Use a Patient Transfer Device for Standing Assistance
A patient transport is a tall device on wheels that a caretaker uses to move the patient from place to place. It takes the place of a wheelchair as it is usually narrower and fits through doorways. In a transport, the patient stays relatively vertical, with a seat and kneepads to lean against. Some transports require that the user have some strength and stability to get onto the device, while others automate the lift with a hydraulic motor and sling.
How a Lift Chair Helps You Sit Down and Stand Up
When you sit down on a lift chair, you bend your legs less than when sitting on a regular chair. When you stand up from a lift chair, you need less leg strength than you do getting up from a regular chair. So the lift chair offers both standing and sitting assistance. Lift chairs are also recliners. Some have massage and heat. Some are “wall huggers” that don’t require a ton of room in the back to recline. Some recline to a horizontal position, and some only to about 140 degrees.
Best Toilet Stand-Assist Devices for Mom
I definitely prefer the toilet frame design that sits on the floor, and not the one that sits on the toilet bowl under the seat. The floor variety is more stable. If you push down harder on one side than the other, the toilet prevents the frame from tilting over. The floor variety is also easier to clean because it’s not literally on the toilet bowl.
Best Patient Transfer Device
If the patient can pull herself up from a sitting position (or use a chair lift to do so) then the best budget patient transport is the Lumex Stand Assist. This is the transport device with the cushy built-in seat that moving up to a 400 lb. person relatively easy for the caregiver. If the patient cannot lift herself at all, or if you are picking up a patient on the floor, then the best choice is the Hi-Fortune Patient Lift. It includes the carrying sling, locking casters, and carries 450 lb.
