Transfer aids

[shelly21]

Morning. I wonder if someone could explain re transfer aids please. Its getting harder for me and my partner getting me up into my wheelchair. We have not got loads of space.

Also my partner injured his wrist badly in January and its still not great.

We might have to fund a hoist ourselves because I've waited 8 months for a powerchair assessment and 4 months for a seat pad.

I didn't want to keep replacing them if a mobile hoist will see me through. Also does anyone have experience with the fold away mobile hoists please.

[JamesW]

Hi Shelly,

Can you still weight bear on your legs even if you struggle to walk? If so you could use a stand aid rather than a hoist?

Also you should not have to fund a hoist to perform a transfer in your home. If you wish to perform a transfer outside of your home then that is different and you would require a grant and/or your own funding. Your OT should be referring you to your local council who (as far as I’m aware) should install you a track hoist free of charge. My OT’s (One from the Neuro team and one from the local council) installed a track hoist nearly 12 months ahead of me needing it. You are responsible on the maintenance for these in some circumstances once installed.

Your OT should be referring you for a powerchair based on your mobility needs in your home and outdoors. They will refer you to your local Wheelchair service provider who will invite you for an assessment. This process should not take that long…… in fact the maximum time window from referral to final delivery of a power chair is 4 months (3 if it is urgent). From what you have said I think you should be going back to your OT?

Do you know who your local wheelchair services provider is?

I hope I have understood your problem correctly?
Take care
James x

[denise]

I thought we would be able to have a mobile hoist but our flat is regarded as too small. We have quite big rooms so I'd be surprised if any one has big enough living space to use one.

[Deb]

Hi shelly21,

As James says your OT should be assessing how you transfer and organising the aids you require. I cannot weight bear or move my legs at all but I still transfer sideways and my hubby lifts my legs.i can move from bed to shower chair to riser recliner and then to my powerchair like this. I sometimes use a transfer board but again I need help.

Whe my OT saw how we transferred she said if, for example, Stuart hurt his back then carers would not be allowed to do what he does and would need a hoist.She said there was no need to order one as she could get one fairly quickly. When we went to the MND clinic they said we should have one now because I would be stuck in bed waiting. They are very experienced in staying ahead of the game. It did take a few weeks and then we had training.

It is fairly large however if you are short of space.
Love Debbie x

[Tabbycat]

Contact your OT, any OT (Social Services or Health) will put you in contact with the correct service in your area.

The OT will assess your needs and home situation and provide, free of charge, the hoist that best meets your need. In the area I live all maintenance and repairs are also provided free.

The wheelchair is provided by a separately funded service, so the waiting times will be very different to other equipment.

8-months for a power chair assessment is shocking, I think you should be making a complaint.

[Ellie]

shelly21 *IF* your OT shamefully doesn't provide...

... Depending on your ability, a patient turner or standing hoist is best, given your partner's wrist problem.

For the patient turner, you need perfect balance and very good upper body strength. They are small, turn on their own axis and many pack away - example:

image.png

A folding standing hoist is usually as good as its non-folding counterpart - I used one a few years ago and had no complaints. A standing hoist wins over a patient turner in its longevity because it can be used for as long as you can weight bear and have adequate upper body strength. You don't need to be able to retain your balance nor to hold on to the bars because the sling helps support your upper body.

Don't forget to apply for an MNDA grant if you are self-funding. xx

[Aidan in Shrewsbury]

Hi, it’s Aidans wife (carer) here. We have ended up hiring a hoist system as our living space is carpeted. The space was not suitable for a mobile hoist which would have been provided free, because the OT said it would not be safe for me to use on my own. The interesting thing is that it is free standing around the edges of the room. It therefore covers the whole space, and we have not had to drill into ceilings or walls. It works very well. I feel a lot more confident helping Aidan get safely into bed at night when he is very tired and has little mobility.

[shelly21]

Thank you everyone. My OT is the one I chased when I hadn't heard from wheelchair services. I can weigher and with tom holding me I then shuffle a few steps. But legs getting very weak so I will re contact OT.

I wasn't aware council supplied hoists. I will look into that for surfor my partner earns a decent wage so I didn't think we were entitled to anything.

[JamesW]

I wasn't aware council supplied hoists. I will look into that for surfor my partner earns a decent wage so I didn't think we were entitled to anything.

I think you will probably need your Neuro OT to refer you to the Council OT, i’m not sure if you can self refer there? They should be doing it anyway just as part of getting equipment you actually need.

Also there was no means test for any of the equipment I’ve had through the Council OT (via Medequip) which also included my ramp outside the house and also my camel lift when I had one.

[Ellie]

Can you still weight bear on your legs even if you struggle to walk? If so you could use a stand aid rather than a hoist?

There are two types of hoists James, full/passive hoists and standing hoists for people who can weight bear. xx

[MMG]

We have a technically portable but fitted hoist that "stands" on two supports and fits the full width of the room against the ceiling but not permanently secured. We would not have been provided with a ceiling track hoist as in our area it is deemed an adaptation and therefore means tested which we would not qualify for. Limit is household savings of no more than £6k. The household includes my son and daughter in law who have saved up for a house deposit and they would be expected to pay for the hoist if a permanent fitment. Also combined annual salaries have to be less than £23k. With three adults working that is very easily exceeded. So no chance of council help. Different councils have different rules.

We were advised that a mobile hoist takes up a lot of room, 1.2m wide when in use, we just didn't have room for that.


One person can easily use the hoist, but rolling to get sling on and off is definitely a two person job.

we used the molift pictured in Ellis Post for some time with ease until strength went in his legs. Got it initially (via OT) when I broke my leg and couldn't support him without it.

[Tabbycat]

We have a technically portable but fitted hoist that "stands" on two supports and fits the full width of the room against the ceiling but not permanently secure

This sounds like a Gantry Hoist. As it's not a permanent fixture (it's loan equipment) and therefore not means tested.

I think you will probably need your Neuro OT to refer you to the Council OT, i’m not sure if you can self refer there?

JamesW It should be possible to self refer to council OT.

You would usually need a GP or Consultant to refer you to access a Health employed OT. But as you say the Neuro team should be making these referrals as routine, but sadly it seems from posts on this Forum, some neuro services fall short of this standard 😕

[fjay]

If you're only just losing the ability to transfer to the wheelchair without some equipment - then the transfer aid Ellie mentioned is good option. The one in the photo looks like a Molift Raiser. Here's a video showing it in use without, and then with, the assistance strap...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAcqGPOEPCo

Next step if your strength isn't sufficient for this would be a mobile standing hoist. As Ellie has said - mobile standing hoists can be used for quite some time - but you need some weight bearing ability in your legs, and some upper body strength.

Mobile hoists etc generally come from the NHS OT team (not council). But if you're waiting for one to be provided it is possible to rent equipment like this. E.g. we had good experiences renting from this company...

https://directmobility.co.uk/product/patient-standing-hoist-invacare-reliant-350-isa/

If you have carers, you will find most care providers insist that a standing hoist can only be used with 2 carers. But personally I found it could be easily operated by one carer.

[shelly21]

fjay thank you so much. We had a safe way at the moment of getting me up from chair/bed into wheelchair. However I have lost strength in my legs. I've had to up baclofen and Ellie warned me of muscle weakness.

Me and Tom have watched the video and think the molift would work well especially with the bum strap. I have only 1 good arm and that is weakening.

I will definitely rent one if it came to waiting for months.

My OT hasn't visited for months. I have to ask and nag for anything. But I will be emailing the team this week.

[shelly21]

MMG I'm in Dudley council and know we also wouldn't get a grant.

Your option re hoist sounds great for us in the future. I've just been looking at them. Did you self fund yours?

x