Hello Community,
My husband is ready for a Sara Steady or something similar. Is Sara Steady just a brand name? Is there another model that works just as well that's not as expensive? I want something electric as I don't want to have to manually operate it. Trying to protect myself. Thanks for your help!
Anxious to hear the response you get from those experienced ... I have the same question!
Hi
There are quite a few ways to go with this. I am assuming you are in the US and have to buy?
With PSP/CBD the more the person uses their muscles the longer they will have use of them. When my Liz had a respite break in a nursing home they used a hoist. After just two weeks she could not raise herself to a standing position without it. It took a long tome to get most of that functionality back.
I have never seen a Sarah Steady, but many folk here have recommended them in the past.
For quite a few years we managed with a turning stand. The user pulls themselves upright, sometimes with a little assistance. It then it swivels round to the wheel chair and they sit.
completecareshop.co.uk/movi...
Warmly
Kevin
Hello Kevin hope you and Liz are ok. I often see if you reply to posts. I came on this site in May 18 under a different name can't recall it now, you were a massive support. After some time I closed the account as it all got too much.
Thanks again for your support
Hi Northstar1
Thank you.
I too have had tremendous support here. This site took me from being lost and confused and alone to managing.
It's a wonderful place 
I've just read some of your posts and how young your husband is. I do wish you both the best on this horrid, but do-able journey.
Warmly
Kevin
My heart lifted a little when I read your reply. I feel inspired...YES it is do-able.
What you described I think is the same as a Sara Stedy does, so might be a more affordable option.
Although we had a Sara Stedy supplied to us by OT's.
I has been sent back for a long time now.
Dx
had a sara steady for brian was the most useful thing i had , although his arms were very strong and he was able to stand. O T did give me an electric one as well to try at first but found sara better
Hi, don't know the brand name, have always called it Steady Sarah. Basically it's has Kevin discribes, something they can pull themselves up, you swivel it around and then they can sit where ever is needed. Steve alway kept the strength in his arms and was able to weight bear right up until the end, so we didn't need anything else. It changed Steve's life, as it gave him back a bit of control, due to needing to use other (undamaged) brain cells for the different action. Never heard of an electric version, wouldn't of thought it would made any difference, the only thing you need to do is steady it and swivel it around, which would have to happen with both.
Lots of love
Anne
Anne, How easy was it for you to move it? My husband still has some upper body strength and a good grip. I don't want anything that I have to hand crank to raise him up.
I didn’t have to much, except hold it, whilst Steve pulled himself, then I would swivel it around, on its wheels, so he could lower himself down. There is nothing to crank. Certainly stopped the freezing, trying to get him on to the toilet, he was only thinking about lowering himself down. Talk to your OT specialist.
Lots of love
Anne
Another concern I have is if he has upper body strength now but loses it later, I don't want to buy another lift. I want one that will work all the way through.
I can't advise you on that. All I can say is my husband never lost his strength and could use it right up until the last three days, when he stayed in bed. My personal view is, Steve had to use different neurons to enable him to do this new movement and they were still in tack. Everyone is different, their bodies strong in different ways. The Steady Sarah is not a lift, a bit more like a sack truck. Being in the UK, we were fortunate enough to have it provided free, but I would think the cost would be far less than a hoist, that you might never need.
Lots of love
Anne
I had a Lumex for my husband. It was far cheaper than a Sara Steady which is a brand name. The Lumex worked great for my husband and was around $500 on Amazon a couple of years ago. However, it was manual not automatic. I was able to move him around very easily even after I fell and broke my back. It was a life saver for my husband, me and my other caregivers. I honestly don't know what power would add to the ease of use. They do work much better on hard surfaces than they do on carpet though. We had been averaging about a fall a week before we got it and never had another fall while using it. I wished I had gotten it sooner.
If you google stand assist device you will see all of the different brands available. I don't think there's a lot of difference between. You also can watch videos showing how they work. I don't think it's necessary to overspend on one. Hope it works as well for you as it did for us.
Pat
Pat,
Most of these lifts are so large that I wouldn't be able to get it around the house. The Lumex is one of the smaller ones. Do you recall the model # of your Lumex?
Thanks, Joy
Hi Joy,
I believe it was the LF1600. I don't remember being aware of a model no. at the time, but it was the most basic model they had which worked perfectly for us. It easily fits through any standard interior doorway. It rolls right up to the toilet with one leg on each side so there's no chance of falling. I hope it works as well for you as it did for us. I looked it up on line to get the number and see that it still sells for right at $500. It was a godsend for me and my husband's other caregivers. A word of warning though. My husband called it evil for the first week, but we told him it was a keeper and he'd have to adjust. He came around after a few days. I think it was probably a little disorienting for him because of his balance issues. We were careful to keep him going forward as much as possible. Instead of him going backward, we went backward instead where possible. Good luck with whatever you choose.
Pat
Pat,
I was just about settled on the Lumex LF 1600 and then realized that I can't get the legs under the lift recliner. The recliner has a metal base so the legs couldn't go under it. I am so disappointed.
Open to any other ideas you may have. It seems to be a constant state of adjustment when new symptoms come up and we have to figure out how to work with them.
Journey, do you have any access through your health plan to an OT assessment? If so, it's a really good idea. They know equipment and what should work best...?
Anne G.
Anne,
Yes, the OT is working on this and I'm also doing my own research. Apparently there are several brands and people seem to like the Sara Stedy. I am looking into that. I don't know if I need an electric or if a manual will work. I have to be careful that I do not injure myself and if I have to pay the extra for an electric, I will do that. Very expensive - $4,000. Medicare does not cover it.
Joy,
I see what you mean. If you are going to be using the Lumex, do you really need a lift recliner? My husband hated recliners so he always sat in a regular chair which worked great. Some other recliners might work too. I think it would depend on how they are constructed. Hope you can work it out.
Pat
We bought the recliner four months ago because he needed it at that time. Now it's in the way of a Lumex. He sits in it a good share of the day and also sleeps in it at night now. He ends up in pain if he sleeps in our bed. Another loss along the way.
I wish there was a guidebook for this disease so we'd know what to buy and when. My garage is filling up with walkers, wheelchairs, shower chair etc. All this equipment that is useful for a short period of time.
I just found another gadget online called "Etac Turner Pro." It looks like it might work as long as it doesn't turn too much on its own and throw him off balance. Take a look at it.
Pat, I'm sorry. I just re-read your post and it sounds like your husband is no longer with you. Is that right?
Joy
Joy,
You're right, sadly, my husband passed away on May 17th.
I did look at the etac. It does look like it could work if your husband doesn't list to the side like my husband did later on. I hear you about all the stuff you go through trying to solve all of the problems as they come up. I caution people all the time not to overspend on stuff because their needs change pretty fast and you're stuck with a lot of useless equipment. I see that you have access to an Occupational Therapist. They are great at coming up with solutions and usually are careful about recommending equipment that is too costly to use for such a short time. I had a heck of a time getting one who wasn't tied to a rehab facility who would come out and do an evaluation. Hospice was actually the one who found an OT for me.
One other possibility, would you consider a used recliner that would accept the Lumex? There's always Craigslist or consignment stores for something like that. I know when I've needed to get rid of used furniture, I've practically had to pay someone to take it so it may be another solution for you. I caution people all the time not to overspend on equipment because their needs change so often and then you're stuck with it. We got pretty creative with some of our solutions for my husband and I'm glad we did. I know what a difference the Lumex made for us or I wouldn't push you to try to work that out. The safety factor was worth a lot and I worry that the etac would be a fall risk. The fellow demo'ing it was obviously physically fit. As my husband's left leg contracted, he leaned farther and farther to the left. We were still able to safely use the Lumex until he wasn't able to bear weight on that leg at all. Other than that, I don't know anything to suggest. That's all we had experience with. Since no two people seem to follow the same path, your husband may never have that problem. It's so hard to know what will happen until it does.
Good luck with whatever you choose. I hope you will keep us all posted. Any information you come up with may solve a problem for someone else. I'll be thinking of you.
Take care,
Pat
The Sarah steady is a godsend and very easy to manoeuvre with very little strain on the carer. Luckily ours was supplied to us by the NHS.
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