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USING A SLING

Assist the person to roll toward you. Roll up half the sling against his back, leaving the other half unrolled on the bed. In most cases, you'll want the sling to extend from the middle of the liftee's back to his knees. If the liftee has no head control, you'll need a special sling with support for the neck and head.	Assist the liftee to roll to his other side, over the rolled-up part of the sling. You'll need either a siderail on the bed or someone stationed on the other side of the bed to keep the person from falling.
Pull the rolled-up sling out from under him.	Assist him to a back-lying position on the sling, and hook the sling to the lift.
To remove the sling after use (not shown), set the person down on the bed with the sling under him. Detach the sling from the lift. Reverse the rolling technique described above. The device pictured above is a CareGuard 9805 from Invacare of Elyria, Ohio. (800) 333-6900, www.invacare.com. In Canada, call (800) 668-5324. All photographs of this lifting device were provided courtesy of Western Medical of Tucson, Ariz.

FLOOR AND CEILING MODEL LIFTS

Lifts are generally either floor models, designed to be stationary or moved on wheels from room to room, or ceiling models, designed to run on a ceiling track from room to room. Prices vary, with ceiling models considerably higher than floor models.

However, keep in mind that floor models lack maneuverability in homes with tight spaces, lots of furniture or heavy carpeting. Ceiling models can be used almost anywhere, but they require expert (and expensive) installation, which is generally provided by the manufacturer. Seating styles vary, and some lifts can be used with multiple seating arrangements.

Parts of this story were prepared with the help of Carol Stumpf, a physical therapist at University Medical Center, Tucson, Ariz., who has many years of experience with neuromuscular disorders.