Beyond being just home care assistive devices for fully or semi-dependent elderly families, professional care environments like hospitals or nursing homes have made patient lifts an integral part of their caregiver equipment. Patient lifts play a significant role in reducing caregiver fatigue and avoiding injuries resulting from physical strain.
The initial point to consider when selecting a patient hoist is defining what your major user profile is. As an example, short-distance movement (bed to sofa/toilet only), infrequent and limited money for a home-care solution would result in hydraulic patient lift as the best choice due to their good cost-performance and simplicity. They can lift up to 150 kg which is enough for an average family situation. If on the other hand you have a fully dependent patient doing a lot of transfers and the caregiver is not so fit you might go for the electric patient hoist. This type usually comes with adjustable height in one single touch, and a direction-anticipating steering system. It may also have an emergency stop function enabling one-hand operation which is really important.
The aspect of the size of the patient hoist is another commonly neglected thing.
A lot of time consumers only look for weight capacity and functions. However, it is very important to consider the size of your home doors and/or bathroom sliding doors that will allow entrance doors of the patient lift. So it is the patient lift buyer who should also check the sizes of their door frames to avoid problems with a new patient lift being not capable to pass through doorways after the purchase. If you are living in an ordinary residential home the first thing you would be the buyer of a patient hoist the size of not more than 55 cm for its base and 360-degree ultra-quiet swivel casters. You can choose a model with a folding patient hoist which can be stored in a narrow place or even in the trunk of a car when it is not used.
Safety remains a top concern and nothing should compromise on that. The right patient hoist should be provided with central brake activated by a foot switch for fast stopping in case of emergency. The use of wheel locks should be avoided since it will be impossible if the patient is not aware that the brakes are working.
We have thick corrosion-resistant steel and frames that are the first requirement if we want a long-lasting patient hoist. The edges at the corners are to be wrapped by a bionic curved shape surface made of anti-slip PU which will prevent exposed corners from scraping a person in wheel.
Considering three major areas while comparing patient lifts, i.e., use profile, size of the room, and safety features, one can choose a suitable patient lift. It will give the care givers' shoulders and back the rest needed during the work without affecting the dignity and the comfort of the one cared for.