As medical technology advances, long term care facilities must be equipped with the appropriate patient lifts to ensure that patients receive comfortable and safe transfers. With the wide range of lift types now available on the market, it is important for facility staff to understand each type of lift and how they’re best used.
In this article, we’ll explore different types of lifts for long term care facilities to help you make an informed decision when selecting patient lifts.
Types of Patient Lifts Long-Term Care Facilities Need
With varying types of patient lifts available, caregivers and patients alike can find the solution that best suits their needs. From floor-to-ceiling support to sit-stand functionality, these devices provide significant assistance while protecting both user’s bodies from excessive strain.
Floor Lifts
Floor lifts can be a useful tool in long term care facilities, increasing the quality of care and allowing for safer working environments. Floor lifts are designed to provide efficient patient transportation and transfer, with limited manual lifting from caregivers. The ergonomic design of floor lifts help reduce the risk of injury among workers as they move patients within their environment.
Floor lifts also help to improve patient comfort and safety by providing a smooth ride for patients rather than relying on other support strategies that may trigger jarring movements. Floor lifts are easily accessible, adjustable and scalable, making them ideal solutions to support many different patient populations within long term care facilities – such as those in need of bariatric weight-bearing capacity.
For example, Hoyer Floor Lifts are versatile, heavy-duty lifts that can easily handle a variety of patient handling needs. It includes all the features of a premium patient lift at a price you would expect to pay for a mid-range patient lift.
Ceiling Lifts
Ceiling lifts are invaluable tools for long-term care facilities. These innovative lifts are designed to lift patients from their beds or wheelchairs and transfer them to another location in the facility, such as a bathtub or chair. Ceiling lifts have improved the quality of residents’ lives by eliminating the manual lifting of patients, resulting in significant reductions in musculoskeletal injuries for both staff and clients.
Ceiling lifts are also regarded as one of the most versatile tools in therapy gyms for gait training. In addition to allowing therapists to transfer patients safely and efficiently, ceiling lifts also reduce strain on both the patient and the physical therapist by suspending the patient’s body weight from a secure system set into the ceiling.
These systems are extremely customizable for any type of rehabilitation setting and provide an unobtrusive appearance that leaves more room for other therapy equipment. By utilizing these adjustable mechanisms, physical therapists can easily “set it and forget it” so that they can continue to concentrate on proper gait instruction and training with less interruption.
For healthcare facilities in need of a more flexible ceiling lift solution, the Hoyer Elara is strongly recommended. Hoyer Elara’s innovative system allows the patient lift to be easily moved between rooms within the facility, allowing the lift to remain with the patient. This means healthcare teams can finally enjoy the convenience of a truly mobile ceiling lift solution.
Sit-To-Stand Lifts
Powered sit-to-stand lifts use an electric motor system to lift patients from a seated position, allowing patients to safely transition between their seated and standing positions. This enables patients with physical limitations to receive the additional support they need to stand, walk, or transfer into beds or wheelchairs.
Standing lifts allow for smooth vertical movement with height adjustment, tilt options, footplates, leg supports, padded seats, and more. With these features, stand aid lifts reduce friction on sensitive areas like the back which can be useful in helping reduce skin tears.
With ergonomic design and easy maneuverability, powered sit-to-stand lifts make moving around much easier than traditional methods. They are also designed to provide superior comfort, durability and safety for users who rely on them to carry out everyday activities.
Stand-Aid Lifts
Stand-aid lifts are an essential piece of medical equipment that should be used in long-term care to facilitate safe transfers from the bed to a wheelchair (or other pieces of equipment). They’re designed with comfort and safety in mind and feature a range of features for better safety and control for both the patient and caregiver.
While stand-aid lifts are increasingly popular in long-term care facilities, most stand-aid lifts do not provide a weight-bearing aid, are difficult for a bilateral or unilateral amputee to use, and can be challenging to move with bariatric patients. To overcome these challenges, Hoyer stand-aid lift systems are designed to navigate these unique challenges.
Hoyer stand aids support a wide range of patient heights and sizes, allowing facilities to have one lift that meets the needs of many.
Choosing The Right Type Of Lift For Your Facility’s Needs
When it comes to choosing the right lift for your long term care facility, there are a few key factors to keep in mind. It’s important to start by considering the type of patients who will be using the lift. For example, if you care for mobility-impaired patients, you’ll need a lift that can accommodate their needs. Next you want to think about the size and layout of your facility. A smaller facility might not have the space for a large floor based lift, while a larger facility might need multiple lifts to cover all of the patient rooms.
Finally, factor in your budget. Fortunately, there are a variety of lifts available at different price points, so you should be able to find one that fits your needs and your budget. By choosing the right lift for your facility, you can improve patient care and make your job easier.
Using Patient Lifts in Your Facility
Although patient lifts may be seen as a cost center in some healthcare settings, the benefits of using them often outweigh the costs. Injuries to patients and staff can be reduced when patient lifts are used properly, leading to increased productivity and fewer state fines and penalties.
