When choosing a chair for a dependent person, standing up, resting and transfers should be treated as distinct needs. The priority is not the most impressive function, but the problem that needs an answer in everyday life. First, any unsafe situations are clarified with professionals; then the person’s wishes, how often the activities occur and the help needed are assessed. A simple matrix allows the family to prepare for the consultation without turning the choice into an abstract comparison of accessories.
In brief
Standing up, resting and transferring require different kinds of help: the priority should be identified by observing the person’s activities, their preferences and the difficulties that carry the most risk, even if they happen rarely. Seat measurements and the aids already in use are the starting point. The matrix is there to organise the discussion with the Sollevita Team and with the professionals involved, not to assign a clinical level of dependency.
First question: what would the person like to make easier?
A family may think mainly of the moment when they have to help the person stand up. The person, however, might point to another priority: having lunch together with the others, resting without changing rooms, or not having to keep asking for the cushions to be adjusted. The two perspectives are not mutually exclusive, but both need to be heard.
The Haute Autorité de Santé (French National Authority for Health) devotes its reference document on the personalised plan specifically to taking the person’s expectations into account in the support they receive. [1] When choosing a chair, this principle is a reminder not to automatically replace the user’s point of view with that of the person buying it.
A concrete sentence is a good start: “I’d like to stay in the living room after lunch” or “getting back onto the seat takes too much help”. A perfect list is not needed. If the person has difficulty communicating, someone who knows them well can contribute by reporting their preferences and usual signals, keeping them separate from their own interpretations.
The first goal is not to find a function. It is to understand which activity the person wants to preserve, make more comfortable or organise with fewer unnecessary steps.
Safety is not decided by counting how often a problem occurs
Observing frequency and duration helps, but it is not enough to establish the priority. A problematic transfer carried out only once cannot be considered unimportant just because other activities are repeated more often. If the person providing care has to hold the person up, the trunk gives way or there have been near-falls, the procedure needs to be clarified with a professional.
Suva stresses the importance of using appropriate aids, making the most of the abilities the person still has and training the person providing care. [2] It is not a choice between “a more complete chair” and “more strength from the family member”: first you need to know which activities can be carried out and with which aids.
In the matrix we separate the questions to be clarified before the trial from the daily activities that should guide the choice. New pain or a change in health requires the appropriate professional; supports, measurements and the remote control, on the other hand, can be explored in more detail with the Sollevita Team.
This step makes the discussion clearer: a chair can improve the daytime seating arrangement while the transfer still requires the patient hoist already in use. There is no need for a single item to replace the entire care system.
Standing up, resting and transfers: three different questions
When the difficulty is standing up or sitting back down
The question is how the move between sitting and standing takes place: which supports are used, what assistance is planned and where the sequence becomes difficult. Sitting back down matters as much as getting up. “They can stand up” does not describe what happens in the last few centimetres of the descent.
The rise function accompanies this movement gradually. It should not be confused with a hoist that transfers the person between surfaces. If standing is not appropriate, the consultation must start from the transfer that is needed, not from the idea of using the rise function regardless. [3, 4]
When the problem is staying seated and resting
The question concerns supports, hours of use, the possibility of changing position and how the person returns to active seating. A person may not use the rise function and still need a comfortable, adjustable place to sit through the day.
A short break needs to be distinguished from prolonged rest. The fact that a chair can extend into a flat position does not mean it replaces every function of the bed. The prescribed cushions, supports and care instructions must be kept, and their compatibility with the new seat checked.
When the priority is moving between bed, wheelchair and chair
The question is which surface the person starts from, where they end up and with which procedure. An adjustable height and a clear side can make preparation easier, but they do not determine the technique or the number of people needed.
Suva distinguishes between standing aids, transfer boards and lifting devices according to the activities involved. [4] For the family it is useful to write down the names of the aids already in use: “we have a hoist” is a starting point, while the model, its footprint and how it is used allow a more precise check.
The needs matrix: a form to fill in together
The table is not a health test. It is there to help prepare the conversation with those who look after the person and with the Sollevita Team. Record observed facts, not general judgements such as “they are completely dependent” or “they seem comfortable”.
| Need | What to describe | Concrete goal to check |
|---|---|---|
| Standing up and sitting down | Supports used, difficult moment, usual help | Understand whether the powered assistance fits into the sequence |
| Staying seated | Hours, supports, adjustments needed, remote control | Look for a seat that is well proportioned and manageable within the routine |
| Resting | Type of break, desired position, return | Reach and leave the position with the planned assistance |
| Transfers | Surfaces, side, heights, aids and people involved | Check compatibility and access without improvising manoeuvres |
| Personal care | Activity carried out, working side, distance | Let the person providing care get closer while keeping the person’s supports in place |
Next to the most relevant row add: “To clarify before the trial” or “To check during the demonstration”. The first status concerns missing information, compatibility or instructions still to be received; the second concerns activities that are already appropriate and can be observed with the appropriate people present.
There is no need to choose a single need and cross out the others. The priority serves to decide where to start, while the others become requirements not to lose sight of. Dependency covers very different situations: the pages dedicated to specific needs help to recognise the context without confusing it with an automatic configuration.
An example: the product should improve the day, not replace everything
Consider an illustrative situation, not a documented clinical case. A person spends many hours in a wheelchair and is transferred to bed by staff using a hoist. The family member is looking for a more comfortable seat and initially focuses their questions on the rise function.
The matrix can change the order of the comparison. If standing up is not part of the routine, the chair’s priority may be daytime sitting: supports, changes of position, access to the remote control and rest. The transfer remains an essential requirement to be coordinated with the hoist, not an activity to be improvised with the rise function.
The expected outcome is not “getting rid of the wheelchair and the bed”. It may be to offer a second place to sit for a few hours, in line with the care plan. A choice of this kind recognises both the wish for comfort and what already works in the organisation of care.
In another situation, the person may be able to take part in standing up but find it difficult to sit back down. The demonstration will then start from that movement. Same chair to assess, different main question.
From the priority to Sollevita’s features
Sollevita is a single, complete model, made in Italy by La Castellana. It incorporates between 5 and 8 independent motors, depending on the weight capacity. The choice of features to try should follow the matrix, without turning the meeting into a compulsory demonstration of every function. [3]
For staying seated and resting, what matters is the three-layer seat construction, the high backrest and the adjustable head and neck support with the Push Head powered headrest. The seat widths are 52 or 63 cm, with three seat depths available. It is not enough for the person to be within the weight capacity: they need to find supports that match their proportions. [3]
For transfers, the 180° lie-flat position, vertical height adjustment and the fully removable side panel make it possible to prepare a surface that can be placed alongside the bed. The removable upper armrest section, on the other hand, is used, among other things, to get closer to the table. Distinguishing between the two removable parts avoids attributing every sideways use to a single part. [3]
For day-to-day management, the modular design and the fact that both the outer and the underlying covers are removable make the components and the two layers of upholstery accessible. The lithium battery powers the motors; the manually moved wheeled base allows indoor moves with the person seated, following the instructions, but does not turn Sollevita into an outdoor wheelchair. [3]
You can look at the features of the Sollevita riser recliner chair with integrated care features once you have identified the priority: it will be easier to recognise the relevant functions and ask targeted questions.
Five steps for a useful family meeting
1. Describe an episode. Choose a specific moment, without starting from the name of the product. Who was there, what did the person want to do and where was help needed?
2. Listen to the user’s goal. Write down what the person would like to preserve or make more comfortable. Where possible, report their own words instead of summarising them as a diagnosis.
3. Separate out the essential checks. Note the compatibility issues, supports or instructions that must be clarified before a trial. Do not turn an uncertain transfer into a home demonstration.
4. Choose the first activity to assess. It could be staying seated with suitable supports, using the remote control or checking side access with the chair empty. Decide who should take part in the check.
5. Write down the next step. Note which measurements to send, whom to contact and what doubts remain. You do not need an immediate purchase decision: you need to know what is missing in order to choose with clarity.
When to reassess priorities and which mistakes to avoid
The matrix is not final. It should be revisited when the routine changes, another aid arrives, the person providing care changes or new difficulties emerge. Even a function that is rarely used may deserve a question: is it not needed, is it uncomfortable or has it not been understood?
Do not judge the trial solely on first impressions. For prolonged use, what matters is what happens while the person stays seated and whether they can return to their usual position. The duration and format of the trial must be compatible with the person, without turning comfort into an endurance test.
Another mistake is choosing everything for the family member’s convenience while forgetting the user’s supports. The most convenient height for the person providing care may not be the right one for resting or for the next move. The adjustments exist precisely to tell these moments apart.
Finally, do not ask the Sollevita Team for a diagnosis or a transfer technique. The technical discussion concerns the product, measurements and use; the health and care assessment remains with the competent professionals. The two areas of expertise must be able to talk to each other, not replace each other.
FAQ
Common questions
Which need comes first for a dependent person?
There is no ranking that is the same for everyone. First, unsafe situations are clarified; then the person’s goals, how often the activities occur and the help needed are considered. The priority guides the trial without eliminating the other requirements.
Is the rise function always the most important one?
No. If standing up is not part of the expected routine, staying seated, resting and access for transfers may matter more. The chair’s product name should not decide the priority instead of the person.
Can a complete chair replace the bed, wheelchair and hoist?
Not automatically. It offers different functions in one place, but the other aids may still have necessary tasks to perform. The choice should be checked within the existing care arrangements, not starting from the idea of getting rid of everything else.
Does the matrix make it possible to determine the level of care needed?
No. It is a form for collecting observations and preparing questions. It does not assign a degree of dependency, does not determine the care needed and does not replace the assessments of the professionals who look after the person.
What should you do when the family member and the person indicate different priorities?
Record both and describe the episodes they refer to. The family member may be pointing to an organisational difficulty, while the user is expressing a wish to take part or to rest. There is no need to erase one perspective in order to listen to the other.
What information is needed before the consultation?
The chosen priority, height and weight, any measurements of the current seat, the aids in use and the space available. Also indicate who uses the remote control and who provides care. You do not need to send a complete medical file to get started.
Reference sources
[1] Haute Autorité de Santé (French National Authority for Health), The person’s expectations and the personalised plan (in French). Taking the person’s expectations into account in the support they receive. Open the source
[2] Suva, Smart handling in care and support work (in Italian). Aids, the person’s abilities and training. Open the source
[3] Sollevita, Product and technical data page. Functions, measurements and construction; it does not establish individual clinical suitability. Open the source
[4] Suva, Smart handling: providing suitable aids (in Italian). The different tasks of aids for standing up and for transfers. Open the source
Start from the need that has to be met
Find out more about Sollevita for older people with loss of independence and bring the matrix with your main observations to the Sollevita Team. The consultation can then start from standing up, resting or transfers according to the real situation, instead of asking you to choose between functions you have not yet linked to your day.
