UpLyft’s Top 8 Tips for Smoother Transfers

1. Always check battery power before performing a transfer

You can check the battery status by pressing its’ indicator button. Always keep one battery fully charged and exchange the one in use every time power reaches 50% (i.e. two green bars are shown).

WARNING: If battery power is too low prior to performing a transfer, you may not be able to complete the transfer.

2. Adjust the curl panels around the individual being transferred

UpLyft’s curl panels can be manually adjusted around the torso and thighs of the person who is self-transferring or being transferred. This can be done as the panels begin to close both in the wheelchair and in the bed.

  • For Assisted Transfer: The attendant can use their hands to manually adjust the curl panels around the person being transferred and ‘shimmy’ the UpLyft as the curl panels are closing in either the wheelchair or bed. The attendant can also lean the person being transferred slightly forward while doing so. It is also important for the attendant to ensure that no obstructions are present behind the person being transferred (e.g. a wheelchair headrest, the back of the wheelchair) while the curl panels are closing.
  • For Self-Transfer: An individual self-transferring can also use their hands to adjust the curl panels while they are closing if need be. The individual can also lean their upper body slightly forward in the wheelchair or bed as the curl panels close, should they have the ability to do so.

3. Ensure proper placement of the bottom curl panels during transfer

When closed, the bottom two curl panels should be wrapped around the middle of the thighs of the person who is self-transferring or being transferred. This means that the gap between the bottom two curl panels and top two curl panels should be centered around the person’s buttocks. Exact positioning will vary depending on the individual’s condition and optimal positioning will therefore be learned over time and after multiple uses. For example, optimal positioning for many people to date aligns the front edge of the bottom seat panels 6-8 inches behind a person’s knee.

4. Adjust clothing upon closing of curl panels

When transferring from bed to wheelchair in both assisted and self-transfer mode, the attendant or the person transferring themselves can lightly pull on their clothing when they are lying down in bed with the curl panels fully closed and locked. This will allow the person’s clothing to not get caught between the closed panels.

5. If necessary, use the plastic shims with wheelchair seat cushions

Plastic shims can be used as an aid during the transfer process from wheelchair to bed if the individual who is self-transferring or being transferred has an extra plush seat cushion (e.g., a Roho seat cushion) on top of their wheelchair seat. The shims can help avoid the UpLyft curl panels getting caught/stuck on the seat cushion.

  • Before closing the curl panels: Slide the plastic shims under the thighs of the person being transferred or self-transferring. Close the curl panels, scooping under the thighs and over the top of the shims.
  • After closing the curl panels: Remove the plastic shims by sliding them out from underneath the person’s thighs.

6. Bring the UpLyft up slightly if the hoist ‘locks’ while lowering during assisted transfer

There is the possibility that the hoist may ‘lock’ during the assisted transfer process, while the attendant is lowering the UpLyft and closing the curl panels around the person being transferred in either the wheelchair or bed. This means that the hoist has ceased to go down any further. In order to continue lowering the UpLyft, press the ‘HOIST, Up’ arrow for a couple seconds and then return to pressing the ‘HOIST, Down’ button thereafter. You can repeat this process if need be, should the hoist ‘lock’ more than once, as you continue to lower the UpLyft and close the curl panels.

7. Manually place the feet of the person being transferred

  • Wheelchair to Bed Transfer: The attendant can manually pick up the feet of the person being transferred and place them at the end of the bed before moving the individual sitting in the UpLyft over the center of the bed. This can also be done in self-transfer mode, as the individual is transferring across the bed and is able to position their legs/feet in the desired position on the bed.
  • Bed to Wheelchair Transfer: The attendant can manually place the feet of the person being transferred onto the wheelchair footrests, as the individual sitting in the UpLyft is being lowered into the wheelchair. Once again, this can also be done in self-transfer mode.

8. Use the headrest for neck and head support during assisted transfer

Install the headrest by removing the yellow caps from the two metal poles located on either extremity of the UpLyft and slide the headrest onto the poles. Replace the yellow caps onto the poles and slide the headrest up as much as possible.

  • Wheelchair to Bed Transfer: Headrest may be gently lowered around the head of the person being transferred once they are fully secured in the UpLyft, yet still sitting in their wheelchair or once they have been transferred from the wheelchair and are sitting down on the bed upright. Headrest should be lifted back up to its’ highest point on the metal poles once the person being transferred is lying down on the bed 90% reclined, still fully secured in the UpLyft.
  • Bed to Wheelchair Transfer: Headrest may be gently lowered around the head of the person being transferred once they are fully secured in the UpLyft, and the attendant has begun to sit the person’s torso up ever so slightly. Headrest should be lifted back up to its’ highest point on the metal poles once the person being transferred has been lowered into the wheelchair, but is still fully secured in the UpLyft.