Hi! Miriam here from accessibleGO. We have a new member who has a question related to hoyer lifts. Do you have any guidance for her?
“I need MRIs and a mammogram. I’ve called radiology places and hospilals. No place has a hoyer lift to accomodate me. Any other ideas?”
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Is this in the US or abroad? On the US the ADA would cover this and any facility would be required to come up with a safe solution as a reasonable accommodation, even if it meant having a bunch of staff assist with a full lift transfer. I also find it hard to believe that a hospital does not own a patient lift for their inpatient unit…
Every hospital we use has a hoyer lift available to transfer patients. I cannot imagine why the new member’s hospitals would not. I suggest she contact the director of nursing and inquire of that person.
There are many names for lifts, so don’t specify Hoyer. I have a Versa lift at home which does same tasks. Many medical facilities have permanent ceiling lifts.
Hard to believe no medical facility In your area has lifts. Good 
I just did a Mamogram sitting in my wherlchair. Zero transfer. They accommodated me easily.
Miriam, I am able to transfer, so I do not need a Hoyer lift thank goodness. Larger hospitals in the United States have them. So like Seattle, Cleveland, Chicago, etc. I don’t know where this person lives, but a larger town with a bigger hospital should have some thing.
I wonder if they could rent or borrow a portable Hoyer lift from an equipment company? They should not have to do that. The hospital should provide it.
I wish them luck!
Lilly
I had the same experience.
My husband was 6 ft and 250 lbs. He was a total transfer dependent due to C5/6 spinal cord injury. We had the same problem about trying to get him any type of x-ray. We did request lift teams at the various facilities we went to and were accommodated. What we found is that in the smaller town were we lived, these lift teams were not trained on how to lift someone properly. We had to do a lot of on the spot training. If the individual that needs the MRI can go to a major university to get the test completed, they will be much better off. Universities have properly trained lift teams and proper equipment to provide peace of mind and body.
I think you will have better luck with going to a hospital facility instead of a freestanding imaging center. The hospital will have lifts on the inpatient side that can be used. Also, as another person said you should be able to find a facility that will allow you to do the mammo in your wheelchair.
Hi, if you can transfer with a slide from a wheelchair, you just need a place with adjustable height table. Or if you can transfer to a stretcher, they can raise and lower it to slide you over for an mri. The mammo you would need to sit up on the stretcher.
Hi I just got done with some test at radiology when I had my scan I told them I needed a lift team to get me to the table and back to my chair. My chair does lay flat and I have a sling under me but they did it safely, the following week I had to go to the hospital to have a port put in for chemo and a bone biopsy they had a hoyer lift everything I had done through Hoag hospital. So maybe talk with social worker at the hospital I am sure the can locate a hoyer lift for you .God bless you good luck 