I take care of my Mom who had a stroke 2 yrs ago. Left side paralysis, unable to walk & just barely able to stand (probably should say can't stand). I have a hired caregiver during the day while I work. Up until this point we have been handling transfers from bed to wheelchair to toilet, etc. Over the past year, it has become increasingly more difficult to lift her and we are seriously in danger of hurting our own backs or injuring my Mom. So... I've contacted our medical eqpt provider & they are bringing a hoyer lift Monday. It's what Medicare will cover (rental). I know very little about them. But after exploring lifts on the internet, I'm overwhelmed. I'm sure this hoyer is very, very basic... I know that it's hydraulic rather than electric. I'm going to give this a fair shot, but if it doesn't meet our needs, I guess I'll have to consider shelling out some majorly big bucks for something better.

For a bath, we've been using a tub bench. Mom always loved her baths & if I could get a lift that could get her down into the tub & out again, she would think she had died & gone to heaven! I'm also concerned about the sling that will come with this hoyer & how well it's going to work with the toilet. They are sending a sling that has the cutout for toileting, but I don't see how we'll be able to pull her pants/underwear down with that on. Is there a way I'm not aware of? I've seen some slings w/ lifts on the internet that go around the upper thigh & trunk that would allow one to remove pants while in the sling, but according to the DME provider, this doesn't work like that.

Ok- to my question- anybody have suggestions, personal experiences, etc to share? I would appreciate any input at all. Just apprehensive & need to make life better for my precious Mom. The sitter has not been able to get Mom onto the toilet in months & therefore we've been using disposable underwear, which is a terribly traumatic, upsetting thing for Mom. I thought she had pretty well adjusted to this, but last night she broke down crying, saying she's too old to wear diapers. Just breaks my heart. So I'm determined that we will find some way to be able to get her up & on the toilet safely & comfortably since she's not incontinent. Thanks & sorry to be so wordy.