High dependency care involves a significant need for help with daily activities. A riser recliner chair with integrated care features therefore has to fit into a day that includes sitting, rest, personal care and transfers, at night too. A 24-hour table helps to clarify where the person is, who is providing care and which alternatives are available. It does not impose the same schedule on everyone: it makes it easier to organise help according to the guidance received and the person’s preferences.
In brief
In high dependency care, organising the day also means thinking about getting back into bed, waking during the night and who can step in when the usual family member is not there. Sollevita can support several activities, but the other necessary aids and the recommended position changes remain part of the day. The 24-hour table brings together moments, help and real alternatives: it does not impose the same sitting time on everyone.
Before the chair, describe a real day
When a person needs help with many activities, it is easy to sum up the situation in one sentence: “they need help with everything”. To choose a useful setup, however, you need to go into detail. Moving from the bed to the seat may require a patient hoist, while reading or chatting may not require continuous help. These are different needs, even in the same person.
Reconstruct the previous day, including what actually happened. Where did they have breakfast? Did they rest in the living room or go back to the bedroom? Which activity meant moving furniture or calling a second carer? Also write down the activities that were wanted but postponed: they often show the problem better than simply counting the moves.
The French National Authority for Health (Haute Autorité de Santé) highlights the value of the person’s expectations when building a personalised plan. [1] A home routine, too, should start from what the user considers important, not only from how the family is organised.
For the overall picture of needs, the dedicated section on older people with loss of independence helps to distinguish the different forms of support. Here, instead, we look at how to distribute them across the day.
A table to organise care across the 24 hours
The table helps you organise care across the day without replacing healthcare guidance. The time slots show possible moments: replace them with the real times and the activities already agreed. In each row, note who is actually available and any help that still needs to be organised.
| Time of day | Activity and actual location | Help and alternative to note |
|---|---|---|
| Waking up | Morning hygiene; staying in bed or first transfer | Who is there, planned aid, what to do if the transfer has to be postponed |
| Breakfast and morning | Meal, conversation, reading or usual activity | Supports needed; who prepares and who remains available |
| Personal care | Shaving, hair, dressing or other agreed activities | Suitable place, side access and a trained carer |
| Lunch | Meal location and access to the table | Recommended position, planned help, alternative already agreed |
| Afternoon | Rest and desired activities | Tolerated positions, planned changes and the option of going back to bed |
| Evening | Dinner, company, getting ready for the night | Who ends the day and who carries out the handover |
| Night and waking | Night-time sleeping surface, any needs and calls | Contact person on call, accessible aids and usual procedure |
You do not need to fill in every box at the first attempt. An empty entry is already useful: “we don’t know who could help in the evening” is an organisational problem to be clarified before delivery, not a detail to be solved with an extra function.
Note what changes at weekends or on days without outside help. The timeline should not describe only the day when everything works best. Keep a review date, so family members can recognise the current version.
Meals, active seating and rest have different needs
The same chair can be used for chatting, sitting at the table and resting. This does not mean always using the same position. Before a meal, the guidance already received on supports and assistance must be followed; a steeply reclined configuration chosen for relaxing does not automatically carry over to mealtime.
For active seating, what matters is the relationship between pelvis, backrest, feet and armrests. Before resorting to extra cushions to keep correcting the position, it is worth checking measurements and supports with the professionals who look after the person. Sollevita offers seat widths of 52 or 63 cm and three seat depths, to be chosen according to body proportions and use. [4]
When resting, recline and tilt-in-space perform different tasks: the first changes the angle of the backrest relative to the seat; the second tilts seat and backrest together. The 180° lie-flat position offers the option of lying down, without making it necessary to go back to the bedroom for every break. [4]
A useful criterion is to consider the return to the usual position as well: who operates the remote control, whether the person can reach it and how they communicate that they want to change position. There is no need to reach maximum recline to prove that a break has been effective.
Match Sollevita’s functions to activities rather than filling the day with adjustments
Sollevita incorporates from 5 to 8 independent motors, depending on the weight capacity. The functions for sitting, rest and daily care make it possible to choose the positions suited to different activities: a more active seated position, a break with the legs supported or resting lying down. Whoever uses the remote control also needs to know how to return to the usual position. [4]
The three-layer seat construction combines a sprung seat base, an individually pocketed springs cushion and a comfort top layer, designed to encourage balanced weight distribution and support the pelvis. A high backrest, the Push Head powered headrest and the footrest complete the supports; positions should be chosen according to the person’s needs. [4]
During shaving, hair care or dressing, vertical height adjustment adjusts the height of the whole chair with the person seated or lying down. The removable side panel can make the relevant side more accessible. This is different from the rise function, which assists the person towards a standing position: the two functions do not solve the same problem. [4]
The lithium battery powers the motors; the manually moved wheeled base allows indoor moves, with the person providing care pushing the chair. It is not the battery that moves the chair forward. Before including this option in the timeline, the route and the way it is used must be compatible with the product and with the person.
Distinguish a necessary transfer from an avoidable one
A transfer may be needed to change surface or simply to change room. This difference helps you understand where a chair on wheels can be practical. If the person can reach the living room while staying in the same seat, it may not be necessary to transfer them to another chair just for that journey.
This does not mean removing all moves from the plan. The wheelchair may remain necessary for other routes; the bed keeps its role for the night, for care or for specific surfaces. The position changes planned for the person must also remain in the plan.
Illustrative example, not a clinical case: a family would like to move the person close to the table to chat after lunch. The benefit to check is being able to take part without an extra change of seat. It is not proving that the person can stay in the chair until the evening.
When, instead, the person needs to move from the bed to the chair, vertical height adjustment, the 180° lie-flat position and side access can help prepare the transfer. Suva emphasises the role of appropriate aids and of training for those providing care. [2] The choice of procedure and of the people carrying it out cannot be worked out simply from how many functions the chair has.
The night and the unexpected must not be left out of the plan
A daytime routine can seem well organised and then become fragile when the shift changes. Before going back to bed, you need to know who will be there, where the aids are and how any later request for help will be handled. Noting “evening: bed” is not enough.
The same applies when the chair is temporarily unusable. Identify an alternative place that is already suitable and the contact person to call. This does not mean organising a different transfer in case of a fault: it means not having to improvise one when a problem arises.
The battery can make the adjustments available without a continuous connection to the mains socket, but it does not justify assuming unlimited battery life. Charging and checks follow the instructions for the configuration delivered. A person who cannot operate the remote control must be able to call the help planned in their routine.
The Sollevita warranty and after-sales service includes support, tutorials, video calls and spare parts. Technical support helps with using the product; a change in the person’s health, on the other hand, should be reported to the professionals who look after them. The two paths must remain recognisable even for a family member who only helps occasionally.
When the chair cannot become the main place to sit
When the person cannot change position independently, how and how often help is given should be defined with the professionals who look after them. The daily table records this guidance, without replacing it with standard intervals. [3]
Prescribed cushions and instructions for reducing pressure on certain areas of the body should be taken into account before changing seat. Sollevita’s three-layer construction is designed to distribute weight and provide support; any specific supports and position changes remain part of the individual plan.
Pain, repeated sliding, insufficient head support or difficulty tolerating a position call for a reassessment. They should not be compensated for by indiscriminately increasing the recline, extending rest time or adding random supports.
A room without enough working space or the absence of the necessary help can also prevent appropriate use. The chair can be part of the solution, but it cannot replace organisation, training or human help when these are needed.
How to tell whether the new routine really works
After introducing the chair, compare the day with what you had noted. Does the person take part in the activities they wanted? Do family members know which adjustment to use? Is getting back to bed organised even when the carer changes?
Don’t judge the result only by counting minutes or transfers saved. One transfer fewer, achieved by giving up conversation in the living room, is not necessarily an improvement. Simple observations are useful too: “asks less often for the remote control to be repositioned” or “the table is still too far away”.
Avoid three mistakes: leaving the timeline unchanged when the aids change; taking the person’s silence as confirmation of comfort; extending sitting time because the new arrangement is more convenient for the carer. When something changes, update the sheet together with the people involved.
FAQ
Common questions
What does high dependency care mean?
It describes a high need for help with daily activities, which may involve transfers, personal care, position changes and someone being present during rest. The help needed is not the same at every moment: it should be organised around the person’s abilities and needs.
How many hours a day can the person stay seated?
There is no figure that applies to everyone. Sitting time depends on individual conditions, the supports used and the guidance received. The diary records the actual duration: it does not authorise increasing it, nor does it replace the assessment of those who look after the person.
Does the 180° lie-flat position make it possible to avoid using the bed at night?
Not automatically. It offers an option for resting lying down, but the bed may still be needed for sleep, care, specific surfaces and night-time management. The timeline should always make clear where night-time rest takes place and who steps in when needed.
Does the wheeled base remove the need for every transfer between the chair and the wheelchair?
No. It can spare a change of seat when the only purpose is a suitable indoor move. The wheelchair keeps its own tasks. The route and the instructions for use must be checked, without mistaking the wheels for a self-propelled drive function.
If the family members who are present change, do I have to change the whole routine?
Not necessarily, but you need to update responsibilities and availability. Whoever takes over must know the controls used, the planned aids and the contacts. A clear table helps to avoid leaving this information solely to one person’s memory.
What information should I send to the Sollevita Team?
A complete day, night included, with activities, locations, aids, available help and the person’s wishes. Add height, weight and the relevant room measurements. Share only the information needed, avoiding medical records that have not been requested.
Reference sources
[1] French National Authority for Health (Haute Autorité de Santé). The person’s expectations and the personalised plan (in French). 2008; page updated in 2018.
[2] Suva. Smart patient handling in care and support work (in Italian). Page consulted on 8 September 2026.
[3] Geneva University Hospitals (HUG). Preventing pressure ulcers in hospital (in French). Updated 11 February 2026.
[4] Sollevita · La Castellana. Sollevita riser recliner chair with integrated care features. Manufacturer information, consulted on 8 September 2026.
The health sources support the principles cited; they are not a recommendation of Sollevita. The technical features are manufacturer information; the practical sheet is an editorial compilation.
Bring the day to the consultation, not just a list of functions
Fill in the timeline with the person and with those who care for them, including the steps that still need clarifying. The Sollevita Team can compare it with measurements, available space and the product’s functions, to understand what role the chair could play in the real routine without replacing the other supports that are needed.
