Hospice has ordered a Hoyer Lift to be delivered for my husband today. This scares me...I know they are going to show me how to use it, however, will I be able to understand & do it myself? I know Jane uses this method.
kadee you will be a pro in notime. so many things we have to learn about this disease. once you get the hang (ok pun intended:) of it, you will probably wonder why you didnt get it earlier. i know jane is a pro at it too and she will more than likely be able to give you pointers along the way. trust your abilities::)) you have made it this far and over many hurdles. divvi
The firsts are always a little frightening... we use the Vanderlift with Lynn. Same idea just a different company. I have helped them many times, but to do it alone, I know I would be nervous at first! You Go Girl!! It is amazing what we find we are capable of!
Nellie, We transport my husband with the Hoyer Lift. I have done it by myself once, when my help canceled. I have carpet, so it wasn't easy, however, I did it. You really need 2 people.
My home aid and I tried it. Chains weren't properly distributed he slip out of chair onto floor. We just hooked back up and placed back in bed. I want to be able to work this by myself so I need more training. Some times I get po'd at my help and think I'm wonderwoman nut I am determined to do this!
What type of Lift do you have? My husbands is a Reliant 450 from Invacare. It comes with a netting type sling that has 4 or 5 straps for positions that we attach, it also has a weight scale.
Don't know brand hospice brought out, has netting sling that u attach shorter chains at top and longer at bottom, suppose to raise in sitting position. I had taken chain off and didn't replace correctly. More training tomorrow you can be sure.
Thought I would add my two cents. I have had the Hoyer lift for quite some time now and am so glad that I learned how to use it. You may want to do some talk out loud, practice using the lift and moving it around to know how it feels and be comfortable with it. Sounds like you have the chrome one and that is a good thing. I also had to use the Drive lift which was steel and extremely heavy.
One point that many people don't think about and that is your flooring. If you have carpeting, you may want to consider putting in another flooring or get some heavy plastic panels like they use in offices or plywood. Flooring change is the best. I am so glad I did this ahead of time. Even though my dh is now bedridden, I still use the lift to change the bed. I just hoist him above the bed a few inches and make the changes. Another issue I had was that the slings they gave us were too small for my dh. I finally was able to get a larger one which is thick and big enough for him to sit comfortably. He slipped out of the smaller sling but luckily, no real harm was done at that time.
If the hydrolic ever loses pressure, make sure you call the company right away and have it exchanged. Many people get the lift and then don't use it. The more you use it, the more comfortable you will be with it. Also make sure you get used to opening it all the way so that the balance is correct. Practice, practice. Just like driving your car - you need to get a feel for it. If you get nervous, your spouse will also. Take a deep breath. If you need more guidance, a person will come out and help you again. Don't be afraid to ask. Good luck.