How to use the Raizer Lifting Chair to lift a fallen person in a confined space

A question we often get from both users and prospective users of the Raizer lifting chair is: Can the Raizer be used to lift someone that has fallen in a confined space?

We get it, fallers in the community are rarely presented as perfectly as they are in typical product videos or demonstrations; it’s not unusual for the elderly to fall in small spaces such as bathrooms or between a bed and chair, which presents a challenge when it comes to lifting them. 

The purpose of this article is to answer this question and explain visually how to lift someone who has fallen in a confined space, using the Raizer 2 Lifting Chair. 

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 proceed. 

Step One: Ensure you have enough space for the Raizer to be used

Because of the way the Raizer assembles around the fallen person, you don’t need to roll the fallen person to insert the equipment underneath them. 

If the space the person has fallen is wide enough to fit the Raizer seat unit, you will be able to lift the fallen person using the Raizer chair. In most cases, the Raizer seat unit won’t be much wider than the fallen person’s hips. 

Step Two: Insert the Raizer seat unit

The next step is to ask the fallen person to lift their knees, and you may need to assist them with this.

The Raizer seat unit can now be inserted underneath the knees, tucking the black side up against the fallen person’s thighs.

Step Two: Insert the two backrests and secure the seatbelt

To insert the backrests underneath the fallen person, ask them to cross their arms so that each hand is on the opposite should.  Again, you may need to assist them in doing this. 

Doing this raises the fallen person’s shoulders from the ground, which allows you to slide the backrests under their back and insert them into the slots on the Raizer seat unit. The two backrests are identical; either backrest can go in either slot.

Once the two backrests are inserted, the next step is to do up the seatbelt. The seatbelt can be slid up the backrests to offer more support for the chest, if required. 

Step Three: Attach the four lifting arms

The four lifting arms can now be inserted into the remaining four slots on the Raizer seat unit. Each time you insert a lifting arm, you will hear a notification sound from the Raizer to confirm it is attached correctly.

Again, all four of the Raizer lifting arms are identical and can be inserted into any of the four slots on the seat unit, so it’s impossible to assemble them incorrectly.

When all of the parts are inserted correctly, you will hear a different notification sound and the light on the end of the seat unit will turn from orange to green. 

Step Four: Insert the headrest or support the head manually

If you have a headrest with your Raizer, you can now insert this by sliding it between the fallen person’s back and the Raizer backrest.

If you do not have a Raizer headrest, you will need to support the fallen person’s head using your hand.

Step Five: Lift the fallen person from the floor

Take the remote control out from the side of the Raizer seat unit and press the up arrow to operate the Raizer and lift the fallen person from the floor. You can also use the up and down buttons integrated into the opposite side of the seat unit. 

You can stop the lift at any time by just releasing the button, and you may need to do this once the Raizer has lifted the faller into a seated position, to allow them to get their bearings and get settled before moving on. 

When they are ready, the Raizer can be lifted to its full height, which takes the person into a perching position and allows you to assist them to transfer easily. 

Step Six: Once the lift is complete, lower and disassemble the Raizer

Once the lift is complete and the fallen person has safely transferred from the Raizer, it’s time to disassemble the Raizer, ready for its next use. 

It’s very important to completely lower the Raizer to the floor before disassembly, to ensure that when it is next used it will be able to be assembled correctly around a fallen person. 

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And that’s it, you have successfully lifted someone from a confined space using the Raizer lifting chair, with minimal physical effort from yourself!

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