Hoyer lift

A Hoyer lift is an assistive device that allows patients in hospitals and nursing homes and those receiving home health care to be transferred between a bed and a chair or other similar resting places, using hydraulic power. Hoyer lifts are used for patients whose mobility is limited, and who are too heavy for nursing staff to lift [http://books.google.com/books?id=mpKNG260hIgC&pg=PA225&lpg=PA225&dq=%22hoyer+lift%22&source=web&ots=ohGYIiFNTn&sig=PI6tTKJgDuBmYrnj6uZ8Uqteo00&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result] .

The Hoyer lift has several advantages, in that it allows patients who would otherwise be too heavy to be lifted to be transferred more easily, it allows a reduced number of nursing staff members to move a patient as would be needed without the device, and that it reduces the chances of injury from lifting among nursing staff members [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=BG&p_theme=bg&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0F143EA1C27A693E&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM] .

Use of the Hoyer lift involves placing a special piece of fabric under the patient (usually made of woven nylon, a similar material to a modern hammock) which can hold the weight of the patient while suspended in air. The fabric is attached to a series of hooks and chains, which are raised or lowered using the hydraulic lift.

Some variations of the Hoyer lift involve the placement of three separate pieces of thick foam pads under the patient. When the patient is elevated, these pads hold the patient in place. These, according to some, can be easier for a lone home health aide to use.

Bed scales used to weigh patients who cannot get out of bed easily use the same principles as the hoyer lift. The patient is placed on a pad that is elevated by a hydraulic system, similar to that of a Hoyer lift. When the patient is completely suspended above the bed, provide that the scale is properly calibrated, the bed scale provides an accurate weight.

Legal issues

While Hoyer lifts can be used by only one health care worker without assistance, thereby enabling their use in home health care, they require special care in their use, as any mistakes made may result in serious injury. Some injuries that have been caused by improper use of malfunction of Hoyer lifts have led to civil lawsuits [http://books.google.com/books?ct=result&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html&id=7Kp-_MhPHPIC&dq=%22hoyer+lift%22&ots=sgM_kSALme&pg=PA327&lpg=PA327&sig=ACfU3U2618S2IFS_SQksrxqoCja1h-KmZQ&q=hoyer+lift] [http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-173969561.html]

In 1999, a lawsuit was filed after two women were injured in falls at a Massachusetts Sunrise Senior Living facility [https://www.fastcase.com/Google/Start.aspx?C=c0917df4c1be7efdbae8344388411872e8a3013daf886846&D=374530b54fe1b29c61cb051a8837db36515437f84865e95c] .

In January 2008, the family of an elderly Naples, Florida woman sued the nursing home where the woman was residing after she died from a fall off a Hoyer lift. The lawsuit alleges that the nursing home did not take X-rays following her fall [http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2008/jan/05/naples-nursing-home-accused-neglect-wrongful-death/] .

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