Hoyer Lifts for Home Transfers

A Hoyer lift cradles your loved one in a sling that clips to a spreader bar on a raised boom, then rolls them on a wheeled base from one seat to another. A hydraulic hand pump or an electric actuator raises the boom to lift the person clear of their bed or chair. Then, you steer the base to their wheelchair, commode, or back to bed before lowering them down.

The difference is in how the boom is raised: a manual lift uses a hydraulic hand pump, meaning that you raise your loved one by working a lever by hand.This design typically costs less and needs no charging, but requires effort on every transfer. An electric lift raises and lowers at the push of a button on a rechargeable battery, which is gentler on a caregiver's back. Both roll on the same kind of wheeled base and use the same style of sling, so the choice comes down to how often you will lift your loved one.

Manual hydraulic lifts sit at the low end of the range, standard electric lifts in the middle, and heavy-duty bariatric and professional models at the high end, since a lift rated for more weight uses a stronger frame and actuator. Because this is often a one-time purchase made under time pressure, call us for the current price on any model and to talk through financing options.

Original Medicare (Part B) generally covers a manual, hydraulic lift as durable medical equipment if you buy it from a Medicare-enrolled supplier, paying 80 percent of the approved amount after your deductible. This applies only if transfer between the person’s bed and chair, wheelchair, or commode is required and, without a lift, the beneficiary would be bed-confined. Electric or power lifts may also be covered when medical necessity is documented. Skyward is a retailer, not a Medicare biller, so confirm your specific coverage and paperwork with Medicare.gov or your plan before you buy.

Choose a lift with a safe margin above your loved one's current weight rather than their exact weight, so the frame has room if their weight changes. Standard lifts are rated to around 400 to 450 pounds, which covers most people, while bariatric and heavy-duty models step up to 600 pounds and higher. Check the specs on a specific model, because the sling has its own weight limit too, and the lift is only as safe as the lower of the two.

One caregiver can operate many patient lifts alone at home, and electric models in particular are designed for solo use. Still, manufacturers recommend that two people work together, and many facilities require it. Proper safety depends on the model, your loved one's size, their ability to help, and your training, so read the model's manual and, if possible, have someone demonstrate a transfer first.

On most mobile patient lifts, the legs can slide beneath your loved one’s bedframe since the base is built low to the ground, usually around 4.5 to 5.5 inches tall. The thing to check is not just height but the space around the bed, since the lift's legs also need to open wide enough to straddle a wheelchair or commode. If you need to bring the lift to a second home or store it between uses, the Protekt Take-A-Long and the Roamate 3-in-1 fold to fit a car trunk without tools.

For someone moving between a bed and a chair, a full-body or universal sling offers the most support. A divided-leg sling is easy to use for seated transfers, and a toileting sling has an opening for use over a commode. A sling that’s too large allows the body to slide around, and one too small is also unsafe, so pick the one that works for your loved one’s weight and height. The sling's loops or clips should match your lift's spreader bar, so check whether a particular lift comes with a compatible sling before placing your order.

Most helpful are ones whose boom lowers all the way down and whose sling can be worked under a person lying flat. Many standard sling lifts are built to move a person between seated surfaces and cannot reach floor level, so if fall recovery is your main concern, confirm the model is rated for a floor pickup. We group together our fall recovery lifts, since consistently helping a loved one up is a different job from a bed-to-chair transfer.