Home Caregiver Demonstrates Hoyer Lift for Bed-to-Chair Transfer
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EmailCaregiving at home, in the more advanced stages of dementia, requires good tools to avoid caregiver burnout. Watch this video demonstration by a caregiver using a Hoyer Lift to more easily care for his bed-ridden spouse.
A Hoyer Lift is a home health device. It is used when people cannot be lifted without mechanical help. With the use of a Hoyer Lift, people with dementia can be easily and safely moved from a bed to chair and back to bed.
One of the great risks of caregiving is caregiver burnout. In the video demonstration, the use of a Hoyer Lift allows an elderly spouse to care for their loved one more easily, thus reducing the risk of caregiver burnout.
The demonstration includes transferring a patient from bed to wheelchair and back to bed.
Hoyer Lifts in Depth
There are basically two kinds of Hoyer Lifts - electronic lifts and manual lifts.
Manual Unit
The manual version employs hydraulics to help a caregiver easily lift their loved one.
- The manual unit is positioned between the caregiver and the person being lifted, so there cannot be physical contact while the lifting is taking place.
- The manual units tend to require maintenance. Seals in the hydraulic pump can wear out and oil can leak.
Here is an example of a manual unit from Invacare, a well-known manufacturer of lifts.
Electronic Unit
Electronic lifts can be operated with a remote control or the push of a button.
Electric models allow the caretaker to stand alongside the person being transferred. This allows them to maintain physical or eye contact, to reassure the person being lifted. Being suspended in the air, especially when suffering from dementia, can be a little frightening. It can be extremely helpful to be able to hold hands and in other ways keep close contact.
One factor to consider are the abilities of the caregiver. Though a Hoyer Lift helps with moving a person, there is a need for some amount of physical strength to maneuver the lift with the person in it. Additionally, it takes a little dexterity to get the cloth slings under a person and into the right position for lifting.
The cognitive and physical ability of the person being cared for, as well as any medical or physiological condition, need to also be considered.
And, of course, price. Electric units can cost three or four times as much as their manual counterparts.
Here is an example of an electric battery-powered unit from Invacare, a well-known manufacturer of lifts.
Some Things to Consider
- Is there room under the bed for the lift to slide beneath it?
- Is there thick, plush carpeting or some other type of flooring that might make rolling the lift too difficult?
- The budget
- Width of doorways
- Space in the room
Physically moving a person for whom you are caring is demanding. In providing day-to-day homecare, transferring a person patient to and from bed/chair/toilet/bath/shower, must be done properly to avoid injuries to both patient and caregiver. Ironically, in transferring people, caregiver injuries are much more prevalent than injuries to the actual patient. Low back injuries are the most common.
If as caregiver, you perform many transfers per day, be sure to have the proper equipment to assist you.
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Source:
By
- Dina Edelman
- Peter Berger
Alzheimer's Weekly
