Written by Megan Smith, PT
 | Sara Stedy Patient Transfer Aid by ArjoHuntleigh (FULLY ASSEMBLED) View Product |
Now, traditional wheelchairs require an awkward stand pivot maneuver to get patients between seated positions. It's awkward, it requires a lot of strength, and it can be dangerous for both patients and caregivers. The Sara Stedy does an incredible job of eliminating the need for the stand pivot transfer in a lot of everyday scenarios. Now, in this design, the Sarah Stedy positions almost directly under a patient, and this front-facing safety bar and fold-down seat mean there is no need to perform that awkward dance to get a patient from point A to point B. It's fast, it's easy, and particularly, for caregivers looking after a larger patient or family member, this alone can be a reason to look into the Sara Stedy.
Now, one of the best things about the Sara Stedy is the way it allows patients to return to participation in everyday life! A conventional wheelchair often sidelines patients and leaves them relegated to the position of passive bystander. They sit, they watch, and by necessity, everything has to be done for them. Now, with the Sara Stedy’s secure base and partial standing position, patients are raised up to the level of everyday life. With a little bit of help, patients can rejoin family members in the kitchen or around the home to prepare a meal, make coffee, or participate in kinetic games.
Beyond just its utility as a transport device, the Sara Stedy is a fantastic therapy tool. As we mentioned in #2, the Sara Stedy allows patients to participate in everyday life. This allows the patient to return to reaching, balancing, or bending in a way that isn't possible while using a conventional wheelchair. The Sara Stedy also has a front knee pad and a crossbar. In combination, these two items mean that a patient has a secure platform from which they can safely work on standing, balancing, and bearing their own weight through the legs and arms. Because it's very normal to have patients who are resistant to normal physical therapy protocols, who will respond positively to the opportunity to return to normal life and get those same exercises and therapy benefits in a more functional setting and way.
Now for a patient trying to recover, mindset and motivation is everything. With a conventional wheelchair, a patient is typically beneath the standard eye-line, which isn't great for mental health or patient motivation. Eye contact triggers the limbic nervous system, which is responsible for those feelings of empathy and human connection. The Sara Stedy raises a person back into an elevated position, creating more opportunities for eye contact and connection, and reinforcing the patient's mindset that they are a capable person on the way to recovery.
Beyond everything else the Sara Stedy has going for it, it's worth mentioning the Sara Stedy is a big time-saver. Standing pivots take a lot of time, and wheelchairs often have a lot of adjustments and manipulations you need to make just to get going. The Sara Stedy is just faster, easier, and more convenient where it counts -- which saves a lot of time and cuts down in hassles throughout the day.
Keep in mind, the Sara Stedy is not a true replacement for a wheelchair. There will always be situations and use cases where a wheelchair is the better option. For example, the Sara Stedy is designed for flat, even spaces in homes and hospitals, or therapy centers. Additionally, the Sara Stedy does not fold down, so it will never be a convenient on-the-go device like a wheelchair that you can take with you. And the most obvious difference between the Sara Stedy and a wheelchair is that the Sara Stedy is exclusively a two-person device. Self-propulsion is not an option in the Sara Stedy in the same way as a wheelchair. So that has to be accounted for. But again, this video is not intended to be a direct comparison. The Sara Stedy is not intended as a replacement for a wheelchair, but it can be an incredible compliment.
The Sara Stedy is an awesome device that is a fast and easy way to make patient transfers, and it has some awesome capabilities as a physical therapy device. All that being said, the Sara Stedy is not an on-the-go device, nor intended as a true replacement for a wheelchair.
We hope you found this article resourceful! Check out Caregiver University for other informative articles, and view all Arjo products for sale.
Megan has been a part of Rehabmart since its inception nearly 20 years ago. For the past several years she has been enjoying her role as HR Director while maintaining her Physical Therapy license. When she isn't working on her next in-service or working to find a new team member, she enjoys her five children, helping those who have PT type ailments, baking, practicing yoga, and working out.
