Ceiling track hoists allow carers and medical staff to move a patient safely and with dignity, from one nursing location to another. This may be from the bed to a trolley, for example.
An important feature of these hoists is that they prevent back injuries in staff and carers, so they provide a health and safety benefit to professionals, as well as allowing patients to be moved easily.
Greater Flexibility for Patients
Most people will be familiar with fixed ceiling hoists for patients, but these have several disadvantages. They are inflexible, and if the layout of the room has to be reconfigured in any way, it’s necessary to remove and reinstall them. They can also be difficult to position in an ideal spot.
Track hoists allow the patient to be moved up, and then along, following the path of the track. This allows far greater flexibility in moving the patient. The track can even follow curves, where this is made necessary by the contours of the room, or the path the patient needs to be moved along.
This flexibility means that these hoists are ideal for use in private homes, care homes and nursing homes. They allow a patient to be lifted from the bed, moved along to a bath, shower or washing facility, and gently lowered down to receive care. Afterwards, the patient can be raised, moved and lowered back down into their bed.
With a fixed hoist, the patient often has to be placed on a trolley, then moved from the trolley to the washing station, then back to the trolley and back into bed. Each of these moves is difficult. Some carers use mobile hoists, but the problem with these is that their range of movement is more limited and they take up valuable floor space.
Ease of Turning Improves Care
These hoists aren’t only used for moving patients. They are invaluable for patients who run the risk of bedsores and need to be turned regularly. They require so little physical effort from the caregiver, that extra turning can be incorporated easily into a care plan, improving care for the patient.
A tracked hoist can be moved completely away from the bed, then brought back when needed.
So if relatives are coming to visit, or a number of medical staff need to be around the bed, the hoist is unobtrusive, and doesn’t get in the way.
More and more people are expressing a wish to be cared for in their own homes. Ceiling track hoists can be fitted without structural alterations, and are ideal for domestic use. This equipment is helping many people to stay in their homes for longer.