transfer lifts help

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Kristina1

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Joined
Jan 26, 2017
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822
Reason
PALS
Diagnosis
03/2017
Country
US
State
MA
City
Grafton
Normally I can transfer with the use of the walker and staand and pivot type thing. But there have been more and more frequent situations where my husband has had to lift me like a ragdoll and transfer me. I am 4'11 and only 105 lbs, and he is a big strong man, but he has had a really hard time getting a good angle/grip, somehow it's been terrible everytime lately. And last time he really hurt me (by accident). My neck got whip lash, he hurt my shoulder, and he hurt part of my spine (or that's how it felt, like one of the discs was sore).

How do we start process for getting a real lift? Are there any good low tech options? Im envisioning a hammock type thing with handles or something. He is strong, he just can't get a good grip on me.
 
You definitely need a lift. I recommend an electronic one. I would first check with your loaner closet to see what they have. You’ll also need a sling or two. Lifts are useful and will save your husband’s back while keeping you safe. You just never know when they’ll come in handy. My CALS had to use ours to lift me off the bathroom floor today when I slipped trying to stand from wheelchair. There also extremely useful for positioning you in bed when you can’t do that yourself.

There are many different makes. Hoyer is a popular one. Mine is an Invacare. You may be able to get a DME prescription and then you can see what may be covered by insurance.
 
You mean a hoyer? ( the term is often used generically) That is what you are describing. Call CCALS. You can get an order for one but CCALS might get you one right away. Agree electronic is better. They are very easy to learn to use. Make your husband practice with the kids first
 
Definitely get this going right now as it is dangerous to be lifting you this way. The electric one is definitely far better and you are going to love the control he will have of moving you, particularly in being able to properly position you where you are going to. Hopefully CCALS can get one to you straight up, don't wait please 💗
 
Yeah, I meant like a hoyer. I thought that was a brand name and wasn't 100% sure what the generic term was.
 
Hoyer is a brand name. The generic name is “patient lift”. People use “hoyer” to refer to lifts like “Kleenex” to refer to facial tissues. If you do an internet search for patient lifts, you’ll get an idea of different brands.
 
I have experience with 3 different lifts. First was an electric one, Drive Medical. Was not an expensive one and worked well. Then I switched providers and got a different electric one. Once again it was not a high end brand BestCare (Hoyer is a good and expensive brand). This one had a terrible charge cable design that eventually broke, plus the model was for a much larger person ( bariatric??) I am 5'9 and 160lbs. The lift worked but I didn't like the way my sling fit because the width of the lift was more than I needed. Plus the overall size of the lift was a little cumbersome. While they took the big lift back to await a new charger (10 plus days ) we were given a standard manual lift (hydraulic). It's a Lumex Model: LF1031. Can be purchased new and delivered for less than $600. I'm not suggesting that you need to buy , as insurance will cover this. I was surprised to find that the cheap standard lift ended up being our favorite. It is smaller and fits in the closet and fits me and is not much more work really. Plus we don't have to worry about the charger. We didn't want the electric one back.

For a sling, I bought mine from Amazon. Drive Medical Padded U Sling, with Head Support, Medium. Worked on all 3 of the different lifts. Allows pants on and off, with some practice. The slings supplied by insurance were not good for my use. FYI, the sling I'm using says head support, but for me, it require some moderate neck strength. I will have to explore neck braces at some point down the road .

This is a YouTube video of how to use it and it's pretty much how I do it. I believe that the gentleman in the video passed a few years back. He has useful videos on his channel. My thanks and admiration to his contributions.




The whole lift/transfer thing seemed very complicated, but it is very easy with a little bit of practice. It's nice to know that you have someone around who can pick you up in a pinch, but it'll be less painful for you both to start getting used to the lift. All the best, Jim
 
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Kristina, if neither CCALS or ALSA can get you one quickly, I have our used Hoyer and could bring it out to you this week. From out expierence the sling made a big difference. We first had a Hoyer mesh sling with only two straps on each side and our second one was a Universal which was very smooth and had 3 straps on each side. The second one worked way better for us as he had sensitive skin( mesh was too rough) and was 6'4 and the 3 strap gave better support and more options for positioning. You might want to talk to the OT or PT at your clinic for type and size of sling that would work best for you. Kate
 
There are also standing lifts that are nice when you can still stand. You need some strength so I only found it useful for awhile and had to switch to the regular “Hoyer”. In the interim it was nice because pants could be pulled up or down while standing in it. I got both as loaners from the local als association.
 
I just got a power hoyer thing from the loaner closet but haven't used it yet. But I did want to suggest a good neck brace during transfers. It also helps me stay upright on the toilet.
 
Whatever you are offered, make sure it is electric. There are still manual ones out there, but even though you are comparatively light, those are not good for anyone's back.

There may still be times when your husband can use the sling alone as leverage to position and lift you, or you can buy a "slip sheet" with handles that can help for things like a pivot turn in bed, if you keep it under your fitted sheet. But for incrementally lifting you vertically, nothing beats the lift.
 
Whatever you are offered, make sure it is electric. There are still manual ones out there, but even though you are comparatively light, those are not good for anyone's back.

There may still be times when your husband can use the sling alone as leverage to position and lift you, or you can buy a "slip sheet" with handles that can help for things like a pivot turn in bed, if you keep it under your fitted sheet. But for incrementally lifting you vertically, nothing beats the lift.
FYI, manual lifts are not hard on your back. Just takes a little bit of arm strength. My 78lbs 11yro daughter can easily use the lift with me. That being said, the electric one is truly effortless
 
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