What kind of power lift chairs are recommended by ALS people like me

[maryconnolly]

There are several ‘power lift’ aids that my husband currently uses to get from sitting to standing in a variety of situations. For walking he uses a 4-wheeled rollator (Drive Nitro, foldable with seat) to assist walking short distances and he has a motorized WHILL chair for longer excursions. He does not use a power wheel chair.

Our current arsenal includes:

1) Power LiftSeat for the toilet: https://liftseat.shop/collections/frontpage/products/liftseat-independence-ii-toilet-lift  Raises and lowers to get one off and on the toilet. We purchased a Brondell bidet and added it to this lift. You’ll need a duplex plug ideally located next to your toilet–one for power for the power seat and the other for a bidet. Highly, highly recommend. ~$1500  Bidet ~600 This manufacturer has recently come out with a Liftseat All Purpose Lifting Chair. It is not on their website so you’d need to request info: (877) 665-4381  [email protected]  We did not purchase the all purpose seat as we already purchased the Independence Chair by VELA.

2) The Independence Chair by VELA: https://enableme.com/products-3-2/the-original-independence-chair/  This office style chair is invaluable! My husband is at his desk working on the computer everyday and this chair raises and lowers him safely. It has wheels so one can move around the room and it raises to counter height. It also has a brake—what a concept–a wheeled chair with a brake! The brake is a lever which locks all 4 wheels and accessible by reaching slightly back with your hand. We plug it in to charge the battery every few days. ~$4000

3) SitNStand portable lift chair. It’s battery operated and inflatable and raises ~8″ to help one get out of a chair or off a sofa. We just purchased this so my husband can continue to use his favorite chair or get out of a friend’s furniture more easily. We’ve noticed that seat heights are generally low for someone who is 6’2″ and most chairs (residential and restaurant) do not have arms so going from sitting to standing is a challenge. It’s portable so if we went somewhere we could take it with us. There are 4 air chambers in it and each chamber inflates independently so you can inflate it to the height (or deflate it) to what’s good for you.  Still need to experiment with the sofa and other furnishings. https://www.sitnstand.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwy5maBhDdARIsAMxrkw2VYM-_AQIL2o1d0OiLGKxysam7yRVnKFHspIOA7HIEqtKv8m0JYbwaAh5gEALw_wcB   ~$500  There is also a version for a wheelchair, but don’t know if it’s a good match for a power wheelchair.

Lastly, I’d like to put in a plug for the motorized WHILL chair. It does not raise or lower, but if you like to get out and explore this chair can handle certain unpaved surfaces and grades up to 10 degrees. It is portable and breaks down into 4 parts. It now takes me less than 7 min to break it down and reassemble. Ours is model C2. I think this is a great addition for those who have limited walking capability, but still want to get out and about. We found a designated Accessible trail on our favorite mountain and ventured out to see the ocean. We’ve taken it on unpaved trails in a local marsh and it easily handles traversing the grass in the park. Highly recommend. https://whill.inc/us/whill-model-c2/  ~$4,000

None of these were covered by Medicare. Hopefully our voices and the voices of many who live with motor neuron disease and our unified persistent advocacy will bring much needed change.

See https: for MedicareAdvocacy’s most recent campaign: https://medicareadvocacy.org/wheelchair-seat-elevation-systems-should-be-covered-by-medicare/  I believe the ALS Association had a recent campaign as well.

Be well.

Mary

[lpilarcik]

I have a recliner/lift chair, the manufacturer is Golden, I believe it’s the Maxicomfort model.  It has really helped me as I can still transfer myself to my wheelchair when the recliner is lifted just a few inches.  My lift chair has infinite positioning (which I highly suggest!) so it also allows me to get into comfortable positions and get the pressure off of any areas that maybe sore from sitting all of the time as well as getting my feet up when they are swollen.  I do wish the chair was a little more comfortable as far as cushioning goes but for the most part its my favorite place in the house!  I went to the local dealer and made sure the chair fit me before we purchased it so that it would be as comfortable as possible.

From a caregiver perspective it would be a back saver to be able to raise the person up before transferring to a chair.

[len-jax]

Hi Pauline,

I have a Golden Model PR515. They have a lot of different models to choose from based on your size and the features you want. Sitting in it for TV watching is very comfortable, and I also sleep in it. I believe they have a 5-year warranty. I highly recommend them.

Len

 

[maggie-broeren]

I have a Permobil w elevator function. It’s awesome, especnw Roho cushion.

[prudence-runyan]

Can you expand on the 2 functions? What do they do?

[Charles Sutherland & Doris Sutherland (caregiver)]

My husband recently got thePermobil with the  seat elevator. It’s the bomb. He has regained some of the independence he’d lost. He’s back in the cabinets and to the mailbox to retrieve our mail. So happy he has this chair. With ALS, independence, no matter how small, is so important.

 

 

 

[pauline-kaza]

Thank you for your detailed information on what equipment you are using