Platform scales are the easiest thing to use for those of us lucky enough to be fully mobile but for those of us who have mobility issues, whether because of age, injury, or disabilities, they may not be practical and if we’ve lost mobility, especially if suddenly measuring our weight can be more important than ever.

The Marsden M-200 Bariatric Chair Scale is Class III Approved, the clinical standard required for accurate weighing in medical settings, and built to handle the demands of daily use in busy care environments.

With a capacity of 300kg (just over 47 stone) and measurements in 50g increments, this wheeled chair scale can handle patients of different sizes and weights including those with high BMIs who may require the most regular weighing in their efforts to lose weight in a healthy and sustainable way.

A digital chair scale built for care homes and clinical settings

The M-200 is a familiar piece of equipment to those working in the care industry and many care homes, nursing homes, and hospital wards across the UK use the M-200 or an earlier version of Marsden’s chair scales.

The M-200 is easier for carers and those being weighed. In care homes the wheeled scales can be brought to residents’ rooms they simply have to be moved to the chair, with help of using a hoist, for their weight to be taken.

The seat is generously sized at 530mm wide by 460mm deep, to ensure comfort for all users; the hinged armrests and footrests swing away to make getting in and out as easy as possible. Braked rear castors keep the chair steady during weighing and make it straightforward to move between rooms when needed.

Why weighing residents regularly and accurately matters?

Weighing residents in care settings is about spotting weight loss as much as, or more than, weight gain. Unintended weight loss can be the first sign of malnutrition, dehydration, illness, or a change in condition that might not yet be obvious in other ways. This loss may be gradual and not noticeable to carers, the resident or their family immediately and by the time it is damage could be done.

For residents with issues affecting fluid retention, such as heart or kidney disease, regular weighing also helps identify fluid loss that might otherwise cause damage to organs and worsen conditions.

Accurate enough to catch small changes

The M-200 uses 50g graduations for patients up to 150kg, switching to 100g above that. These small changes that other scales with lower accuracy may miss may be key to giving the right care in a timely way.

The Hold function retains the reading on screen after weighing, useful when it takes a moment to position a resident or when a second person needs to read the display.