Obesity researcher Mary Forhan has a vision of what the care of people with obesity should be like. Sadly, the reality is very different.
"Often standard hospital equipment including beds, stretchers, wheelchairs and exercise equipment don't have the weight capacity to support patients with obesity," said Forhan, an assistant professor of occupational therapy in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine.
A prime example is Marty Enokson's experience with bariatric surgery for his severe obesity in 2009. A second surgery, to correct a leak from his initial surgery, put Enokson in ICU for four days.
When moved to a four-person room, he weighed close 470 pounds. This meant he was not allowed to use the toilet in the bathroom: it was rated to 250 pounds. Instead, he had to use a commode in the room—even with three other patients and their family plus friends in the room.
It was "the most degrading experience of my life," said Enokson.
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