The Essential Person Hoist Guide
Access to a car opens endless opportunities for leading an independent lifestyle out of the home, but conventional vehicles are not designed with full accessibility in mind. A person hoist is a vehicle accessibility aid which helps you get seated from a wheelchair or scooter into a standard car seat.
In our person hoist guide, we explore how they work, who can benefit from them, and the comparisons to alternative options.
How Person Hoists Work
Whether you want to get behind the wheel as a driver or travel as a passenger, a person hoist is the ideal solution for seating wheelchair or mobility scooter users in a standard vehicle.
The person hoist works by lifting you via an arm with adjustable joints, a fitted sling that is wrapped around you when seated in your mobility device and a 2 button hand control which operates the up and down function. Although this can be used independently, it’s a great solution for carers or loved ones to remove any physical strength that is usually required with a manual transfer.
Benefits of Person Hoists
Next up in our person hoist guide we explain how they offer safe and easy access into conventional vehicles. Affording you a safe, sociable, and comfortable journey in the vehicle’s original seat.
Safe Transfers and Travel
Posture & Mobility Group’s International Best Practice Guidelines recommend that where possible a wheelchair user should transfer from their mobility device to the standard car seat as the safest way to travel (page 8 refers). With a person hoist you can take full advantage of standard vehicle safety systems by being seated naturally, such as locking seatbelts, airbags and supportive seats.
Comfortable and Sociable Journeys
A person hoist enables you to sit in the front or rear of the vehicle with your travelling companions for a sociable journey. As well as enjoy all the usual vehicle luxuries such as air conditioning, radio and heated seats.
Keep Your Current Car
Person hoists can be fitted to virtually any vehicle which means you don’t need to change your current car. Although, if you are looking to change your vehicle, this means you’re not restricted in your search and can choose the exact car you want.
How Do Person Lifts Compare To Other Options?
Many wheelchair users think that their only option to travel in a car is in a Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV).
WAV’s are van type vehicles that have been adapted to allow access for a wheelchair user, enabling you to travel without getting out of your wheelchair. Whilst this can be a great option for some people, it’s not necessarily the best solution for everybody.
These vehicles can be incredibly expensive, costing tens of thousands of pounds, whereas a vehicle adaptation such as the person hoist can be fitted to your current car from £2995.
Not only this, but a WAV often requires the wheelchair user to sit on their own in the back which some people find quite isolating and uncomfortable, especially on longer journeys.
A person hoist is a revolutionary adaptation for wheelchair users looking to get seated into a standard car. If you feel this is the solution you’ve been looking for, contact our team who will be able to answer any additional questions you may have and arrange a demonstration to try it out.
View our full car accessibility aids range to find out further information on the person hoists we provide here at Mobility in Motion.