Lifts, most commonly called personal lifts or patient lifts, are lifting aids used in medicine and the care of people with disabilities. Lifts are usually used when a disability or physical limitation causes the patient to have severely limited mobility.
What are lifts?
For example, some lifters help people with limited mobility to get into the bathtub or shower on their own without difficulty, while others help them “climb stairs” (stair lifts). Today, lifts are mostly electrical or hand-operated lifting aids used to lift or transport people with physical disabilities and associated mobility limitations. The first lifting aids used to move and lift injured and mobility-impaired patients or people with physical disabilities that are comparable to today’s date back to the 18th century. But even before that, hospitals, patient care businesses, or family caregivers made use of things like leverage to lift and transport physically limited patients. Initially, however, the first official lifting aids were used primarily in hospitals. For this reason, too, the lifting aid was still called a patient lift at that time. And: In most cases, it was operated with pure muscle power at that time. However, the lifting aid reduced the need for muscle power due to the way it was constructed. Lifters as we know them today, which make everyday life easier for users, were very rare or even non-existent back then. Today, most lifts are equipped with electrically or hydraulically operated lifting mechanisms that lift and often also transport patients – for example, by means of a swivel arm. This is not only safer for patients, but also physically gentler for the people who care for and provide care to people with disabilities. Among other things, lifts are intended to prevent back injuries and overloading for nursing staff and family caregivers.
Shapes, types and types
Modern lifting aids come in a wide variety of shapes, types and styles: for example, with a seat, a stretcher, with straps or a sling. The reason for this is primarily that the requirements and types of use of lifts can be fundamentally different. For one thing, it depends on how severely the patient who is to be lifted or transported has limited mobility. Then there are things like the patient’s physical condition, weight and also possible physical injuries. All of these aspects must be considered when choosing the right lifting aid. For example, some lifts help people with limited mobility to get into the bathtub or shower on their own without difficulty, while others help them “climb stairs” (stair lifts). Still other lifts are specifically designed for people who care for and attend to patients with disabilities and physical limitations. So, using the right lift model, today it is also possible to lift a completely immobile patient without their assistance at all and move them from one place to another.
Structure and mode of operation
Modern lifts today consist, on the one hand, of the lifting surface in which the patient is located during use (seat, stretcher, belt system, sling) and, on the other hand, of an electrically or manually operated lifting mechanism, which, depending on the type of lift and its area of application, is located in various places (under the lifting surface, above it or next to it). Models designed for horizontal transfer are usually equipped with a swivel arm, trolley or rails. The lifting mechanism is usually controlled by a hand switch, which is connected to the control unit of the lifter by a flexible spiral cable. This allows easy and individual use of the lift, even in the course of movement. Lateral movements, on the other hand, are still mainly performed by hand swiveling, even with modern lifts. In completely hand-operated devices, however, the lift is operated by modern hydraulics, which can be used by means of a pump lever or a crank mechanism.
Medical and health benefits
Lifting aids still have the purpose of making it easier to lift and transport people with physical disabilities and physical limitations in a way that is gentler and safer for the patient. In addition, however, the care and nursing of patients with physical disabilities is thus easier and less stressful for the people caring for them. By using the right lift, not only the patient’s bones, muscles and joints are protected during lifting and transport, but also those of the caregiver. In addition, pure lifting aids and also other widely used types of lifts (such as the stair lift or the bathtub and shower lift), have taken on a decisive role in the everyday lives of people with disabilities today. They often make it possible for people with disabilities to lead at least a semi-independent life and help them to overcome small hurdles in everyday life. These types of lifts are now also used by seniors who want to retain some of their mobility and thus their quality of life even in old age.
