Does anyone have any tips to help transfer someone into a car? My mom is a little heavyset (200lb+/-), can only stand with assistance and can BARELY move her feet. Currently my dad is only person who can get her in & out of car and even he is really beginning to struggle. We do have a manual Hoyer lift with a bent bar(not straight like some I've seen) I've wondered if I could get her in & out with it but not sure there's enough space in a small SUV (honda) Also if I were to use it of course I can't take it with us so I couldn't get her out at a store or dr office. I'd love to take her places as all she does is sit at home most days of the month. Ideally I'd like a way without the lift so that I can take her shopping or to visit with people but if lift is only option, at least I could take her for a drive to look at the leaves as they change colors :) To help describe her movements & mental capacity: dr best assessment is early onset Alz, although she also seems Parkinson's-like. She can barely control right leg if she picks it up it tends to cross over left foot. She can move left foot but it's like it's glued to ground or weighs 1,000lb at times or like her brain can't make it move. Also her balance isn't great, we have to hold her when she does stand, or she'll fall back and/or to the right. I am strong enough to handle chair transfer inside but have difficult time finding proper procedure in the tight space getting into a car, not to mention watching to make sure she doesn't hit head on top sitting down. Thanks for any help and hope I described well enough
My father made 2 slide boards for her. We would wheel her out to the car, position her as close to the door as possible, as if the wheelchair were an extension of the car seat.
The left arm rest was removed. The slide board was positioned as close to her left hip as possible while she rolled to the right so the board could be slid underneath her.
Then she scooted over onto the slide board and into the car. Once she was in, she tipped to the left, and Dad removed the slide board.
It takes some practice though to know how far to move on the slide board without sitting on it entirely and preventing it from being removed.
In our home, my mother is a Hoyer Lift transfer due to permanent immobility. I purchased a Milford Lift last year to transfer her into my car. The cost for equipment plus installation cost me just under five thousand - but it was a hell of a lot cheaper than paying for a wheelchair van. And the installer wrote off the sales tax (a couple hundred dollars) after I provided a note to him from my mother's doctor that she is in need of this equipment for transportation. I take my mother out once or twice a week only. From the installation of the Milford Lift, there will be permanent damage to your car because the lift is drilled into the floor and it works by being wired to the car battery. I drive a crappy 2000 VW wagon so I didn't care if my car is damaged because I won't pay for a used wheelchair fan to only take my mother out once or twice a week; a good one, like a used Honda or Toyota wheelchair van runs about twenty thousand from what I've seen on Craig's List. And I won't get my money back on the van while the economy is still slugging along. Whenever Mom passes away, I can easily sell the Milford Lift on ebay. Good luck!
Depending on where you live, there may be rental handicap vans available. Check out this link as well as Google your own area. Yeah, it probably won't be cheap, but itt would sure open up mom's world.
I wish you luck.