Each season of caregiving means different pieces of equipment.  For right now, the gold piece of equipment we have is the Get-U-Up Lift by Invacare.  Mom cannot stand or lift her legs at all.  The confusion is too great.  The lift is the only thing we use to get her to and from the commode, to and from her wheelchair, and we even use it to get her in and out of the car.

These things are expensive ($1200ish) but I got our for only a couple of hundred dollars from someone on Craiglist.  I got it way back in the beginning of this journey with her first broken hip, but in this latter season, we could not keep her home without it.  It’s been the difference between staying out of the nursing home and keeping her home, which makes her very happy.

During your caregiving journey, it’s not a bad idea if your mission is to keep your loved one home to have one of these things.  Keep your eye out for a used one unless you have the resources otherwise.  But it’s been absolutely critical for this time.

We have the manual option.  I think there is an electronic one which is more expensive.  But I’m not a fan of those as the battery dies often and at the most inappropriate times.  I have no problem just pumping a few pumps and it does the same.