Patient lifts typically come in the form of mechanical lift equipment used to get patients up from the floor following a fall. Generally, when a healthcare worker wants to safely transfer a patient horizontally or vertically, the worker will frequently ask somebody to bring a “patient lift”. Patient lifts are sold by a variety of companies, including Hoyer®, Liko (Hill-Rom), Riftom, ArjoHuntleigh, and EZ Way.
Patient lifts and other safe patient handling equipment are now required at many healthcare facilities. Some states have laws in place that require the presence and use of safe patient handling equipment in acute care settings. The reason arises from research that shows repetitive manual lifting results in cumulative trauma to the spine of nurses and other patient caregivers.
While patient lifts and other mechanical patient transfer devices are often ideal for the hospital setting to recover patients who have fallen, they often have limitations outside of the healthcare setting:
- In the home, passive patient lifts are not generally affordable to the average senior attempting to age in place and may cost thousands of dollars when motorized.
- Patient lifts require slings, which are an additional expense, and are not be easy to adjust for those unfamiliar with medical equipment and no medical experience.
- In the home, the large foot print of mechanical lifts and similar equipment may not be practical, especially considering that most falls occur near the bedroom and bathroom where a floor recovery device would best be placed in event of a fall.
The ResQUp device has several potential advantages over a mechanical lift and similar equipment for those who fall while aging in place in the home. In particular:
- The ResQUp is a fraction of the cost of a mechanical lift;
- The fallen actively raises themselves with little or no assistance rather than passively being lifted – an important point for Physical Therapists;
- No slings are required using a ResQUp;
- The ResQUp can be used in a very small space compared to a mechanical lift and similar equipment;
- The ResQUp requires only brief instructions and familiarization prior to use; and
- The ResQUp can be utilized for activities of daily living, such as getting down to the floor to play with a grandchild, change the kitty litter, or do floor exercises, etc.
