Does anyone have or know anything about ceiling lifts for home use to transfer a loved one from one room to another?
Does anyone have a ceiling lift system that they use to transfer their loved one from one room to another? I am very interested in hearing any information that may be out there concerning the use and cost of such an item.
When my husband was in rehab for mobility issues, the facility had a ceiling Hoyer lift. From what I saw, and granted, my hubby is over 350#, I doubt seriously if the ceiling beams put into a “normal” home could withstand the weight. Modifications to the home for this would more than likely not be covered by Medicare and would absolutely be cost prohibitive. The ceiling hook-up for the lift is not the same as a floor lift and also would not be covered.
We use a portable Hoyer lift that was “on us”. I use it to transfer Hubby from bed to wheelchair and, since it’s hydraulic, I need to pump it up to lift him. It’s difficult, but we manage. Supposedly, I can also use it to transfer him to the car, but we haven’t tried that yet. It also folds to fit in the trunk. It’s the Hoyer Advanced 340.
Therapists know a lot about these lifts and the social worker, if your loved one is in a facility at present, can fill you in in costs.
I worked a hospice case where the patient had an extensive ceiling lift that began over his hospital bed (in the living room) and went all the way upstairs to his study. By the time I arrived on the scene he wasn't using it anymore but he and his wife told me that he would use it frequently when they had home healthcare aides. He also told me it was very expensive but I didn't ask how much and he didn't say.
As he talked to me about this system he told me he thought his house (where he and his wife had lived for several decades) would be perfect for a homeowner with a disability since the tracks were already in. I couldn't really understand why he was trying to justify the expense to me, or maybe he was just making conversation, but my private thought was, "No real estate person will let these tracks stay in place once this house needs to go on the market and this man's daughter is going to have to hire all sorts of help to get the tracks removed."
But the ceiling lift was useful, it took this man where he wanted to go (up to his office upstairs) and it was very expensive. In the lift, the man had to be accompanied by an aide. He was in a sling. And one time, in going upstairs and then coming back down again his weight shifted at some point and at the bottom of the stairs he felt like he was going to slide out of the sling. I don't know the details but I know he didn't fall out as the aide slowly slid him down her leg gently to the floor and called 911 to get him back in bed (he was a paraplegic). I don't know if he continued to use the sling after this and by the time I met him his sling days were over.
And that is the full extent of my knowledge about slings :)
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We use a portable Hoyer lift that was “on us”. I use it to transfer Hubby from bed to wheelchair and, since it’s hydraulic, I need to pump it up to lift him. It’s difficult, but we manage. Supposedly, I can also use it to transfer him to the car, but we haven’t tried that yet. It also folds to fit in the trunk. It’s the Hoyer Advanced 340.
Therapists know a lot about these lifts and the social worker, if your loved one is in a facility at present, can fill you in in costs.
As he talked to me about this system he told me he thought his house (where he and his wife had lived for several decades) would be perfect for a homeowner with a disability since the tracks were already in. I couldn't really understand why he was trying to justify the expense to me, or maybe he was just making conversation, but my private thought was, "No real estate person will let these tracks stay in place once this house needs to go on the market and this man's daughter is going to have to hire all sorts of help to get the tracks removed."
But the ceiling lift was useful, it took this man where he wanted to go (up to his office upstairs) and it was very expensive. In the lift, the man had to be accompanied by an aide. He was in a sling. And one time, in going upstairs and then coming back down again his weight shifted at some point and at the bottom of the stairs he felt like he was going to slide out of the sling. I don't know the details but I know he didn't fall out as the aide slowly slid him down her leg gently to the floor and called 911 to get him back in bed (he was a paraplegic). I don't know if he continued to use the sling after this and by the time I met him his sling days were over.
And that is the full extent of my knowledge about slings :)
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