A patient lift enables a caregiver to easily carry a patient who, due to illness or injury, is unable to move on his or her own. This enables the caregiver to quickly help a patient go about doing all the basic activities such as taking a bath, visiting the toilet, etc. The factors to consider before settling on a particular kind of lift include: the kinds of places the lift will be utilized at, what kind of difficulties the patient has, the level of physical strain the caregivers can handle, the kind of movements the patient needs to make, and the degree of risk for both the caregiver and patient while using the lift. Below are the most common questions to consider when shopping for a patient lift, to help you find the lift that's right for your needs.
Each has its pros and cons. An electric lift will be faster, easier to use and more convenient but it will require a power source always to be present and will be quite expensive. A manual or hydraulic lift, for instance a sling lift, will be much cheaper and always ready for use.
Patient lifts are meant to reduce the physical exertion made by caregivers while going about daily activities. The best time to purchase the patient lift is when the activities conducted by the caregiver begin to get a little bit too difficult to handle. Lifts have been getting cheaper and cheaper over the years, so getting one should not be a problem.
Most lifts nowadays, whether floor lifts or track ceiling lifts, have a portable version that can easily be folded and transported. While many patient lifts may be quite heavy; weighing in at over 70 pounds, the advantage is they can be disassembled into smaller parts that are easy to fit in a vehicle.
One should be careful to buy a lift that can comfortably support your client without any difficulty. It should, therefore, be able to carry as much weight as possible. In scenarios where the patient lost a considerable amount of weight before they began using the lift, one should buy a lift that can support their original weight so that they can still function when weight is regained.
Ensuring that you select the proper sling is critical to the health and wellbeing of the patient. One should take into consideration the height and weight of the patient as well as the physical condition of the patient. The kind of lifting that the caregiver seeks to do also informs the kind of lift to use.
A stand-up lift largely reduces the risk of injury to both the caregiver and the patient. Shoulder and back injuries that can be sustained by the caretaker while attempting to get the patient on his feet are greatly minimized as the lift handles all these needs. Stand-up lifts also come in handy when it comes to moving the patient to the bathroom. It makes the process efficient, safe and hassle-free.
The posts that support the lift require a minimum thickness of 4 inches as well as 3000 psi. It needs to be smooth without being slippery to reduce the chances of the patient slipping and unnecessary shifts by the lift which could prove to be very dangerous.
A stand-up lift can only be used with patients who can support their body weight to some degree. These are patients who can sit up on their beds without any help and can easily bend their hips, ankles, and knees. The added benefit of stand-up lifts is that they can aid in the rehabilitation process.