused by any splits in or on the furniture.

Future Trends In Furniture

As discussed throughout the course of this article, functionality in resident room furniture has improved by leaps and bounds in recent years. In line with this trend has been the shift towards creating at atmosphere within nursing facilities that makes residents feel “at home” in this environment. At the root of this design trend is the style and color of resident room furniture – one that welcomes both warmer wood tones and simpler design. What do these trends leave us to anticipate for the future?

Designer Judy Newcombe of Newcombe Design Associates Inc. in Toronto, Ontario, tells us to expect this “home-inspired” concept to continue over the next ten years. She anticipates that designers will have a stronger influence in the purchasing decision of nursing home furniture. This influence will lend itself to both the acceptance and adoption of the “home-inspired” design concept in nursing homes in the years to come – creating a truly great environment for residents to live in.

In line with home-inspired design, expect to see changes in furniture styles. Look for a continued shift away from the traditional colonial style furniture that we’re all accustomed to seeing in a nursing home environment. Replacing this will be more contemporary designs displaying simplified details and sleeker, simpler hardware. This design trend, referred to as transitional design, combines the influences of contemporary architecture, architects, interior designers, and home-inspired design concepts.

Also, look for a rather interesting solution to the wood versus laminate dilemma. To get the best of both worlds, interior designers are pushing towards furniture pieces that combine both real wood and laminate.

“The durability of laminate is ideal for cabinet tops, while real wood can still be used to add style,” notes Newcombe.

This wood/laminate combination will allow facilities to utilize the laminate’s durability on areas prone to scratches, dents, and staining, while utilizing the beauty and craftsmanship of real wood on drawer fronts and edges.

In short, if you’re looking to replace the furniture within your nursing home over the next few years, or if you’re in the processes of building a new facility, be sure to focus on home-inspired design. Not only does it make the nursing home setting welcoming and warm, it is resident focused – a result of professionals within the long-term care environment working together to create quality products.
“I hope the future brings forth more of this teamwork,” Newcombe says. “I’d like to see more manufacturers, interior designers, and those individuals that work with the residents themselves, to help push the envelope and make these places truly great environments to live in.” ∎

Written By: Victoria Côté, Marketing Coordinator for Carroll Healthcare Inc.

Carroll Healthcare has been manufacturing quality long-term care beds and resident room furniture for over 27 years. Recently, Carroll Healthcare has worked closely with interior designers to create a new furniture line that follows today’s “home inspired” design trend.

In the fall of 2003 it is expected that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will officially release bed rail entrapment guidelines outlining dimensional guidelines for bedside rails and bed design criteria. These guidelines are in response to a series of documented cases where vulnerable patients have become entrapped in medical beds while undergoing care and treatment in health care facilities. These entrapments have occurred through openings within bed rails, between bed rails, between the bed rail and the mattress, and between the bed rails and the head or foot boards. These events have lead to patient injury and deaths. The patients most vulnerable to entrapment are the frail, elderly, or confused.

In 1999 the FDA, in partnership with representatives from national healthcare organizations, patient advocacy groups, federal agencies, Health Canada, and bed manufacturers, including Carroll Healthcare, formed the Hospital Bed and Safety Workgroup (HBSW). This workgroup’s goal is to reduce potential life threatening entrapments and to enhance patient safety by establishing evidence-based design guidelines for bed systems and accessories, as well as guidelines on clinical practices, to help reduce the occurrences of these incidents for patients who are most vulnerable to the risk of entrapment. The HBSW has recently presented its findings and recommendations to the FDA for approval.

The Assessment Guidelines define maximum and minimum design limits on gaps or openings in the bed systems to reduce the risk of patient entrapment, as well as, provide instruction on how to assess beds to determine whether they meet the design limits set forth in the Guidelines.

Carroll Healthcare Inc.
November 2002

For more information on this topic please visit the following website:

Of all the issues facing the long term care industry today, perhaps none are more prominent than the two issues of resident falls and bed siderails (restraints). Across the country, care providers are facing the reality of reducing and eliminating patient restraints, including siderails. At the same time, resident falls have also come to the forefront as an extremely important issue; it’s now nearly impossible to find a facility without a special Falls Committee focussed on reducing the injuries sustained to residents, often caused when they are transferred or climb out of bed.
The attention that these two issues are receiving is for good reason. Consider the following statistics:

 In the United States, one of every three people 65 years and older falls each year.
 By 2020, the cost for fall injuries is expected to reach a total of $32.4 billion.
 Between 1985 and 1999, 371 incidents of patients caught, trapped, entangled, or strangled in beds with rails were reported to the FDA. Of these reports, 228 people died, 87 had nonfatal injury, and 56 were not injured because staff intervened.

Patients that have difficulty sleeping, memory problems, pain, uncontrolled body movement, or those who get out of bed without assistance, are highly susceptible to entrapment and fall hazards. These are exactly the individuals that the siderail is supposed to protect.
The costly nature of these incidents – falls and entrapments – from the standpoint of injuries, increased medical expenses, and also litigation, have left many administrators and nursing executives looking for answers. In truth, there is no simple answer. However, there is a two-pronged approach to handling these issues that are not unrelated.
The first step in solving this problem is to develop a Fall Prevention program. The preliminary stage in this program should be to train all staff in the assessment and monitoring of potential and ongoing fall risks. However, perhaps the single most effective method to reduce fall injuries, is the implementation of electric low beds.
Low beds, are generally acknowledged as beds that sit less than 8” from the floor, and raise to a comfortable working height for staff. The varied height range allows residents to rest comfortably at the lowest height level, virtually eliminating the risk of serious injury caused by falls at higher heights. In addition, the functionality of the low bed, when raised to higher elevations, allows nursing and housekeeping staff greater ease and less strain in performing their jobs.
Current statistics indicate that 54% of falls are over beside rails. In addition to implementing low beds, bed siderails designed to ease and assist residents in entering and exiting the bed, help to minimize fall risks. These siderails provide residents with the freedom to rest in an unencumbered environment, while allowing staff easy access to patients. As well, bed rails that do not span the length of the bed, help to dissuade residents from climbing over rails.
The second step in developing a safer room environment, is to address the hazards posed by bed siderails. The easiest way to measure the safety of your bed rails, is against the new FDA guidelines for entrapment. These guidelines were formulated over the last three years by the Hospital Bed Safety Workgroup (HBSW), a coalition of health care professionals, manufacturers, patient advocacy groups, and various governmental parties, headed by the FDA.
To properly assess whether or not your bed meets the guidelines set out by the HBSW, Seven Entrapment Zones were established, to which your bed and siderails can be measured against.
The statistics discussed within this article, although discouraging, lead many health care providers to question: “What is the best way to limit entrapment and fall risks?” Unfortunately, the answer is not simple.
Perhaps the single most important thing that a facility can do in response to entrapment and fall issues, is to investigate new bed designs. Understandably, not every facility will be immediately prepared or able to replace all existing beds with new low beds and fully compliant rails. Some facilities may believe that the risks associated with falls and entrapment far outweigh the costs of purchasing new beds. While others, who may have recently purchased beds, may need to look to short term solutions. The important element is to have a plan. Take an inventory of your current beds, determine which will require the most urgent replacement, and then set a schedule.

Sources:
1. The Hospital Bed and Safety Workgroup. “Bed System Entrapment Dimensional and Assessment Guidelines”. February 20, 2002.
2. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. “Falls and Hip Fractures Among Older Adults”. November 13, 2000. www.cgc.gov
3. Health Canada. “A Guide to Bed Safety”. October 2000. www.hc-sc.gc.ca
4. Baker. SP, O’Neil B, Ginsburg MJ, et. Id., eds, “The Injury Fact Book”, 2nd ed., New York: Oxford Press, 1992.

Effective winter 2002, all Carroll Customers within the USA will be able to use our new Quick Ship Program for ordered product delivery. The Program’s development involved the establishment of a Carroll inventory warehouse, located in Missouri. The warehouse stocks a selected inventory of Carroll’s most popular beds and case goods. The Quick Ship Program was started to meet the needs of those healthcare providers that are under strict time constraints to replace old beds within their facility.

“Some of our customers can’t afford to wait three to four weeks to have beds replaced,” says Carroll’s Quick Ship coordinator Brad Fallowfield. “Ensuring patient safety requires an immediate response.”

All customer orders will continue to be received and processed at Carroll Healthcare’s head office in London, Ontario, Canada. From there, all applicable orders will be directed to Missouri. Conditions such as the type of items ordered, and the size of the order, will determine whether or not an order can be shipped via the Quick Ship program. Shipping will take 72 hours, however this is expected to decrease once the program moves out of its infancy. Transit times are approximately four to five days.

“The Quick Ship Program not only keeps us competitive,” says Carroll’s Marketing Director Norm Kay, “but it also shows customers that Carroll is committed to exceptional customer service.” 