Patient Lift Slings are a very important piece of medical equipment and are used for several different situations in caring for loved ones. Lift Slings come in several different styles and sizes to accommodate everyone while providing a safe and secure way to transfer your patient. The most important things to consider when ordering your patient lift sling is choosing the right size, the right model based on the patient lift you are using it with and the weight capacity of the sling to make sure it is safe to use on your size patient. The main uses for a patient sling is moving a patient to a toilet or bathing them, picking them up off the floor if they have fallen or transferring them to a wheelchair from their bed. There are four main categories of lift slings that are sold and used for most all patient transfers. The 4 types of Hoyer slings are the Universal Sling which is also knows as a divided leg sling, the full body slings, the sit to stand slings and the toileting and bathing slings. At Patient Aid we believe that quality, selection and price make our patient lifts slings your first and only choice.

Full body patient lift slings are the most popular sling on the market because they can be used for more transfer situations and come with or without a commode opening. The full body style is used mostly for patients that are non-weight bearing, totally dependent or for those that have limited neck and head control. They are the easiest slings to apply and position under a patient laying on their back in a bed. The full body hoyer slings come in several different styles and sizes. The most popular full body slings are the mesh full body sling with commode opening that can be used for bathing and easy toileting access. The Full Body Sling is the preferred sling when transferring the patient from bed to wheelchair, toilet or shower-chair or from the floor to a bed. It offers full head, neck and thigh support for those patients that require extra security when transferring. Full body slings are used with floor style lifts that have 2, 4 or 6-point spreader bars or cradles and pick the patients up from above and has them in a somewhat seated position while transferring. The full body slings have a reinforced padded section that provides extra comfort and support under the thighs and colored straps that can be adjusted for the proper fit to a patient lift. Full body patient slings are compatible with all manufacturers floor style lifts and accommodate many patient heights and weights.

Universal Lift Slings also knows as U-Slings and Divided leg slings are the easiest sling to use when transferring a patient from a seated position. Universal slings can also be used for lifting a patient from the supine position which gives it the name universal. U-Slings are very easy to apply and remove from a patient in a seated position unlike the full body slings because the patient is not sitting on the sling. Divided lift slings can be used for transfers from a bed to a chair, wheelchair, or toilet, chair to chair, or from the floor to a bed or chair. Divided leg slings come in padded fabric or mesh material and can be laundered used in wet environments. Universal slings come with extra padding in the thigh areas to help with the pressure they put on the inner or outer legs while using. One of the main uses for the U-slings is toileting access and personal hygiene because of the split leg design which creates a large opening. Universal slings can be used with 2, 4 or 6-point spreader bars and are compatible with all manufacturers floor style lift models. U-slings are available with or without head support to provide patients with extra security and comfort. The head support versions feature a sturdy internal plastic head shell; the shell is removable to facilitate laundering. Divided leg slings or mesh full body slings are the perfect choice for patients that sit in a wheelchair or geri chair for long periods of time. Patients with skin issues should not sit on a padded fabric sling for long periods of time because they can bunch up and create extra heat on the patient’s skin.

Toileting slings are designed to facilitate the toileting procedure by allowing the patients clothes to be lowered and raised very easily compared to all other lift sling models. Toileting slings are only to be used when transferring a patient from a seated position like from a bed to a chair, a toilet, or wheelchair or chair to chair. The toileting slings are padded and come with an adjustable belt strap that goes around the torso to provide maximum comfort and safety. Toileting slings go around the patients back, under the patient’s arms and either up between their legs or around the outside of their thighs. Toileting slings can’t be used on patients that do not have total head or neck control because they do not come with a head support feature. Toileting slings have a split leg design much like the Universal and Divided leg slings which creates a large opening to allow for easy access for personal hygiene. Unlike full body and universal slings toileting slings can be used with sit to stand lifts. Toileting slings are mostly used with floor style lifts with 2, 4 or 6-point spreader bars.

Bathing Lift slings are slings made out of mesh material which allows for quick drying. The most popular bathing sling is the mesh full body sling or the universal divided leg sling.

Stand assist slings are to only be used on sit to stand style patient lifts and can’t be used with floor style lifts that attach the slings to the spreader bars from above the patient. Sit to stand slings are only to be used from a seated position and patients who have head and neck control, able to bend at the hip, knees and ankles and can sit up on the edge of the bed. There are three main styles of sit to stand slings that work with stand-up lifts. The first is the standing slings which can attach around the torso and under the arms and have an adjustable buckle that attaches in the front of the chest to hold the sling securely in place. The second style is the stand assist transport slings which also go around the patients back and under their arms, but also has a leg design to go up and around the patient’s legs to provide extra support under the patient’s legs and rear end and is more of a seated position. The third is known as the buttock strap which is to be used with a standing sling and goes under the patients bottom to provide extra support for long transfers. One of the benefits of the sit to stand slings is their design which allows the lowering and removal of clothing easily to facilitate the toileting procedure. Sit to stand slings are ideal for transferring a patient from the bed to a toilet or shower chair or from chair to chair. The stand assist slings have two connection points and have a wide range of sizes to accommodate all different patient situations.