Is it possible for one home aide to use a hoyer lift?

Xinabess I did it myself. The first time it happened because I was by myself and it was the lesser of two evils; and subsequently, of the dozen or so aides who came to the house I considered only two to be better at the job than I was; they were more experienced and defter, but I was more punctilious. One I actually halted in mid-operation because she was so mechanically inept it was dangerous.

You will not get a professional home care aide to do it solo, and it would be unfair even to ask; but as Pam points out you can be No. 2 on the team with approved training (which shouldn't take more than a couple of sessions). I was given demonstrations by the PTs at rehab before my mother came home: you could do worse than ask at your mother's ltc facility, they can only say no.

Other important differences between facility and home operation:

Flooring. These lifts are designed to be moved around on smooth surfaces like lino or vinyl. We had carpet, though fortunately with a very short pile; but it didn't make life any easier.

Space. Facilities are laid out to purpose-built designs. You will probably need to rearrange your mother's environment considerably to allow adequate room for manoeuvre.

Help. What if it goes wrong? Who can you call if there is a problem, and how long would it take for anyone to get to you?

Spares. You will need several slings *of the right size* because they need to be thoroughly laundered, dried and aired and you can't put them in the dryer.

Co-operation of the patient. Facility staff are good at getting the job done without - how can I put this - necessarily paying too much attention to consent every single time. "It's time to go to the bathroom Mrs X" and in they charge and get it done and the patient doesn't really have time to think about arguing, let alone get in a tizzy. That's not to say that if the patient did say "unhand me, how dare you" they would persist in transferring her - but it sort of doesn't come up for discussion. Are you going to be able to take the whole thing in your stride in that way? Would your mother have the same confidence in you, and feel safe?

I remember back when my Mom was in long-term-care and two Aides were using a Hoyer Lift... poor Mom was screaming "let me down, let me down", she was so terrified of that lift. So, Xina, it would depend how your Mom would react to being lifted up in the air in one of those things. Some people don't mind it.

As for having an Aide to this work, it would be best to hire someone who has a lot of experience in using a Hoyer. You don't want someone experimenting for the first time on your Mom.

If you watch the CNA training videos on Utube you will see that almost every transfer begins with "summon the second aide". That is mandated protocol in hospitals and care facilities but a luxury that most of us don't have at home, and many people use lifts in their own homes. I expect that most agency caregivers will not be allowed to use a lift solo but, if you hire privately you can probably find someone. There may be extra insurance and liability considerations if you go that route.

I'm wondering if she can hold herself upright once seated, and just how much strength she has in that arm and leg... would it be possible to forget the lift and use manual transfer aids? I'm thinking of an overhead trapeze, transfer boards and belts, slide sheets and pivot discs. It is all a lot of physical work but may be an alternative worth considering.

You talk to the sw about them getting the roomate a headset. That's what we did.

When I worked in LTC state law stated that Hoyer and Sit To Stand Lifts required two people. I don't know about home care requirements..

New York State department of labor rules call for two people, one to run the lift and one to steady the patient. Since they implemented that, injuries dropped by 56%. If you get yourself trained, you can be the second person.

Well, I will just make it clear that if she gives the home health aide a problem, she'll go right back to a SNF. It's just so horrible to be in this position, as so many of you know. My mom still refuses to accept that she even needs this level of care. It happened overnight, with the stroke.

Believe me, it would be a hundred times easier for me if she was in a SNF. That was my plan until she was transferred to longterm. It's so depressing and I can't bear how miserable she is. So she's going home one way or the other. I've become horribly cynical and of course I love her to pieces, but being "safe" in an SNF might be worse than being at risk of a problematic transfer at home. No one lives forever, after all, and 90 percent of the folks in the longterm care unit seem to have no life at all.

Ugh. This is so stressful. As of today, I'm thinking the ideal compromise would be for my mom to have a private room in the longterm care unit where she is now. She has a roommate who watches TV at a high volume ALL day. I can't even believe they allow that. She keeps asking for a private room, but from what I've been told, those are reserved for private-pay patients, not Medicaid-pending ones. I feel stuck between a rock and a hard place. Home care is not ideal and complicated for numerous reasons, and SNF care is undesirable too. I just want to run away!!

I hope she feels more at ease in her own home, but I'm afraid she is probably miserable about her loss of independence and the betrayal of her body and there is no fix for that.