Caregiving for elderly or disabled individuals is a lot of things – rewarding, difficult, beautiful, stressful… and back-breaking, especially if the patient is immobile.
Well, here’s some good news for all caregivers! You don’t have to heave your patient – or heavy equipment – around, as there are countless products that can do the heavy work for you! Here are some examples of some great product types that can literally save your back.
Transfer Products
Simply put, transfer aids aid you with transfers so you don’t have to do them yourself – or strain your back doing it.
The following are a few examples of some amazing back-savers customers love:
Gait Belts
My 82 year old mom had a stroke. Helping her transfer in and out of bed and chairs, and keeping her steady while she walked with a walker was difficult and led to back, shoulder and knee injuries for both her caregivers – my dad and me… This belt is easy to get on and off, very sturdy, wide enough to support mom’s back and not feel like it’s bending her in half. The many loops are easy to grab and hold her up without us either hurting her by grabbing her wrong or hurting ourselves by being contortionists trying to help her avoid her falls. Mom is now more confident to work towards becoming more self-sufficient without hurting her loved-ones in the process.
— A.C., May 11, 2015
Transfer Discs
This is the best product ever! My brother and I use it to transfer my 92 year old dad from bed to chair and from chair back to bed. He is unable to walk and he is a big man! Even he likes it! The brake makes it safe to use and it swivels smoothly! I highly recommend this product if you need help in transferring someone from bed to chair etc…
— J.H., August 29, 2015
SafetySure Mary’s Aide Transfer Sling
Unless you have had the experience of having to transfer a patient from chair to bed or otherwise, you can’t appreciate how tremendously helpful this simple device is. My husband is classified as requiring two people to transfer him safely. This does it! So much better than traditional gait belt. Trust me on this!!
— E.H., September 4, 2016
Lightweight Wheelchairs
If your loved one uses a wheelchair, you’re likely one of the many caregivers out there who dreads taking their patient anywhere, for fear of having to heave their wheelchair in and out of the car… Unless you have a lightweight wheelchair, specifically designed with lightweight materials to make it as easy as possible to transfer in and out of the car.
Here’s what one customer has to say about her lightweight wheelchair:
This is a lifesaver!! The chair is perfect. I have back pain and this is light enough that I can handle moving it in and out of the car. It has really helped… I would definitely recommend it!!
— J.W., June 2, 2017
Positioning Bed Pads
When patients who are both incontinent and immobile, underpads with handles are a double gift for their caregiver; it keeps the bed dry and assists with positioning – which is an important part of caring for a patient who is immobile.
This is a great product! My husband has MS and requires repositioning in bed. This pad makes it possible for me, his nearly 70-year old wife, to move him easily using my body weight, not my back. I can turn him on either side, get him more securely in bed, even sitting him up. It’s a godsend!
— M.Z., October 26, 2017
Moving mom over from edge of bed was a nightmare, and back killer… This makes it so much easier, hurts her less than shoving, yanking… It is also waterproof, which helps!
— B.L., March 4, 2014
I use this every day for my invalid mother-in-law who lives with us. Out of all of the things that we use to physically care for her, this has got to be my all-time favorite. I literally could not live without it. I would have a broken back. The main thing I use it for is to position her in the bed. You could also use it to sit someone down in a recliner and the get behind them and pull the handles to get them scooted back into the recliner in a comfortable position. I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND this to anyone!!
— T.R., September 5, 2016
Transfer Benches
This product is less to save caregivers’ backs and more to save patients’ backs – but we decided to include it anyway.
For many individuals with mobility issues, getting in and out of the bath is literally a pain. Before you run to install a walk-in tub (which is hands-down a great and attractive idea for those who can afford the huge expense!), you may want to consider a transfer bench.
As one customer put it:
I brought this to ease mom on daily tasks of getting my father in shower daily… Now mom will not strain her back and father will not accidentally drop just to get in shower. I will definitely recommended this product to any people with physical limitations.
— J.S., July 18, 2017
What products have helped save your back? Let us know in the comments below!