In home care, difficult transfers are not solved simply by adding more strength. When the legs give way, the body loses stability or the person providing care suddenly has to hold on to them, the way the transfer is carried out needs to be reviewed. Five signs help you describe the situation and prepare an assessment: they are not a test for choosing a patient hoist on your own. The aim is to understand what has changed and what conditions are needed to make the transfer more manageable.
In brief
A transfer completed with great effort deserves attention even if it did not cause a fall. Difficulties with the legs and trunk, uncertain grips and insufficient space should be described without repeating the manoeuvre to demonstrate them. No weight threshold on its own authorises manual lifting. Vertical height adjustment and side access can help prepare the transfer, while technique and aids require a qualified assessment.
First of all: which transfer has become difficult?
“We can’t move him any more” can mean very different situations. The difficulty may appear when the person stands up, when they turn towards a wheelchair, when they have to get from the bed to the chair, or in the reverse transfer in the evening. The help required can also differ: being close by is not the same as supporting the weight of the body.
Choose an episode that has already happened and describe the starting point, the destination and the point at which the movement stopped or became strenuous. Specify who was present and which aid was being used. Do not ask the person to repeat the movement just to check whether they can still do it: this guide is for gathering observations, not for testing abilities with a trial at home.
INRS, the French institute for the prevention of occupational risks, proposes an approach that takes into account the person’s abilities and the appropriate use of aids, rather than relying on the care worker simply lifting the person. The useful principle for the family is to start from the real activity, not from the strength available to the person providing care. [1]
Five signs that call for a reassessment
1. The legs no longer give their usual support
During a transfer that is already part of the plan, the knees give way or the person can no longer maintain the support they used to rely on. The person providing care finds themselves holding up a growing share of the body. This is not an invitation to “have another go”: it is a change to report to whoever oversees the person’s mobility.
2. The trunk loses stability during the transfer
The person leans to one side, slides or needs to be held so as not to lose their balance. It helps to specify when this happens: at the start, during a turn or close to the destination surface. Being fairly stable when seated does not automatically show that the next transfer can be managed in the same way.
3. Improvised grips and corrections appear
Pulling on the arms, grabbing under the armpits or giving a sudden tug to get the position back are signs that should not be treated as normal. An article is not the place to find a stronger grip: the transfer needs to be reviewed. The description “in the last few centimetres I have to hold her back” is more informative than “it just needs a hand”.
4. The environment forces you to work from too far away or while twisting
A bedside table stops you from getting close, the armrest blocks the useful side, or the bed leaves too little space for the aid already planned. The difficulty does not necessarily lie with the person: it can arise from the relationship between the body, the furniture and the equipment. A room that looks spacious may have the very side you need to work from taken up.
5. The manoeuvre becomes less predictable
The transfer takes more attempts, varies greatly between morning and evening, or the person providing care reports near-falls and growing fatigue. One occasion when it went well does not cancel out these observations. The question is whether the procedure keeps working under ordinary conditions, with the people actually available, not whether someone managed to complete it once.
Weight matters, but it does not decide on its own
The person’s weight, their ability to take part and the space available describe different aspects. Kilograms are used to choose equipment with an adequate weight capacity; they are not permission to lift someone manually. Likewise, a light person may need complex support if their body does not remain stable during the transfer.
Consider frequency too. Help repeated several times a day can take up a significant part of the routine. To describe it, note down the episodes and the difficulties observed, without turning the diary into a tally of the family member’s performance. The purpose is not to prove who is strong enough, but to clarify where organisation, equipment or different skills are needed.
Suva, the Swiss accident prevention body, links the moving and handling of people to three elements: organisation, appropriate aids and training. Buying a device is therefore one part of the answer, not the whole intervention. [2]
A record sheet to describe the transfer without repeating it
Fill in the sheet using episodes you have already observed in the daily routine. It is meant to describe the transfer, not to measure the person’s abilities clinically. When a piece of information is missing, write “to be checked”: do not obtain it by repeating a difficult manoeuvre.
| Aspect | What to note | Question to bring to the discussion |
|---|---|---|
| Start and destination | Bed, wheelchair or chair; direction of the transfer | Is the problem the same on the way back? |
| Critical moment | Starting, turning, approaching or lowering | At which stage does the help needed change? |
| Participation | Supports and movements the person usually relies on | Which abilities need to be reassessed? |
| Stability | Sliding, leaning or needing to be held | Is the planned support still sufficient? |
| Environment | Side blocked, distance, obstacle or difference in height | Which barrier can be removed first? |
| Help available | Who steps in and with which aid already in use | Do organisation or training need updating? |
| Change | Since when and at what times it appears | Who needs to be informed, and with what priority? |
Add the model of the aids used, if you know it, and a photograph of the area without the person in it. You do not need intimate images or complete medical records to show a door, a fixed armrest or the side of a bed.
From observations to the next step
If the transfer can no longer be managed with the usual plan, avoid further improvised attempts and contact the professional or the service overseeing the person’s care. In the meantime, use the alternative already agreed. If there is no safe alternative, ask for guidance before attempting a new manoeuvre; in a situation of immediate danger you need emergency help, not a sales consultation.
When the difficulty is mainly about an obstacle, a description of the environment can be gathered first. This does not mean that moving the bedside table automatically makes the transfer appropriate: it lets you separate the physical barrier from the person’s abilities and from the characteristics of the aid.
Specific starting situations are covered in more depth in the Sollevita guides dedicated to reduced mobility. The name of the condition helps you find your way, but it does not replace a description of what happens between one surface and the other.
What adjustable height and side access can change
Vertical height adjustment raises or lowers the whole chair while the person stays seated or lying down. It is not the rise function, which assists the person towards a standing position. In transfers, the value of adjustable height lies in being able to consider a height that better matches the adjacent surface, within the product’s range of travel.
On Sollevita, the fully removable side panel frees up the side of the seat. The 180° lie-flat position, together with vertical height adjustment and side access, allows the chair to be placed alongside the bed as provided for by the lie-flat transfer configuration. These are concrete elements of preparation: height, surface and accessible space. [3]
On their own, they do not show that a person can be transferred without a hoist, a transfer board or other aids. Before choosing, it can be useful to understand the differences between a standard riser recliner and Sollevita: a greater range of adjustment widens the options, but it must be linked to the procedure actually needed.
When the chair has to work together with other aids
A wheelchair can remain the main seat for getting around, while the riser recliner offers another place to rest. A patient hoist may still be needed to get the person into it. There is no contradiction: each aid can have a different task within the same day.
Choosing a transfer board, a slide sheet or a lifting system requires a specific check. The shape of the aid, the surfaces, the type of support and the person’s abilities are not interchangeable. A prescribed aid should not be replaced with another simply because it seems easier or less bulky.
The number of people involved must also follow the defined procedure. “Two of us do it” is not a universal solution. Clear roles, available space and training are needed; the chair prepares the environment, while the organisation of care determines how to use it.
The words that really help the person doing the assessment
“They won’t cooperate” risks attributing intent to a difficulty. It is more useful to report that the person cannot follow the transfer, feels pain, loses their footing or asks to stop. Their point of view matters too: a manoeuvre that seems quick to the family member may feel unpredictable to them.
For example, instead of “evenings are impossible”, you could write “on the way back from the chair to the bed, after dinner, she asks for a break and more help is needed than in the morning”. The sentence describes what happens and allows those supporting the person to ask precise questions, without immediately attributing a cause.
Also avoid expressions such as “the chair does the transfer by itself” or “you just need to level it with the bed”. They confuse a mechanical capability with the care procedure. The correct message is simpler: the height and the free side can remove some obstacles, while the transfer must be organised around the person.
Preparing the discussion without turning it into an endurance test
Take the sheet to someone who knows the person’s mobility and separate health questions from technical ones. The former concern support, tolerance and transfer methods; the latter concern dimensions, range of travel, components and use of the chair. The Sollevita Team can explain the product and compare its data, not replace the care assessment.
If a demonstration is offered, first clarify who will take part and what will be checked. Photographs of the environment can precede any trial with the person. The useful outcome is not to show all the functions, but to understand whether a specific configuration meets the needs of the transfer that is causing difficulty today.
Finally, keep the outcome of the discussion together with the relevant instructions. When the bed, the aid or the help available changes, that information must be reviewed: a recorded setting is not an unchangeable prescription.
FAQ
Common questions
How can you tell whether difficult transfers need more than manual strength?
When the legs give way, stability is lost, improvised grips appear or more help is needed than before, a reassessment is required. There is no need to wait for a fall or to repeat the transfer to prove the difficulty. Describe an episode that has already happened and contact whoever oversees the person’s care.
Is there a weight below which a person can be lifted by hand?
No, weight alone does not define an appropriate manoeuvre. Abilities, stability, environment, frequency and the help available must all be considered. The weight capacity stated on an aid refers to that equipment, not to the strength a family member should use.
Does vertical height adjustment replace a patient hoist?
No. It adjusts the height of the whole chair; it does not lift the person away from the seat. It can help prepare a transfer, but a patient hoist is still needed where one is specified for the person and for the procedure used.
Is the removable side panel enough for a sideways transfer?
No. It frees up access, but compatible surfaces, stability and an appropriate transfer method are also needed. Removing the side panel does not authorise dragging the person or choosing a transfer board on your own.
Should I send a video of the transfer to the Sollevita Team?
You do not need to start with a video. A description and photographs of the empty room can clarify many aspects. Do not repeat a risky manoeuvre in order to film it; any recording requires consent and appropriate conditions, without unnecessary personal data.
What information is useful before the consultation?
State the starting and destination surfaces, the difficult moment, the help already used, the models of the aids, and the person’s height and weight. Add any available measurements of the room and the guidance already received. Say openly what still needs to be checked.
Sources and references
[1] INRS · France. The ALM approach: supporting the mobility of the person being helped while taking care of them and of yourself (in French). Accessed on 9 September 2026.
[2] Suva · Switzerland. Smart transfers in care and support work (in French). Accessed on 9 September 2026.
[3] Sollevita · La Castellana. Sollevita care riser recliner. Accessed on 9 September 2026.
The health sources support the principles cited, not a recommendation of Sollevita. Product features are information from the manufacturer; the practical sheets are editorial content, not clinical tests.
The next step
Start from the transfer that causes the most difficulty today and prepare a concrete description. Then review Sollevita’s care features with the Sollevita Team and with whoever oversees the person’s care, to understand what role the chair could play in the real daily routine.
