Hoists

[Kay111]

So mum and dad are moving here today. It's all been a bit chaotic and stressful sorting a flat and the move for them but hopefully it's the start of mum getting a bit of a life back!

Dad is immobile and we were hoping to have an OT come by tomorrow to assess him in the new flat, but now that's fallen through. I'm worried as up until now, mum had someone who came in to help lift dad in and out of bed/chair. Obviously we won't have that here. Dad's never used a hoist before but we were hoping to get a hoist rented for a couple of weeks to see how it goes, with the advice of the OT but now it looks like it won't happen for a few more days. I'm worried as I don't want dad to just be in bed in the bedroom all day for at least a week.

How much training do you need to operate a hoist? Is it madness just to hire one anyway and try use it ourselves? Thank you so much for any advice.

 

[Louise7]

Firstly, your Dad will need to be assessed to see whether a hoist is suitable for him, then which type of hoist/sling is best for him, so I would strongly advise against just hiring a hoist yourself, for health & safety reasons. A hoist would require 2 trained people to operate in any event and if you had 2 people available to get him out of bed, as has been happening previously, couldn't you continue with this method until the OT assessment? If you aren't able to help get your Dad out of bed yourself could you get carers in to help? If the OT says that a hoist is required then this should be provided, you shouldn't need to hire one yourself.

 

[RosettaT]

I had hoist training at the hospital, I had to hoist OH out of bed to his chair 3 times myself as 'chief' operator before they would sign me off. OH care company will only use a hoist with 2 people as policy, tho' when I asked the OT about solo operation she said she had no problem if the person operating it feels confident.
It's easy enough to use but there are a few precautions you need to be aware of. For instance with the hoist the other half has you must not use the brakes when lifting and there are various slings depending on need and requirement and the OT chose what she thought was the best for OHs situation as not slings suit all people. I wouldn't personally recommend you try to use one without some basic instruction. Do the hire company provide this? I would have tnought you should be provided a hoist and would only ever need to hire one if your dad went on holiday for example.
The hoist never bothered my husband but I know some PWD don't like it.

 

[Marnie63]

I was one who 'went against the rules', but only because I had to. The key thing with a hoist is making sure the person you are hoisting is safe, ie that the procedure is done correctly so there's no danger of the person falling, or being hurt in any other way. And that the handlers are safe too. It's a heavy bit of kit usually and you have to respect the size and weight of it. Being assessed first is probably a good idea. I didn't understand how to use it and we were provided one by the NHS after mum was 'assessed' in hospital. A huge consignment of equipment arrived, mostly all new, and I was most grateful for it.

Training - the OTs and the care agency we used went on a lot about this, but I never had any formal training to use it with the carers. I watched how it was done in hospital and then was guided by the carers who came in. In the end no one gave me any formal training, even after all the talk about it! I also found that even some of the agency carers did things wrong. Fortunately by then I was familiar with it all myself, so was able to correct if needed. A bit worrying though.

Ideally you should have two people operating a hoist (easier and also important that if one person misses something, the other will spot it). I had to use it myself a few times when there wasn't a carer call scheduled and I had to, eg, get mum onto the bed to change her. And there was one occasion when she ended up on the floor and I used the hoist to get her up back into the wheelchair. The hardest bit is the sling. All the rolling and positioning to get it right, because if you don't, the person will not be in the best position for their next location.

Take any training or advice given, it won't hurt, but sometimes you have to go your own way, as life with a PWD doesn't always conform to advice given.

We had a hoist on wheels with a 'T' bar and I was very wary of the bar. It was very large and heavy and came into very close proximity with mum's head during the operation. I watched it and the carer like a hawk to make sure it never made contact with mum. You also have to watch feet as they can get bashed against the support bar during transfer. Again, hawk eyes always watched this!

 

[Kay111]

@Louise7 - sadly the person who was helping move him lives too far away now and so it's just me and my mum. We'd get some carers in asap but I thought they wouldn't move people without a hoist?

Thank you @RosettaT and @Marnie63 - it sounds like I should wait til the OT can visit. I've never even seen a hoist being used before so it's probably a bit ambitious! I'm glad I asked. Poor dad, he'll have to stay put for a while. I really felt like I was on top of this move but mnaaargh!

 

[witts1973]

@Louise7 - sadly the person who was helping move him lives too far away now and so it's just me and my mum. We'd get some carers in asap but I thought they wouldn't move people without a hoist?

Thank you @RosettaT and @Marnie63 - it sounds like I should wait til the OT can visit. I've never even seen a hoist being used before so it's probably a bit ambitious! I'm glad I asked. Poor dad, he'll have to stay put for a while. I really felt like I was on top of this move but mnaaargh!

They won't move without a hoist,get in touch with the LA and ask for an assessment,they provide electric beds,and other items that may be of use my mums getting hoisted in about 10 mins when the carers arrive.