Portable Hydraulic Lift

When the average person thinks about a portable hydraulic lift, construction workers, warehouse workers, or other professionals required to life heavy objects come to mind. Rarely do the needs of the handicapped population come to mind. Fortunately for many physically challenged children and adults, someone invented portable hydraulic lifts to make life a little easier for the disabled and the caregivers who love them.

As a patient, the first experience with a hydraulic lift may be in physical rehabilitation after major surgery or a serious accident. Swinging the lift over a hot whirlpool bath and lower the patient is both safe for the individual and the therapist. After the heat therapy is done, the hydraulic lift swings the patient back up and out of the water. Lifting the dead weight of a severely disabled person out of the water is impossible alone. The hydraulic support prevents disastrous accidents and unnecessary back strain on a single care provider.

The next experience may be getting out of bed in the morning. For persons with little/no mobility in the legs, arms, or both, a hydraulic lift can be a safe timesaver. The portable device is attached to the headboard. Once in the swing, the hydraulic lift hoists the severely disabled from the bed, swings over the wheelchair, and safely lowers a person to the seat. Not only does the device save precious minutes, the stress on the patient is lessened. For many disabled people, not being able to move does not mean lack of feeling. Nerve endings are frequently extra-sensitive. Thus, being moved can be excruciating. Swings and hydraulic lifts can also ease the pain of a disability.

Now, similar hydraulic handicapped aids are available for the return home, and not merely the hospital setting. For the quadriplegic, the simpler home aids will not suffice. For safety and strength in lifting, hydraulic lifts can swing the disabled over the stool or into the bathtub. Years ago, hospitals had the only swings to move patients. Now, smaller portable versions are available for home use. The lifts are designed for a single caregiver to guide and lower a loved one into position.

Another hydraulic lift removes the barrier of stairs. Although the platform lift generally fills the entire stairway, an important feature is available to improve the lives of everyone in the home. Once at the top/bottom of a staircase, the platform easily folds compactly to one side, or the other. Unlike the chair lift, the platform wheelchair lift prevents the need to transfer seats. Transferring is difficult. Understandably, most dangerous falls occur when transferring from bed to chair, bath to chair, and chair-to-chair. The lift is great for providing safe transport to different levels.

In addition, rotary wheelchair lifts are the hydraulic answer to transportation difficulties. For instance, the Braun lift hoists a wheelchair into the vehicle. With the swing principle, a disabled individual is not restricted to purchasing a conversion van.

In sum, hydraulic lifts have greatly improved the lives of disabled individuals. From the hospital to the home, from the home to the car, hydraulic lifts make care and mobility a little easier. Before resigning to an unfulfilling existence, let hydraulics improve life’s quality.

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