Comparing the Gait Belt to the New Alternative LiftVest for Patient Lifting and Transfer

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The gait belt – a wide canvas belt fastened tightly around the waist of the patient – leaves much to be desired for both the patient and the caregiver.

Until the invention of the LiftVest, the only manual device available for caregivers to use in transferring wheelchair patients was the gait belt, but using the gait belt successfully requires intensive training. It also necessitates close physical intimacy between the caregiver and the patient.

Typically, caregivers must crouch down in front of the patient and wrap their arms around the patient – grabbing the gait belt in back; then, with the patient’s face on the caregiver’s mid-section, they begin the transfer. This is not only awkward and dangerous, it is also uncomfortable and undignified for the patient.

In addition:

• Gait belts frequently slip up above the waist – causing injuries.
• Gait belts do not stabilize the upper body of a patient.
• Gait belts require close physical contact between the patient and the caregiver.
• The LiftVest allows caregivers to lift from the front, back or side- whichever is most convenient.
• The LiftVest does not require close contact between patient and caregiver.
• The LiftVest gives the caregiver control over the patient’s upper body.
• The LiftVest makes “re-positioning” easy.
• The LiftVest can be used to pick someone up off of the floor or as a two person lift to carry a patient.
• The LiftVest is made like a stylish garment and does not look like an institutional device.
• The LiftVest fills the need for a comfortable, dignified, easy-to-use method of transferring patients without the risk of injury to the caregiver or the patient.

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