Heuer lifting vented PALS

[jonico]

Hi All,

Has anyone transferred, or does anyone currently transfer, a fully vented PALS by Heuer Lift alone? If so, could you tell me a little about it? Do you go to commode, or change your PALS in bed? How many transfers do you typically do in a day? To wheelchair, recliner, other? Any other insight is appreciated.

Thanks much

 

[debwilson77]

I do it. I unplug the vent and put it on my shoulder. Usually from bed to power chair or shower chair. We have two vents, I keep one attached to his power chair and switch him from on to the other as needed. We do at least two transfers a day, on shower days more.

 

[jonico]

Thanks for responding Deb. I'm curious about a couple things. Does your PALS spend much of the day in the power wheelchair once transferred there? If not, how long generally? Otherwise in bed, or recliner? Also, if you don't mind me asking, how do you and he handle urinating and BMs? My PALS goes four times per day, on a relatively regular schedule. I haven't been able to get my mind around that with the Heuer.

Appreciate anyone else's thoughts too. Thanks

 

[debwilson77]

Good Morning,
First off my Pals has a feeding tube and a supra pubic catheter, so the catheter takes care of the peeing issue. Our morning routine is too feed him in breakfast in bed, then I put him in a split leg sling and raise him up over the bed and put a pan under him for a BM. The hanging in the sling scrunches him up and gravity then helps. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday he gets a shower. After this he goes in in power chair for the day. Through out the day we change his sitting position. Then in the evening it's back to bed.
I have a vent hanging on his chair along with a suction machine so if we do decide to go out its fairly easy. We have a second vent by the bed that I switch him to at night. He's a veteran and they provide two vents in the event one quits working.
If he needed to have another BM during the day I would just use the lift and either raise him above the bed or chair.
Hope this helps and feel free to ask any question, it's a constant process of adjusting but if I can help in anyway I am more than happy to do so.
Deb

 

[lgelb]

My husband was on BiPAP 24/7. We transferred him only in/out of bed and for BMs (hovering above a bucket). For urinating, we used a UriBag and later a long neck urinal in the wheelchair, with the back reclined.

 

[Nuts]

We also progressed to just raising my husband over the bed for bms. I went to the dollar store and bought a stack of rubber basins--they come in handy for many things. Slide a pad under the basin/bucket. We used a urinal as long as possible and eventually transitioned to condom catheters for urination. I did raise him by myself and even shower him, in the vent, by myself, but we had a ceiling lift. Moving him by yourself with a rolling Hoyer--well, try to minimize that as much as possible.