According to the statistics provided by the Disability Compendium, in the United States alone, nearly 42,602 individuals are currently living with some kind of physical disability. Many among them are suffering from mobility issues which not only restrict activities like walking but also render them unable to sit or stand by themselves. Hoyer lifts are one such product that proves to be helpful for patients who are dealing with mobility-related health issues.
In this article, let us find out what hoyer lifts are, how they work, and what are their types. In addition, brands that manufacture hoyer lifts have also been mentioned along with their products and specifications.
What is a Hoyer Lift?
A hoyer life, like any other patient lift, is a product that is employed to lift patients safely and hold them until they are transferred to another location. The lift slings which are used to support the 2/3rd of the patient’s upper body come in different sizes and designs but serve the same purpose. Owing to its hammock-style design, the support provided to the patient is maximum. Thus, the pressure on the patient’s trunk is lifted.
Parts of a Hoyer Lift
A hoyer lift has the following components:
● A cradle or spreader bar which is used to attach slings
● A boom which holds the cradle in place and bears the weight of the patient
● A brake caster which has the rear wheels helps restrict the movement when needed
● A rolling caster that bears the front two wheels
● A base which carries the assembly together
Uses of Hoyer Lifts
Hoyer lifts are suitable for all of the following jobs in which a medical lift is required:
● These are ideal for transferring the patient from bed to a wheelchair as well as from a wheelchair back to their bed.
● These Hoyer lifts manually lift the patient from recliners as well as the bedside commodes safely.
● Being waterproof and non-slippery, these lifts can be used in the shower as well to transfer the patient to and from a shower chair.
● Lifting a patient from a stretcher can also be easily done using a Hoyer lift.
Types of Hoyer Lifts
There are basically three types of Hoyer lifts. All of these vary based on the features they carry. The following section elaborates on these types as well as their utility:
1. Manual Hoyer Lifts
Manual hoyer lifts are often used in home settings. These are operated by the manual power the caregiver puts while lifting a patient.
Advantages
● These manual hoyer lifts do not require electric power to operate.
● Manual hoyer lifts are generally more cost-effective than any of their other types.
Limitations
● The manual hoyer lifts are slower in performance as compared to the hydraulic and electric ones.
● These are not suitable for hospital setups where the work needs to be done quickly and with minimum effort.
2. Hydraulic Hoyer Lifts
Hydraulic hoyer lifts are physically demanding patient lifts as they require much effort to use. These are affixed with an ergonomically placed hydraulic pump which comes with a handle for a side-to-side rotation.
These lifts require hand-cranking administration which means that the user has to put enough counter-leverage to lift the patient. This is done by building a lifting pressure manually. These lifts have a U-shaped base which is adjustable to provide easy access to beds, wheelchairs, bedside commodes, etc.
Advantages
● Like the manual hoyer lifts, this product is also effective in terms of cost and thus is lighter on the patient’s budget.
Limitations
● The hydraulic hoyer lifts cannot be operated by the patients themselves. Rather, the services of a caregiver are essentially required.
3. Battery-Powered Hoyer Lifts
Battery-powered or electric hoyer lifts use a power source to work such as a battery or a wall outlet. Once the slings have been adjusted to the patient’s body, this battery-based system is used to lift the patient and transfer them to a suitable destination.
Advantages
● These electric hoyer lifts are advantageous over other types of patient lifts as these do not require much effort to use.
● Battery-powered hoyer lifts can be used by the patients by themselves as they are operated with a single button.
Limitations
● The electric hoyer lifts require electrical upkeep which is necessary for power lifts.
Advantages of a Hoyer Lift
The advantages of each type of hoyer lift have been detailed in the above section. However, the product also has some additional advantages which make it the patient’s first choice when it comes to choosing a patient lift. Thus, a hoyer lift is advantageous in the following ways:
● Hoyer lifts are suitable for patients who are elderly, disabled, or injured from an accident.
● These patient lifts are ideal for patients with any type of medical condition.
● Patients from all age and size groups can be lifted using these lifts.
● Due to the full postural support provided by these lifts, the chances of hazards during lifting and transferring are minimized.
● The hoyer patient lifts work efficiently for years which means these can be used by a patient for years even if the disease condition is progressing with time.
Limitations of Hoyer Lifts
Despite multiple advantages and vast utility, the hoyer lifts also come with certain limitations. These include the following:
● As the hoyer lifts are larger in their size, in some cases, it becomes difficult to store them.
● One of the limitations of these lifts is that using them on a carpeted floor often restricts movement. In addition, their use at the doorways is also restricted owing to their larger base.
● A person with limited mobility cannot use the hoyer lift without assistance which renders the presence of a caregiver necessary.
● As the slings provide full coverage to the patient’s upper body, sometimes it becomes difficult to access self-care tasks such as toileting as well as bathing. In such cases, the patient needs to be put on the bed first, the slings are removed, and then the trousers are put down to expose the lower body before transferring to the toilet. For such patients, the slings with hygiene cutouts should be preferred.
Hoyer Patient Lifts: Products, Brands, and Specifications
When it comes to the available brands for hoyer lifts, there are a wide range of products that can be purchased from the US market. Despite the fact that all these brands are good and reliable, some of them are simply better in performance than others. A few of these reliable brands of hoyer lifts are as follows:
● Joerns Hoyer Advance Portable Patient Lift
Joerns hoyer advance portable patient lift is a type of patient lift that is light in its weight due to the use of aluminum as its construction material. When weighed, the Joerns patient lift only weighs 59 pounds but has the capacity to lift a weight up to 340 pounds (lbs). The product works manually and has a hydraulic working mechanism. In terms of design, the product is sleek, compatible, and has several patient lift slings.
● Hoyer Journey Sit to Stand Lift
Hoyer journey sits to stand lift is a product with best-in-class functionality. Its features such as lightweight and portability make it the patient’s favorite product. Moreover, the item can also be folded and made into a compact size which is easily stored or carried from place to place.
These hoyer lifts can be maneuvered in tight spaces which makes them an ideal choice for hospitals as well as smaller home settings. These hoyer sit to stand lifts are designed in a way that comforts the patient as well as the caregiver is guaranteed.
● Joerns Hoyer HML400 Classic Manual Patient Lift
Joerns hoyer HML 4000 classic patient lift is one of the manual lifts which come with a pump and an ergonomic handle. The product has a weight capacity of 400 pounds (lbs). This manual lift has adjustable legs which can be widened as well as narrowed down based on the patient’s needs.
Such type of hoyer lift is best suited for easy seating and bathing. Being an ergonomic hydraulic lift, the product is easy to use and uncomplicated to rotate in every direction. The product is suitable for tasks like lifting the patient from bed to the wheelchair and from chair to the toilet safely.
In addition, the Joerns hoyer patient lifts also act as floor lifts as their patient lift system is designed to be used in lifting the patients from the floor to the bed, etc. Another useful feature of the product is that it can be rolled under the bed or a chair which makes it easy to store.
● Drive Medical 13023SV Handicap Hydraulic Lift
Drive Medical 13023SV handicap hydraulic lift is a product with a height of 72 inches and a length of 48 inches. Its width is 42 inches. It has a load capacity of 450 pounds and comes in black color. The product is fully waterproof which makes it one of the ideal lifts for home use. These patient lifts are suitable to be used in indoor as well as outdoor settings. It has four wheels which can be adjusted to transfer patients from one place to another.
This hoyer lift comes in a way that it needs to be assembled before use which means it can be disassembled for easy storage when not in use. The item is suitable for the elderly, disabled, as well as injured individuals who need assistance either temporarily or permanently. The drive medical patient lift has 4 full body slings with straps for safer patient lifting.
● Drive Medical 13023SV Handicap Hydraulic Lift, Silver Vein
Drive Medical 13023SV handicap hydraulic lift has all the above-mentioned features. However, in addition, it has been constructed with a steel-welded silver vein which makes it suitable for lifting heavy weights comfortably. The product has a 6-point swivel bar which can accommodate 2 to 4 sling straps that are connected to 2 chains.
The hoyer lifts mentioned in this article, along with many other medical supplies, can be purchased from Health Supply 770, a reliable name when it comes to medical products. They have a 30-day money-back guarantee and provide your products to you in the shortest possible time. Click the link at the end of the article to check the wide range of patient lifts on the website.
Conclusion
At the global level as well as in the United States, the number of individuals who have issues with their mobility is many. Some of them fall in the elderly age group which makes them unable to move in indoor as well as outdoor setups while others have such problems on a temporary basis due to some injury.
In all of these patients, the caregivers have to take up the job of assisting in necessary mobility. For this purpose, patient lifts are often employed. Hoyer lifts are among the products that can be utilized to lift the patient from bed to wheelchair, toilet, or shower seats and vice versa.
Among their types, manual, hydraulic, as well as battery-powered hoyer lifts are available, all of which have their own advantages and limitations.
Purchasing medical devices from reliable vendors like Health Supply 770 ensures the provision of quality products along with satisfactory services.
Click to Order Hoyer Lifts from Health Supply 770
References
https://disabilitycompendium.org/compendium/2023-annual-disability-statistics-compendium?page=6
PhD Scholar (Pharmaceutics), MPhil (Pharmaceutics), Pharm D, B. Sc.
