5 Expert Tips To Help You Choose the Right Patient Lift

Also known as hospital lifts, handicap lifts, Hoyer lifts, and mechanical lifts, patient lifts are used wherever people need assistance with mobility and transfer. Hospitals and long-term care facilities use them, as do home health care aides and family caregivers. They help to prevent injuries to both patients and caregivers that are often associated with manual lifting and transfers.

Specially designed to safely move people from one surface to another, patient lifts are available in a wide array of styles to provide comfortable and supported patient transfers. Because of this wide selection, choosing the right patient lift for your needs might be a challenge, but we’ve reached out to some of the most experienced experts in the industry to get their most important tips that people should keep in mind when choosing a patient lift.

What do the experts say?

Choosing the right lift can be difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. There are tons of resources out there on the subject, and your care team will be happy to help you make the right decision, but sometimes you just want another perspective. Speaking with an expert is the best resource, but most people don’t have access to industry experts. That’s why we gathered some of the best to get their tips just for you!

1. R82

Curtis Philyaw, ATP and CPST, is R82’s Product Manager. As a worldwide manufacturer of assistive furniture, devices, and aids for children and young people living with disabilities, R82 is well-known in the healthcare industry as a gold standard for durable medical equipment. In addition to their own reputation for excellence, R82 is a part of the larger Etac company, who has been providing mobility solutions for over 40 years. This includes a comprehensive selection of patient transfer and lift equipment to make everyday life easier.

Working closely with industrial designers and rehab professionals, Etac creates unique, ergonomic, and award-winning patient lifting equipment to ensure safety and comfort for both patients and caregivers.

When asked what he considered to be the most important aspects of choosing the best patient lift, Philyaw explained that it's essential to take the user and the environment into consideration before anything else. He said,

“Evaluate the user’s condition (physical, medical, and mental). This determines the user’s mental capacity and awareness as well as any physical or medical limitations that may affect transfers. Evaluate the user’s size (height and weight), as this is necessary to determine the correct size lifter, and it also helps to determine the correct style and size sling.

Evaluate the environment, and determine the type of transfer required (bed to wheelchair, etc.). The patient and environment evaluations are extremely important with identifying the appropriate style lifter (manual/power, sit-to-stand lifter, etc.).”

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2. Medline Industries

BranEric Holmes is Medline Industries’ Post Acute Sales Representative. As America’s largest private provider of medical supplies and solutions, Medline has been a family-led company for four generations. With a professional team comprised of researchers, clinicians, and engineers, Medline is firmly committed to improving patient care through its superior quality medical products, for both the healthcare professional and the patient.

Holmes directed his advice for hospitals and other professional medical facilities, although much of this information is still relevant for the home caregiver. He said,

“When looking for a lift, first assess the types of residents you are purchasing the lift for. Are your residents: non-weight bearing, partially weight-bearing, disabled physically or developmentally, partially dependent, and cooperative? Can they sit up on the edge of the bed (with or without assistance), and are they able to bend knees, hips, and ankles?

Assessing the types of residents you have in your facility helps determine which lift you would need to select. There are two types of lifts: Mobile lifts and stand-assist lifts.

How many lifts should you buy for your facility? 1 lift per every 8 residents is considered the standard approach when considering how many units per facility.”

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3. Handicare International

Erin Schoenherr is the Clinical Trainer at Handicare. Handicare was founded in 1986 by three men who met in a rehabilitation center, and felt that there was a need to find a better way of caring for patients. Their passion for innovation led them to found the company and try to create exceptional tools. Making a positive difference in the lives of millions of folks around the globe, Handicare is dedicated to providing peace of mind to family caregivers to keep their loved ones safe and mobile, and enable healthcare professionals to better care for their patients with the right tools for each job.

Schoenherr supplied us with valuable information regarding the various kinds of lifting equipment, and exact patient parameters to consider for when each kind of equipment is appropriate. She explained,

“Gait belt to Return (Minimal Assistive Lift): Patient using a Return must be able to support own weight while standing, stand up and maintain balance (or with the support of Return Belt), has grip strength, and can understand instructions clearly. A patient only using a gait belt must be able to support their own weight, can walk short distances, understand instructions clearly, & maintain balance while standing or walking.

QuickMove (Moderate Assistive Lift): Patient using a QuickMove instead of Return is using the Quickmove because their ability to stand for short periods of time is not entirely determined, and when necessary can rest using the padded seats behind them during transfer. Furthermore, the patient needs to support their weight while standing, stand up and maintain balance (with or without support), has grip strength, and understands instructions.

MiniLift (Moderate Assistive Lift): Patient must be able to bear 25% of their weight, have torso control, and follow simple instructions. If the patient cannot support weight, a total lift option should be suggested for use for patient transfer.

Mobile Lift to Ceiling Lift: A mobile lift has the capability to be used throughout the Home or Facility.  Ceiling Lifts are often considered for two primary reasons:

• Environmental: space is limited or the goal is to lift the patient into items that would be impeded by the legs of a Mobile Lift such as a bathtub, shower or platform bed.  Further, flooring options such as carpet may make maneuvering a Mobile Lift difficult.

• Clinical Rationale: Gait Training can be accomplished with a ceiling lift and there are applications where a ceiling lift may be used independently.

Installed Ceiling Lift to Free Standing Lift: Freestanding lifts are used when installations may be difficult or unit may only be needed on a short term basis.  Freestanding systems may also be transportable.

Independent Lifter vs. Sling: The Independent lifter; hence the name, works well for a patient that has cognitive ability, hip tone, and the dexterity to apply the device themselves. Alternatively, a sling is used when a caregiver is present and fully applying the sling and operating the lift with no assistance from the patient.”

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4. Invacare

Betty Bogue, RN & BSN, is Invacare’s Resident Safe Patient Handling Expert. Since 1885, Invacare has been a major innovator in the medical and disability industries. As a global leader in home-care and long-term care medical products, they offer a wide array of patient lifting and transfer equipment for both residential and institutional utilization. They focus on promoting recovery and active lifestyles, and delivering the best value in medical products.

Bogue told us,

“My best piece of advice is to make sure patients and residents are able to sustain their functional ability and to make sure their mobilization is safe.”

She provided us with this helpful guide to assist our readers in better determining the appropriate device, type, and size of patient lift to acquire for every individual.

Shop Invacare Products Here

5. Tollos, Inc.

Nancy Hollier is the National Education Program Director for Tollos. With their highly appropriate tagline, ‘Lightening the Load of Care’, Tollos knows a thing or two about safe patient handling. They have built a broad portfolio of quality mobility equipment through the years, with their popular products utilized by clinicians and patients throughout North America.

Their specialties include ceiling lifts, mobile lifts, lateral transfer, and other innovative patient handling devices, making them one of the foremost experts on patient lifting and transfer devices.

Hollier was happy to share her expertise for choosing a patient lift, offering several suggestions for the most important considerations:

1. “I highly encourage staff (and caregivers), when training on lifts and slings, to get in them and experience what the patient experiences, plus feel what the sling can do and how it feels.

2. Always evaluate the situation:  How much assistance can the patient provide; what task needs to be done (boosting up in bed; rolling, supine to sit at edge of bed; chair to bed, getting off the floor…); where is this task being done (in room, in bathroom, in hall…);  what physical limitations does the patient have (chest tubes, hemiparesis, IV lines, vent, etc.). Always plan and be ready for the worst case scenario.

3. Once all that is determined, then choose the appropriate lift and sling. Understand the sizing guide for the slings.  If the sling is too big on the patient, the patient and the caregiver have more risk of injury due to increased manual maneuvering to get into a chair.”

Shop Tollos Products Here

Summary

Patient lifts are an integral part of proper patient handling, and are one of the best ways to transfer patients who cannot assist themselves from one surface to another. Medical innovations and a range of companies who care deeply about patient safety and comfort have led to a wide variety of patient lifts on the market, offering solutions for every patient need.

Unfortunately, this variety of lifts means that it may sometimes be challenging for caregivers to know and understand which lift is the best for their patients and loved ones. That’s why we reached out to industry experts for their best tips on how to choose a patient lift.

While every expert offered their own unique perspective, almost all of them mentioned that the most important thing to consider is the individual needs of your patient, your environment, and yourself - the caregiver. Taking all those things into account will help you land at the perfect lift much more easily.

For more helpful tips from medical experts, check out the rest of our articles at Caregiver University, and be sure to visit Rehabmart.com for all your durable medical equipment needs.