Patient lifts give freedom and increased mobility, and it's important to learn how to use them properly, to avoid injury. The patient lift is not complicated, but to get the most out of it, here are ten things you should do before using one.
- Read about how the machine operates. Get familiar with the names of the parts and what they do. If you know how it works it will give you greater confidence in working it. Don’t just pull on parts until it starts doing what you want. Many lifts have more than one handle. Do you know why?
- If operating the lift for someone else, understand the steps for getting the user onto the lift. Many pages online explain this process, so familiarize yourself with them.
- Make sure the lift is stable. Never operate the lift on a tilted surface, as this can throw it off balance. The legs can be spread further apart or tightened together. The wider the legs, the more stability you will have. Don’t put anyone in t
he lift unless the legs are locked at their widest position. - The part of the lift you sit in is called a sling. Slings are sold separately from lifts, so make sure the two pieces match. Consult a physician about which size and type would be appropriate for the user. There’s a wide selection of lifts and slings for many different needs.
- Check the sling before use for any damage or wear. Even though slings are heavy duty, this is still a good idea. Lifting someone in the air requires caution. When people are suspended from zip lines, the operator is required to check their safety harness every time. The principle is the same with patient lifts. You wouldn’t want to be sent across a zip line on an unmaintained safety harness, so don’t suspend someone in the patient lift without thoroughly inspecting the sling.
- We offer different types of patient lifts for people with diverse needs. A few people who choose to use this machine have enough mobility to operate it themselves, while others need more assistance. If you are operating the lift for someone else, it’s important to know what they’re feeling. Try sitting in it yourself while someone else operates it. How does it feel? What can you do to make the transfer easier? Finding this out for yourself helps you empathize with the person you’re lifting. You can then have a better dialogue with them while you’re transferring them.
- Even though working the lift is easy, you may find it more difficult to get the user into the sling. Practice good lifting techniques before lifting someone else. Just as you have to be careful moving furniture so you don’t hurt yourself, you should be careful moving the user into the sling. Use your legs, keep your back straight, and don’t twist your body. Otherwise, you risk injuring your back.
- Practice using the lift with a person of full body mobility first. This will help you get used to the way the lift feels with another person’s weight. If you do something wrong, the chances are much less that you will hurt them.
- Don’t try to operate the lift for the first time without help. When gymnasts, acrobats, and cheerleaders learn new ways of moving their bodies, they appoint a spotter to observe and make sure they don’t fall and injure themselves. When you start using a lift, you should use a spotter too. If people with full body mobility need others to make sure they don’t hurt themselves when learning new movements, so do people learning to use a lift.
- If operating the patient lift for someone else, explain to the other person the process you’ll go through to lift them. This will show them respect and help them feel more secure. If you’ve practiced using the machine yourself and with others, you should already be familiar with the way it works and how it will feel to the person sitting in it.
