Discover your home's full potential with the best accessibility solutions!

    Discover your home's full potential with the best accessibility solutions!

      A Quick Look at Permanent Track Lifts and Portable Lifts

      Patient lifts are an essential aspect of home accessibility. They are designed to transfer patients from the bed, wheelchair or bathtub, allowing them to be moved safely from one spot to another. Installing permanent track lifts or incorporating portable lifts into your home can prove highly beneficial to both the patient and the caregiver, enhancing the quality of life for those with reduced mobility and allowing them to age in place in comfort and security.

      There are two types of patient lifts: 

      Permanent / fixed ceiling track lifts are designed for use in spaces such as bathrooms, bedrooms, or in other areas of the home with limited floor space, and are both stable and highly reliable.

      Portable lifts, on the other hand, can be easily relocated within the home, and are the perfect solution for all your dynamic transfer needs.

      Choosing between permanent ceiling track lifts and portable lifts depends on a number of factors. 

      • Weight of the user – A ceiling lift’s weight capacity is a crucial concern, as each ceiling lift has its own weight capability. The majority of lifts have a normal weight capacity of 300 to 450 pounds. If the user’s weight exceeds this limit, bariatric ceiling lifts are available for individuals who exceed the weight limit. 
      • Your choice of sling that should comfortably accommodate the size and weight of the end user/s
      • Ease-of-use for both the patient and the caregiver  
      • Purpose of the ceiling lift – Do you need it for individual use or for heavier commercial use?

      With so many models and variables to keep in mind, choosing the right patient lift for your or your family member’s needs can be a challenge. To help you choose the perfect lifting solution for you and your loved ones, allow us to explain more about how fixed / permanent and portable ceiling lifts work. 

      We also share the most popular patient lift models in British Columbia, Canada. 

      Fixed Ceiling Track Lifts

      Ceiling track lifts are easy-to-operate devices that can be used to transfer patients from the bed to a commode, bath, or wheelchair, or vice versa. 

      Permanent ceiling track lifts tend to be installed in private residences for long-term use, and are equipped with a lift motor that moves horizontally along a permanent track mounted to the ceiling. Ceiling track lifts use slings to transport and carry patients safely and easily, raising and lowering patients into position via a strap connecting the sling cradle to the lift motor.

      As ceiling track lifts are limited to moving along a predetermined track, it’s important to make sure that the layout of the track suits your home and your particular needs. Ceiling track lifts take up little space on account of their ceiling-mounted design, and can be custom designed to connect various rooms throughout the house via connectors and a power traversing unit. The space saved by installing permanent track lifts helps minimize clutter and prevent damage to furniture and is beneficial to home comfort and security in the long term.

      Here are some popular ceiling track lifts currently on the market:

      Built for a quiet operation, the C-450 Ceiling Track Lift provides a smooth and effortless transfer that will safely enhance the working conditions of patients / residents and caregivers.

      With its 450-lbs. weight capacity, reliability, superior comfort and safety, the C-450 can be safely and easily operated by a single caregiver, and addresses many of the complications that make patient transfer difficult.

      This is one of the most advanced, yet simple-to-use, ceiling lifts      available on the market.

      The Maxi Sky 2 Ceiling Lift offers maximum flexibility and versatility- with tracks available in an array of lengths and curves, a variety of accessories and configurations, and a full array of spreader bars and sling types to suit all needs.

      The handset and intelligent user interface enable the caregiver to perform transfers without stress or strain, and minimizes manual lifting.

      It has a lifting capacity of up to 600 lbs. (272 kg) providing increased comfort for larger and medium-sized patients.

      Powerful and user-friendly, Guldmann’s GH3 Ceiling Hoist / Lift ensures effective lifting and moving of patients up to 114 lbs. (250 kgs).

      This stationary lifting module is simple to operate, safe and comfortable for the user and caregiver alike. It charges itself through the rails, making sure that the ceiling hoist is always ready to use.

      It falls within ministry-funding guidelines and boasts of a Reddot award-winning design.

      Portable Lifts

      Portable lifts are designed for transfer to and from different parts of the home and offer great adaptability and flexibility of use. For this reason, this is the preferred option for institutional / long-term care facility use. 

      Portable lifting units can be disconnected from a central ceiling track and conveniently connected in another room, allowing patients to move around with ease at home. With portable ceiling track lifts, patients can be transferred from their beds onto a wheelchair and from the wheelchair into the bathtub, using the same lift motor and sling.

      Some portable lifts are anchored directly onto ceiling tracks for added strength and support, and tend to be more mobile than their permanent ceiling lift counterparts, while others come in high-performance freestanding versions designed for occasional lifting. While most users require a caregiver to move them horizontally along the track, there are a number of portable lifts featuring powered rail transfer units currently on the market.

      The advantages that stem from using a Ceiling Lift are undeniable and have dramatically reduced the amount of injuries resulting from the handling of patients / residents in both institutional and homecare settings.

      The P-440 Portable Ceiling Lift has been designed to be safely operated by a single caregiver. Though it is lightweight and portable, it is capable of lifting up to 440 lbs. (200kg).

      Unique and innovative, the stylish P-440 stretches the boundaries of portable patient ceiling lifts. It offers a wide range of safety mechanisms to assure further confidence and ease of use throughout handling.

      This is a true portable lift and transport system for the home- easy to use and assemble.

      The Easytrack FS is a free-standing and versatile solution for all types of point-to-point transfers- anywhere there is a lift and transfer needed.

      It has a safe working load of 440 lbs. (200kg).

      This product also has three types of Specifications available: 2 Post System, 3 Post System, or 4 Post System.

      Easytrack is designed to allow those with mobility impairment to continue to live at home.

      Ceiling lifts offer a proven method for handling patients and residents with safety and dignity that also minimizes risk of injury to the caregiver.

      Portable, ultra-light and easy to operate, the Maxi Sky 440 allows a single caregiver to perform transfers using a handset control, without manual lifting needed.

      Easy to move around and quick to attach to a free-standing gantry or track, the portable system can be rapidly set up wherever patient handling is required. The compact lift cassette, with its folding sling hooks and integrated carry handle, weighs just 14 lbs. (6.35 kg).

      It has a safe working load of 440 lbs. (200 kg).

      Our Home2stay team understands that purchasing your first ceiling track lift may be confusing and intimidating. No worries, we are here for you! 

      CONTACT US for a FREE ASSESSMENT- and we will answer all your questions so you can choose the right accessibility and mobility solutions for your home or commercial establishment. 


      CALL HOME2STAY

      Updated on July 20, 2022

      Updated by Mia Brigette Chua on July 20 , 2022

      Mia Chua is an offshore team member of Home2stay, managing marketing, content creation and assisting with overall operations. Accessibility and inclusivity are global issues, and she has big dreams to someday bring what she learns from Home2stay to influence positive changes to her own country across the globe.

      Prior to joining Home2stay, she worked in operations and marketing in the real estate and fast-moving consumer goods industries.

      Her interests include picking up new skills, cooking and baking, health and wellness, technology and social issues.

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