Transform Sit to Stand Transfers Overnight with 8 Simple Steps

Here are some basic needs of a sit to stand transfer:

Strength

Sit to stand transfers require both leg strength and power by using the quads and hip extensors to lift the weight of the body against.

Balance

There should be enough sitting balance by the patient. If there is none, use 3 -5 people for the transfer.

Range Of Motion

This will vary depending on how tall you are and how low your sitting surface is. The higher the sitting surface, the less power and range of motion is needed for the transfer.

Ideally you will need 100 degree knee flexion in at least one knee and 110 to 120 degrees of hip/trunk flexion along with the ability to push off the bed and hold on to a walker.

For people with hip replacements, limit their hip/trunk flexion to 90 degrees.

These are the basics you need for a sit to stand transfer. Below are 8 additional tips you will find useful:

Always raise the surface, if possible, before trying to move the patient.
Motivate your patient to become self-sufficient. The following tips assume the patient is in a chair.
Get your patient to scoot to the edge of the chair. Let them do as much as the work as possible.
If they cannot scoot forward, have them use the chair back as leverage to scoot their bottom forward.
Knee flexion is important in this step. Let your patient bring his feet back to the chair and let him feel that there is something under him to stand on once he is up.
In this step trunk/hip flexion is important because your patient will have to lean forward to prepare for standing. Have them lean “nose over toes” which brings their weight far enough forward.
Many seniors have a fear of falling in sit to stand transfers. Once in the nose over toes position, they need to push with their legs and push their bottoms up. As a counter leverage they need to push down on the chair arms.
When they are up, have them use one hand to grab the walker and the other to maintain balance. Don’t let them hold you around the neck, shoulders or waist to stand. An injured caregiver is an unavailable caregiver.
These 8 tips will help the patient become more independent and keep everyone safe during sit to stand transfers. These tips can also be used for manual wheelchair to car transfers.

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