My husband just got a fabulous power chair (thanks Medicare!) that's been a game changer for us. Yay! We love the power chair and would like to start taking some short road trips in a wheelchair van. (We're not interested in a cruise. We won't hassle with airplanes, either.)
We're going to need to buy a transportable (hopefully foldable) reliable power Hoyer lift to take with us in the van for the hotel rooms. We need a Even the "wheelchair accessible hotel rooms" aren't accessible enough for my husband...he can't get into or out of bed for the entire hotel stay without a lift, or to the toilet, or shower, or to a table to eat without a lift. My husband's in pretty good shape and in good spirits but he can't walk or stand on his own (stroke survivor).
I've talked with our Occupational Therapist for guidance but she had no suggestions about a transportable Hoyer Lift. I've searched the internet, and I've found a few lifts that might work, but it's hard to trust whether customer reviews are genuine that are posted on websites trying to sell these products.
I hope to get some replies from Forum contributors who can offer guidance based on their personal experiences with a transportable Hoyer Lift for travel by car.
Thank you! :-)
I've put the purchase of a transportable Hoyer lift on the back burner for now. I originally was hoping to go on some short road trips with my LO and use a lift inside hotel rooms. Even supposedly disabled access rooms don't work for us.
We recently went on a few short day trips to see how well my husband could tolerate it and my husband got Very carsick. It wasn't fun. There's a medication hubby's neurologist prescribed for this, but unfortunately even a small dose knocks my husband almost completely out - so that's not fun either. We tried a few other motion sickness drugs that had the same effect.
So nix on the road trips and hoyer lifts for us. We don't need a Hoyer lift inside our home.
Hope you find a good solution for your needs.
I think that learning the various mechanics, choreography, and logistics of caregiving is a daunting process. It's incredibly hard to grasp and to manage everything involved, especially in the beginning when you first start caregiving. Not only is it incredibly complicated, but most of us are probably still in a state of shock about the new reality you are now navigating.
The first year after my husband's stroke I was frightened, angry, overwhelmed and exhausted. The second year I was too exhausted to be frightened - I basically became a zombie. The third year I started to master more things, and I bounced between resentment and exhaustion. Now I'm in the fourth year and things have started to get better!! Unbelievable that aging and disabilities don't always cycle in a downward direction. The world seems to be opening up again for both of us again. WOW!!!!!!!!
when i can no longer shift him.
Sounds PERFECT, I will check this out online.
I really appreciate your post.
Thank you.