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Permalink Reply by Karen on January 25, 2010 at 11:19pm

Hi

My son got the EasyStand and it works well. Our PT was impressed with its stability and durability and she has helped 2 other families buy them. We got a standard hospital bed and put a gel mattress overlay for comfort. In a few years we will probably get an air mattress. We got side racks on our bed because my son uses them to sit up and roll over during the night. The bed has electric controls for the head and feet. When he is sitting on the edge of the bed he pushes the footbutton to raise his up so he can do a pivot transfer into his chair. We got an invacare electronic lift that we used when our son was in a cast. Now it sits in the equipment closet. We chose electric because then our son could be in charge of going up and down and I could push the lift. It works pretty well when we need it. It breaks down and fits in our big van to take to camp etc. There are smaller, transportable ones. My husband is into sturdy, durable ME so we got the big one. Good luck. There is a lot out there and it's expensive. I'm presently shopping for a new shower chair that has a headrest and chest strap. Haven't found one I like yet.

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Permalink Reply by Laurie Hoovestol on January 25, 2010 at 11:43pm

Hello! These are the things that worked the best for us. My son is now 18 so we have experimented with a few different ones. He uses a Hoyer electric lift for bathrooming and getting anywhere else to sit (in a chair or the couch) and a few years ago into bed. He also has a ceiling rail system from Sure Hands www.surehands.com that is in his room to go from the wheelchair to the bed. As for the stander I really don't know. The therapist at school used one but only for a short time. Gustin didn't do very well with it. As for the bed, the typical hospital beds that insurance covers are not very comfortable. We ended buying an Escape Wallhugger adjustable frame with remote control and a custom made mattress and box spring from our local mattress company. You can look at them at www.lpadjustablebeds.com . It's very comfortable. As I said these are the things that worked the best for him. Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by jenn on January 26, 2010 at 8:04pm

thanks for the responses, insurance will only cover a very basic hoyer lift,on wheels ( i assume it is the same as the electric other than the lift part) how hard is it to move it from room to room? does the hospital bed lower enough to transfer into a power chair and back to the bed? is the easy stand any particular model number? thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Karen on January 26, 2010 at 8:21pm

Hi

My son was 16 when we got the easy stand. He got the evolve unit. It is adult size. I know they have smaller ones. Luckily there are only 2-3 choices. Get the chest belt rather than the seat belt. We got padded supports for under the arms too. Your PT should be able to help you refine what your son needs.
Our insurance contributed the amount of the basic hoyer to the electric one. We paid the difference. Ours has large wheels and it is pretty easy to get around on flat surfaces like laminate or wood floors. Rugs much tougher.
When you ask about transferring from bed to chair you don't need to lower it if you are using a lift. If he is doing a pivot transfer you can crank the bed to the height you need and leave it there. Am I answering your question?
Karen

jenn said:

thanks for the responses, insurance will only cover a very basic hoyer lift,on wheels ( i assume it is the same as the electric other than the lift part) how hard is it to move it from room to room? does the hospital bed lower enough to transfer into a power chair and back to the bed? is the easy stand any particular model number? thanks!

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Permalink Reply by jenn on February 17, 2010 at 9:43pm

thanks, we took your adviec and are trying a demo evlove, he hates it, but looks great standing in it and i know it is good for him. got the only hoyer that medicaid would buy, not so bad but wheels much too small! full electric bed is great! austin loves it

Karen said:

Hi

My son was 16 when we got the easy stand. He got the evolve unit. It is adult size. I know they have smaller ones. Luckily there are only 2-3 choices. Get the chest belt rather than the seat belt. We got padded supports for under the arms too. Your PT should be able to help you refine what your son needs.
Our insurance contributed the amount of the basic hoyer to the electric one. We paid the difference. Ours has large wheels and it is pretty easy to get around on flat surfaces like laminate or wood floors. Rugs much tougher.
When you ask about transferring from bed to chair you don't need to lower it if you are using a lift. If he is doing a pivot transfer you can crank the bed to the height you need and leave it there. Am I answering your question?
Karen

jenn said:

thanks for the responses, insurance will only cover a very basic hoyer lift,on wheels ( i assume it is the same as the electric other than the lift part) how hard is it to move it from room to room? does the hospital bed lower enough to transfer into a power chair and back to the bed? is the easy stand any particular model number? thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Shelly on March 5, 2010 at 2:48pm

I would get the basic hoyer that also folds up so you can take it to travel with. It works with an adjustable bed that isn't too high as long as the wheels can fit underneath. You can raise your furniture up with wood blocks too so you can transfer to couch etc. You will never believe you lived without. Make sure the slings are comfortable, if not, don't accept them even after you have used them a couple of days, need sling for lift and bath sling for bathing. The cheaper ones are just as good as the more expensive types and the manual is not hard to use and you don't have to worry about charging and the electronics wearing out but if there is any way to get the folding model, get it, then you can put it in the back of a van and travel. The folding option is good even if you have to pay the difference if you plan on traveling. We couldn't do without ours! Your back will thank you as well.

jenn said:

thanks, we took your adviec and are trying a demo evlove, he hates it, but looks great standing in it and i know it is good for him. got the only hoyer that medicaid would buy, not so bad but wheels much too small! full electric bed is great! austin loves it

Karen said:

Hi

My son was 16 when we got the easy stand. He got the evolve unit. It is adult size. I know they have smaller ones. Luckily there are only 2-3 choices. Get the chest belt rather than the seat belt. We got padded supports for under the arms too. Your PT should be able to help you refine what your son needs.
Our insurance contributed the amount of the basic hoyer to the electric one. We paid the difference. Ours has large wheels and it is pretty easy to get around on flat surfaces like laminate or wood floors. Rugs much tougher.
When you ask about transferring from bed to chair you don't need to lower it if you are using a lift. If he is doing a pivot transfer you can crank the bed to the height you need and leave it there. Am I answering your question?
Karen

jenn said:

thanks for the responses, insurance will only cover a very basic hoyer lift,on wheels ( i assume it is the same as the electric other than the lift part) how hard is it to move it from room to room? does the hospital bed lower enough to transfer into a power chair and back to the bed? is the easy stand any particular model number? thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Desaree E. Broussard on June 14, 2010 at 11:25am

Not sure if this is where to add this but...... We too are in the market for a lift. We need something small, lightweight and portable. We've seen the Takealong lift online and a few others. Has anyone had a wonderful experience with something like this? We have a small house and want to travel a bit while using the same lift.

Thanks for any info you can offer.

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Permalink Reply by Judy Lumbourne on November 21, 2014 at 1:21pm

Hi!

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