Patient Lift Buyer's Guide

Patient Lifts have provided patients and caregivers alike, with a more efficient means of transportation. Patient lifts allow an occupant to be effortlessly lifted from a bed and transferred into a wheelchair, onto a commode, or bath, all without any strain by the caregiver or risk by the occupant. Patient lifts offer safety assistance to both the occupant and the caregiver.

From manual patient lifts to electric patient lifts to scales and slings, there are a wide variety of effective patient lifting devices available in today's medical supplies market which affects how the lift operates for the caregiver and occupant.

There are a number of factors you should take into consideration before making a purchase, including how much you are willing to spend, where is the lift going to be used, how much the occupant weighs and how often you will be using the lift.

By answering the questions below, you can best assess the type that will best suit your needs.

The basic questions to ask before buying a Patient Lift are:

  • Is the lifting to be done from a seated or a prone position?
  • Does the occupant have a lack of extremity use or spasticity?
  • Can the patient utilize the provided hand grips?
  • Is collapsible design a necessity?

The primary advantage of all the general purpose patient lifts is that they enable a single caregiver to meet a wide range of safe patient handling requirements for patient and caregiver injury prevention.

Patient Lifts can widely be classified into 4 categories:

  • Manual Patient Lifts
  • Power Patient Lifts
  • Stand-Up Patient Lifts
  • Heavy-Duty Patient Lifts

Other Patient Lift Resources include:

  • Lifting Slings
  • Lift Accessories

Guide to Power Patient Lifts

Electric Patient Lifts come equipped with enormous power enabling them to accommodate a wider range of patients. Electric Patient Lifts are often able to hold up to six hundred pounds and feature power-operated bases that allow for customized structuring. They feature an ergonomic design, which makes patient transfers much easier and less stressful for both the patient and the caregiver. Additionally, electric patient lifts also offer long, padded handles with various grip choices to accommodate users of different heights. Further, electric patient lifts operate via a rechargeable battery pack or plug-in cord and also include a manual override feature in case of a power outage. Due to these features, electric patient lifts are more expensive than their manual counterparts.

Guide to Stand-Up Patient Lifts

Stand-Up Patient Lifts are designed for the caregiver to assist patients in standing from a seated position, dressing or undressing, and/or moving the patient from a wheelchair to a commode or bed. Stand-Up lifts are ideal for patients who are too weak to stand without assistance. Stand-up patient lifts are preferred over general purpose floor lifts because they provide the patient a greater degree of independence and participation and at the same time promotes circulation and joint range and improves clinical outcomes by enabling the patient to stand for a period of time.

Guide to Heavy-Duty Patient Lifts

Heavy-duty Patient Lifts are capable of lifting up to 1000-lbs. Heavy-duty Patient Lifts are ideal homecare equipment for transferring bariatric patients from bed to wheelchair, wheelchair to commode or bath etc. The base legs are generally adjustable and open for additional stability during transfers. The legs of these lifts can also easily close to make the lift as narrow as possible for hallways and doorways. Additionally, Heavy-duty frame mounts and steel tubing outline such structures in order to guarantee optimum strength to lift heavy loads. All Bariatric Lifts are electrically operated and use 24V rechargeable batteries.

Guide to Patient Lift Slings

Patient Lift Slings are easy for the caregiver to use and provide secure support to the patient. These durable, comfortable slings are available in a variety of styles and fabrics to meet specific patient needs. Getting the right Lift Sling is a vital part of purchasing and using a Patient Lift. Both normal patient lifts and stand-up patient lifts require that the sling is purchased separately, because patient lift slings are available in multiple sizes and styles to meet specific needs. Each sling is constructed of durable materials which resist deterioration from exposure to moisture or laundering. Patient Lift Slings are available in a variety of styles like full-body sling, sling with toileting cut-out, commode sling and divided leg sling.

In order to make the buying process easier, we recommend visiting one of our showrooms, which will give you a very precise idea of the various types of patient lifts on the market and how much they cost.