How To Lift A Fallen Person Off The Floor Without Specialist Lifting Equipment; A Step-By-Step Guide

In this guide, we will take you through the process of assisting a fallen person off the floor safely. Instead of using specialist lifting equipment such as the Raizer Lifting Chairs, we will be using solid furniture such as dining chairs. Whilst we are using chairs for this transfer, any other suitable furniture can be used, such as a low bed. 

It’s recommended that at least two people are present to assist someone off the floor when assisting someone off the floor without specialist equipment.

If you would prefer to watch a video showing this process, the below video is for you! 

Always assess whether the fallen person is safe to lift

Before attempting to lift the fallen person, it’s very important to check whether the fallen person has any pain, discomfort, or injuries.  Skipping this step may lead to further injury or complications for the fallen person. 

To thoroughly check a fallen person for injury, we recommend that you use a clinically approved assessment tool such as HelpFall or IStumble. 

When it is clear that the fallen person is safe to lift, we can carry out the following steps to assist them off the floor. 

Step One: Bend the knees

The first step is to encourage the person to bend both knees and lift their bottom off the floor.  This allows you to assess their suitability for this transfer. 

Step Two: Help the fallen person roll onto their side

Next, assist the person to roll to their preferred side, and encourage them to push up into a side sitting position using their elbow and hand on the floor.  Allow them to rest at this point.

Step Three: Encourage the person to transfer onto their hands and knees

Encourage the person to transfer onto their hands and knees, and put their hands on a suitable solid surface such as a chair or low bed. 

Step Four: Assist the person to stand up from the floor

Placing their strongest foot onto the floor, encourage the person to push up into standing and swing their bottom round onto the chair. 

Alternatively, you can use two chairs for this step. To do this, place their strongest foot on the floor, and place a second chair near their thigh. Then, encourage the person to push through their hands and lift their bottom onto the chair behind them. 

And that’s it, you have successfully assisted someone to self-transfer off the floor, using solid furniture such as chairs.

For a guide on how to lift someone using the Raizer 2 Lifting Chair, please see here.

For a guide on how to lift someone using the Raizer M Lifting Chair, please see here.

For a guide on how to lift someone using a mobile hoist and sling, please see here. 

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