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Also, thanks all for the mention of the manual. I do have access to a manual so I think I will have someone bring it over even if it takes up space. We are getting the electric one through ALSA so I’m happy about that. DH also has a loaner PWC that was delivered a few days ago.
 
I don't think you can have too much equipment waiting in the wings - avoiding a crisis really is worth it :)

Let us know how you go. A tip - when you are taught how to use the hoist, get the OT or PT, whoever is teaching you, to hoist you so you can feel what it is like to be the person in it. Really helps learn to be a good operator :)
 
You are right Tillie. There is a range of collective answers about lifts and I agree with your assessment.

We are fortunate that I am 6' 3" at 225 lbs and my wife weighs only 155 lbs.

I could lift her without the lift (not recommended) so the electric lift did not give the advantage for us as it might for others.

Several things about the lift were frustrating for us:

Failure of the lift mid-way while lifting from chair to bed. No recourse but to pick her up manually. Scary!

Battery charging. We did not use the lift frequently so there were times we forgot to set the charger.
Sometimes the power cable did not seat well. On advice from this forum we performed a "jiggle" maneuver on the cable to get it to work.

Small circumference wheels on the electric lift forced us to pull the lift rather than push it on carpet.
The larger wheels on the manual lift made rolling across carpet much easier.

The electric would not fit in our van. The manual lift does.

These points are for information and not a rant against electric lifts. The electrics have a definite advantages for lifting when a manual lift takes too much effort.

Ernie
 
You're right, Ernie - there is on "one size fits all" solution (for anything ALS related).

Another thing to consider is what type of sling to use. We have 2. A split leg to go to and from bed. And a Liko HygieneVest HighBack (Model 55) to go from PWC to toilet and back. The Liko has been great because it allows me to keep him more upright to position him on the toilet, but I like the more traditional one to get him to a reclined position. Those 3 - bed PWC and toilet are pretty much the only places he is anymore.
 
Great tips Ernie - the amount of collective wisdom through experience here is mind blowing!

For us the way I could adjust the sling to provide neck support was another really important feature, but that was a sling feature rather than a lift one. Lots of people have a second sling on hand as well.
 
We have three slings.

Ended up using the mesh sling exclusively. Is more comfortable for her.

My PALS is bed bound so we use the lift infrequently.

No trips to the bathroom and only occasionally trips to her sleeper/lift chair.

We do transport her to doctor's appointments which requires the lift but only for emergent care.

Ernie
 
Thanks everyone!

A battery operated lift was delivered from the loan closet. It comes with an extra battery so at least I have that on hand. A PT showed me how to use it so I'm comfortable. with it,

I got a U sling from the loan closet as well. I'm having a problem getting it on him without hurting my back. I fold it and stuff it under him and roll him to his side on the other side of the bed and pull it through. I don't know if I'm doing something wrong. When the OT is comes hopefully she can tell me if I'm doing something wrong. Otherwise it's just my bad back.

I was looking into the Liko 55 sling. It's good to see that it works since it's so expensive. Maybe we can use a commode with that sling. We had a carpenter who's done work for PALS come to see if we can do something about our downstairs bathroom. There is nothing we can do unless we spend a large amount of money which DH doesn't want us to do. We can't even get a shower chair over the toilet.
 
You should be able to use a commode with any U sling that fits properly, not just the Liko. But if your bathroom doesn't permit using a chair above the toilet, or transferring to a shower/commode chair is too much, many of us made do with commodes (buckets)in other rooms.

As for rolling him in bed to put on the sling, it is hard to prescribe without seeing your setup, but Larry could not be rolled at all. Are you sitting him up first by raising the head of the bed?
 
I didn't think of raising the head of the bed. I'm going to try that tomorrow morning and see if that helps. My cousin (an OT) was just here and said she was going to talk to her colleagues and see what ideas she can help me with, including kinds of slings.

I tried to roll him this morning the get the sling on and it was nearly impossible (hurt my shoulder) so I know I'm doing the wrong thing.

I'm still having a problem with dressing. I put his shirt on in the PWC so that's fine. The OT showed me how to use a draw sheet in bed, but I'm doing a lousy job. I'm hurting my back once again. I manage to get his pants on, but I don't know how the OT did it so easily when she showed me. She's coming again soon, so I'll have her show me again. I studied engineering so you would think I could figure this out. I'm very frustrated,
 
If she is a good OT she will slowly show you several times.

Here is a tip - ask her if you can video her doing it.

I did this with a few things I was taught and it was invaluable to be able to watch it back a few times, particularly for the really little details. Sometimes I would also take a little series of photos, but video is wonderful. You can watch it as many times as you feel you need.

I also did video of some stuff that the home care staff here could follow along to learn to do things for Chris and they found that really helpful.
 
If he is in a hospital bed, try raising the whole bed before you put on or remove the sling. I have found this helps protect my back, since I don't have to bend over so far to get the sling in place.
 
That, too, and if the bed has a tilt mode, use that, just like you use tilt/recline in the wheelchair for the sling/transfers.

If two people are around, you can use a SlidEase or other slip sheet under the bottom sheet, then pop the corners in the morning and pivot him 90 degrees so when you sit him up, you can move the Hoyer under the bed perpendicularly and it's easier to put on the sling that way, too. Of course, that only works if you have space on all four sides of the bed, which is always a good idea to set up when you are arranging the room. You can still have an adjacent bed just a couple of inches away.
 
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