Transferring from lift chair

[journeyofjoy]

I've been researching standing devices for my husband and have had many helpful suggestions from this community. Have looked at Sara Stedy and also Lumex. I just realized, however, that these will not work with his lift recliner. The base of the recliner will not allow the legs of the device to go under the chair. Feeling discouraged.

He can pull himself up and stand but moving his "frozen" feet the short distance to his wheelchair is very difficult and I'm afraid may be impossible one day soon.

Any suggestions out there? I'm stumped and hoping someone has the answer!

[Boyce3600]

I'm in sort of a similar boat my husband does not have a lift chair although it has been mentioned to me actually in the last week he has a customized wheelchair I can no longer transfer him from it or from any place I've ruined my tendons in my hands and everything I just I can't do it so I'm looking into an easy beasy transfer board it's easybeasy.com.

I'm not sure that's going to help I looked at those Sarah Stedys and they are amazing but I have not measured in my house my doorways are not huge they're just normal size and I need something to be able to be independent mysel with so.e if his care ....so that I don't have to have somebody here all the time just when I want to transfer him.it's costing a lot of money as you know I'll be watching this post good luck

[journeyofjoy in reply to Boyce3600]

I am also trying to do everything I can to take care of him myself. We have a caregiver 16 hours/week which is very helpful. Trying to figure things out as symptoms arise.

[Boyce3600]

One question about that lift chair when it's totally lifted is he able to put pressure on his feet to remain in position so that he doesn't slide onto the floor

[journeyofjoy in reply to Boyce3600]

He has a "stander pole" by the chair that he uses to pull himself up and hang onto. He wouldn't be able to use the lift chair without it. Just as you are saying, he wouldn't be steady. He doesn't have feeling in his feet and one foot doesn't really stay flat on the floor. It kind of wants to float.

The trouble we're having now is that after he's up, he has to pivot around to get into the wheelchair. It sometimes takes 15 minutes for him to move about 12-18" to get turned around and be able to sit in the wheelchair. I am very concerned that he won't be able to take these tiny steps one of these days.

[Westerngirl in reply to journeyofjoy]

I know what you mean.That pivoting can be so difficult and you need very strong arms.I always say I need to be two people.We are just managing it.Today is my mum's funeral and I am dreading all the chair to wheelchair transfers.It is sort of colouring the day.

[journeyofjoy in reply to Westerngirl]

Oh I am sorry. Your mum's funeral. So very hard. Are you caregiving for someone else?

[Westerngirl in reply to journeyofjoy]

Sorry,yes.My husband who has psp.

[journeyofjoy in reply to Westerngirl]

I'm sorry you have so much to deal with at once. Losing your mum and caring for your husband. I hope you sleep well at night. I get worn out but am so thankful that both my husband and I get a good night's rest.

[AK731 in reply to journeyofjoy]

I had a swivel pad for my husband to get in the car. He would stand on it and I would physically turn him so he could sit. in the car. We then had a swivel seat in the car so he could swivel and sit straight facing front. Hope this makes sense. We are Aussies.

[Patsylorium in reply to AK731]

That sounds fantastic. My husband has PSP and has been in hospital with a broken hip and half hip replacement for 6 weeks now. He can stand but I am having trouble turning him. He can't come home until I can manage him and I think that the swivel pad to stand on and also on the chair would be very helpful We are also Aussies. Was the floor pad meant to be for the floor or is it a seat one that you are using for the floor?

Thank you

[Mamacass58 in reply to Patsylorium]

Our PCA company recommended something like this: avacaremedical.com/safetysu...

[AnneandChris]

Hello there

We have a rise and recline chair and use a Sara Steady. The base has two pedals which when operated open out the supports, thus making it possible to get close to the chair.

I hope this reassures you and that you get one as it is invaluable.

Keep on keeping on

Anne

[Boyce3600 in reply to AnneandChris]

May I ask where you purchased it the Sera Stedy. Also what is a rise and recline chair is that a wheelchair or a comfy recliner

[journeyofjoy in reply to Boyce3600]

We haven't purchased one yet. I'm still researching it. A lift recliner is a comfy chair that allows you to either sit up or recline with a raised foot rest. It's electric and the chair can raise you up to a standing position if it's difficult to get out of your chair.

[Kevin_1]

Hi

Im not to sure what a lift recliner is. I'm guessing its a powered reclining chair which lifts forward?

If so and if it stands on say four feet you could look at 'feet' to go under the chair to raise it a few centimetres/inches, so that the legs can fit underneath it.

completecareshop.co.uk/chai...

I hope this is of some use.

Best

Kevin

[Dadshelper in reply to Kevin_1]

Kevin your are correct in the guess. The lift recliner raises and tilts forward allowing the person seated to come up to nearly a standing position without doing any work. Dad had one and we found out rather quickly socks and hardwood floors don't work Luckily I was there and helped guide him onto the floor as his feet slid out and he landed on his butt.

Back to the original issue. What if you skipped the Stand device and went straight to a sling lift, called a Hoyer lift in US. There will come a time when he can't stand and the stand device is not going to help. A lift can be used anytime. I am just thinking ahead.........

Ron

[Kevin_1 in reply to Dadshelper]

Hi Ron

I hated those falls. Slow motion heart sinks! Great you were there.

The thing with using something like a Hoyer Lift before it is really necessary is that the person stops using muscles and with PSP that functioning is hard to get back. Liz went on a respite break to a nursing home where they used one all of the time. After two weeks she had lost the ability to stand using a turning stand. She eventually got some of the functioning back.

She is now at the point where she can only be lifted with a Hoyer type device.

Is it worth getting an O.T. in to advise?

Best to you.

Kevin

[AnneandChris in reply to Kevin_1]

Kevin

I so agree, we are trying to keep Chris as mobile as possible for as long as possible. He is still able to stand and turn 90° from either his bed or one of his two rise recliners and can just about manage from a wheel chair onto the loo either with me or one carer.

We used the Sara Steady a few weeks ago when he was under the weather with a minor infection (again). It was invaluable and I'm sure will be used more as his mobility declines. Hopefully we are a little way off needing a hoist, but OT are ready to supply one as and when. We seem to be better off here in the UK with the dear old NHS coming up with equipment when it is needed.

I can reassure our friends on the other side of the pond however that a stand easy/Sara steady is usable with low based chairs as it's base extends outwards at an angle so that it can be moved close enough to be used. I'll try to post some pics tomorrow, its the middle of the night here!

Hope this helps, keep on keeping on.

Anne

[Boyce3600 in reply to AnneandChris]

thank.u . this info is very valuable. get some sleep.

looking forward to the pictures. wondering if Sara Steady is less expensive if ordered from ur side. here it is 3,000 US dollars. There are similar ones for less however.

[AnneandChris in reply to Boyce3600]

I couldn't attach photos, but have posted two pics under a separate heading, Sara Steady. It goes through standard doorways and is easy to manoeuvre. Hope this helps

Anne

[journeyofjoy in reply to AnneandChris]

Anne, I can't find the pictures. What is the title of the heading?

[AnneandChris in reply to journeyofjoy]

Sara Steady queries and Sara Steady. Hope you find them.

[journeyofjoy in reply to AnneandChris]

Dear Anne,

I did find one of the pictures. Thank you. After much research and thought, I've decided to buy the Sara Stedy (manual). My son came over today and helped me sort through all the options. I will call the manufacturer's rep tomorrow to discuss measurements of my hubby's recliner to make sure it will work. This takes a lot of effort to research and make these decisions - and there are a lot of them.

Thank you and everyone else for all your input on this matter. I just hope this Sara Stedy will work for him for a long time. It's hard to tell. I just went out to the garage and looked at all the equipment we've gone through so far. Things work for a short time and then you move on. Doing everything I can to keep my husband at home.

I'm so thankful for the people on this site.

Many blessings to all of you, Joy

[Boyce3600 in reply to journeyofjoy]

i am with u on doing everything you can to keep your husband at home I'm sure you can imagine the number of people that tell me why don't you just put him somewhere why are you going through all this they don't get it do they I hope everything works and I will definitely be following to see how it turns out I'm in your boat and considering transfer boards etcetera Etc I have a very small space and so it's extremely hard

[journeyofjoy in reply to AnneandChris]

Looking forward to pictures, Anne. If it extends out beyond the chair, it seems that it would take up an enormous amount of space. Figuring this out is not easy. I wish there was a textbook for navigating this new life and a list of all the tools we will need.

[journeyofjoy in reply to Dadshelper]

Thanks for the suggestion. I don't want to go to a Hoyer lift until he really needs one. Hoping to put that off as long as possible.

[journeyofjoy in reply to Kevin_1]

I thought of that, Kevin, but the chair would be too high for him. It's already a bit high.

[Kevin_1 in reply to journeyofjoy]

Hi Journeyof joy

Sorry to hear that.

Have you seen Anne's post today on the Sarah Steady?

(I can see your researching them). They do look superb.

Otherwise this is what we used and they get really close in.

activemobility.co.uk/stand-...

Good luck.

Kevin

[Birdman34265]

Hi,we use a Sarah stedy for moving from lazyboy chair to wheelchair,as Kathy can stand and hang on the top bar it's very useful,l had to raise the chair with a 4x2 timber block underneath, cause the Sarah stedy legs are 90mm high ,as the stedy is 70mm high it works, hope it helps.

Peter

[Caz49]

My husband had a Sarah Stedy after a fall that left him an incomplete quadriplegic. We also used it after he was diagnosed with PSP. I really don't know what I would have done without it. The legs on the the Sarah Stedy wouldn't fit under his lift seat but would open out and go around it. It would also go around his wheelchair. Maybe you could have a home visit from a place that provides this type of equipment. We live in Australia and after visiting a local shop selling equipment for disabled, I was shown a slightly smaller and cheaper version of the Sarah Stedy, but as we already had one didn't worry about it.

Hoping this helps.

Regards, Caz

[Halftimeoranges]

My dad has a Sara steady - by lift recliner do you mean a chair that reclines / moves forward? If so dads sara steady works, as on the newer versions the leg width can extend and narrow. So it can widen to go over a chair or a toilet and narrow to go through doors. The chair has to be slightly lifted for the Sara it to sit under the mechanics of the chair but it does fit.

[Dahlia224]

My Dad had a lift recliner and we used a Rotalite stand which fit snuggly to the bar under the chair and provided a turning aid onto the wheelchair. When my Dad could no llonger stand unsupported we moved to a Pallas Stand. The Legs on the Pallas Stand would open wide enough to fit around the outside of the chair.

Hope this helps in some way, good luck.

[Khartt]

Our problem is after standing. Trying to turn because feet are stuck, then trying to sit because of freezing. Hubs fell with caregiver trying to transfer, and broke four ribs. He’s now been in rehab for a week. Here, we are learning to transfer without standing, using a slide board . From bed to wheelchair, wheelchair to lift recliner. They come in different sizes, here they use 8”x 30”, seems to be working , just having to re-train the brain (his and mine)

[Dahlia224]

The Rotalite Stand has a turning wheel. My Dad used to hold on to two bars feet on footplate In seated position. He would then stand, when he did not have the strength/ power in his legs we used the lift/ raise mechanism on the chair to bring to standing position. You then rotate the Rotalite Stand, in this case with my Dad upright and holding and then lower onto a waiting and well positioned wheelchair. No movement of feet was required by my Dad to turn as the stand does that for you by way of lever and turning circle. We also used it from wheelchair to toilet/ from chair to shower chair etc. It was a valuable piece of equipment that gave my Dad some control. When he lost the ability to hold on we then moved to the Pallas stand with a sling and electronic movement to support and bring to standing position.

Hope this makes sense - it is always difficult to explain and know if it will suit your needs.

Best wishes