Toilet lifters
For a small number of older or less able bodied people using a toilet can be a major undertaking.
Lowering the body down to a seated or squatting position is something that many of us take for granted, but it is in fact a very physically demanding movement that can become harder as we get older or heavier.
A toilet lifter is the solution for anyone who finds sitting down or standing up hard. The lifter works by raising or lowering the toilet seat in much the same way as a tilt and lift chair. By doing this it enables a seated person to be assisted into a near-standing posture, and a standing person to be lowered into a seated posture. The process is controlled by a motorised remote control that is normally housed in the rails or handles that accompany the lifter.
The action of the toilet lifter sees it lift or lower a special seat that is suspended above the toilet pan. When the seat is lifted to its maximum level it also tilts forward in the same way as a lift and tilt (rise and recliner) chair to help ease the person into a standing posture.
With an aid like this independence and dignity can be retained by someone who would otherwise require assistance to use the bathroom. A number of toilet lifters are designed with bariatrics in mind, so they can adequately support larger and heavier people.
Requirements and how the lifter works
Most toilet lifters use a strong plastic toilet seat that is lifted and lowered on two arms that are supported on structural legs that stand either side of the toilet.
Grab handles project up and out from the legs providing extra security for the user as they are lifted or lowered. Usually the remote control features of the lifter will be found on one of these handles.
Because the legs that lift and take the weight of the person using the toilet are positioned either side of the toilet, there is a space requirement for this aid to be fitted. Toilets that are situated in narrow spaces, with no room to their sides, will not be suitable for a toilet lifter.
A further variation of the toilet lift is a mobile version which runs on lockable castors (small wheels). This kind of lifter can easily be removed, or switched to another toilet or cubicle. For this reason it is popular in hospitals, care homes for the elderly etc.
Alternative toilet sollutions
- The main alternative to having a seat that lift and lowers over a normal toilet is to have a lifting toilet, which may also be a shower toilet. You can find out about these toilets here - disability toilets.
- For information about bathroom transfer lifts, see this page - Bathroom transfer lifts.
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