The Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario requested the College educate occupational therapists about the dangers of transfer poles. The Geriatric and Long-Term Care Death Review Committee (GLTCRC) released a report concerning a death where the use of a transfer pole was a contributing factor. In this report, the GLTCRC made six recommendations, including providing education to occupational therapists about the potential dangers associated with the use of transfer poles.
The 2024 College Response to the Coroner’s Report: Deaths from Transfer Pole is a practice resource intended to alert occupational therapists to those dangers, assist them in identifying risks associated with recommending the use of transfer poles, and support their decision-making if the client owns or requires the use of a transfer pole.
A French version of the College Response to the Coroner’s Report will be posted under Standards and Resources as soon as it is available.
If you have any questions about this practice resource, please contact [email protected] or 1-800-890-6570/416-214-1177 x240.