Ups and Downs of Hygiene Slings

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Victor hygiene sling with head supportfunction.

Published on MDA/ALS Newsmagazine (http://alsn.mda.org)

Home > The Ups and Downs of Hygiene Slings

The Ups and Downs of Hygiene Slings

ByjvanarsdallCreated 2010-03-01 10:50

When nature calls, a hygiene sling may be just the right answer for many with ALS.

Like standard slings that are used to transfer, transport or reposition patients, a hygiene(toileting) sling is suspended from a patient lift that can be maneuvered to the toilet onwheels or a ceiling track.

But unlike standard slings, hygiene slings allow lift passengers to stay in the sling whileusing the toilet, making the whole process quicker and easier.

Commode models differ

Although some slings are characterized ascommode slings and serve the same purpose,their design is considerably different than that ofhygiene slings.

Commode slings typically have a fairly smallhole cut in the bottom of the sling fabric, whichusually fully encompasses the buttocks.

Hygiene slings are open from the middle orupper back all the way to the back of the thighsjust above the knees.

Because of their open design, hygiene slingsare easier to use without making a mess. Theyalso facilitate personal cleanup after toileting.

Design is important

When selecting a sling of any type, severalfactors need to be considered, especially since

costs can range from less than $100 to $1000and more:

Weight and size of the user. The load-bearingcapacity of slings can vary from several hundredpounds to more than half a ton. The same istrue of the lifts that support slings. Both need tobe capable of accommodating the patients sizeand weight.

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Slings from Waverly Glen are color-coded by size and use Velcro-fastenedbelts for security.

SureHands hygiene sling suspendedfrom a ceiling-track lift.

Special physiological conditions. Lift userswho require head support should use a high-back sling with a safety belt, advises the LiftDoctor, a panel of clinical and bioengineering liftspecialists at Liko (888-545-6671). Regardlessof the users physical abilities, all slings shouldhave a safety belt option, "in order to avoid any

possibility of your patient slipping while in thesling."

Function. Hygiene slings are specificallydesigned for toileting and bathing use.

Sling material. Most slings are fabricated ofnylon and available with either padded orunpadded leg flaps. Don Krebs, owner of

Access to Recreation (800-634-4351), warnsthat unpadded slings can bunch up and pinch

the skin. He also recommends sling materialthat can be washed easily.

If the sling will be used to transfer the user inand out of the shower or bathtub, mesh fabricsthat dry quickly are an option. Vancare (800-694-4525) offers slings and belts made ofdisposable material to help with infectioncontrol. The company also sells sling fabric witha nonabsorbent coating on one side to aid spotcleaning.

Waverley Glen (800-265-0677) makes sling seatbelts with hook-and-loop (Velcro) fasteners foreasily securing the user.

Lift/compatibility. Some companies that sellboth lifts and slings maintain that their slings arenot compatible with other manufacturers lifts.This is no doubt explained as a liability issue,says Diane Huberty, 61, of Fort Wayne, Ind.Huberty, who received an ALS diagnosis in1986, also is a neuro-certified registered nurse.But the truth is that nearly all slings will fitnearly all lifts.

Adaptive clothing works

Huberty writes a regular column (www.living-with-als.org/Diane) called From Both Sides Caring for an ALS Patient. From long-timefirsthand experience with hygiene slings, she has acquired knowledge thats pertinent notonly to the slings themselves, but also to clothing thats compatible with their use.




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Buck and Buck cut-away muu-muusand dusters are adaptive but notrevealing. Illustration on right showsrear view of Buck & Buck's cut-awayduster.

Silvert's open-back wheelchair pants(above) are fashionable and sling-functional.

Nobody mentions getting your pants down!she complains on her site of sling makersotherwise glowing descriptions of their products.No one tells you that in order to use a sling liftfor toileting, you have to give up wearing slacksand underwear! Well, I refuse to sit around bare-assed under a drafty skirt or lap blanket waiting

for a call of nature!

Huberty and her caregiver tried making the slingwork while she wore regular slacks, but gettingthe pants up and down proved a struggle. Thatled me to try adaptive clothing, she recounts.

She tried slacks with zippers on both sides, butthey were difficult to zip back up after re-seatingin her wheelchair. Ultimately, she settled onslacks with an open back, sold by Silverts

Adaptive Clothing & Footwear (800-387-7088).As weird as they sound, they look like ordinaryslacks when youre seated, she writes on herWeb site. Of course, you cant wear underwearwith them. I just put a hand towel in thewheelchair seat instead.

When you transfer to the toilet, you dont haveto do anything with them. No removing, pulling,unzipping, unsnapping needed. Just transfer tothe toilet and go! There is plenty of open spaceunderneath. I have never gotten my slacks wet

or soiled. A pit stop with the help of a caregiverwhos familiar with the process takes less than10 minutes, even with me on a ventilator.

Buck and Buck (800-458-0600) also sellsadaptive clothing, offering open-back andoverlapping-back muu muus and dusters forwomen, and pants for men with two overlappingback panels held together by easily detachedhook-and-loop tabs.

Choose carefully

Huberty recommends doing an Internet search to find the brand and model of hygienesling thats best for your particular needs, and then searching further for the best price.

Among the Web sites she searched were www.livewellmedical.com (877-748-3935) andsites mentioned earlier in this article. She also notes that slings dont work without lifts,and that the latter should be selected as carefully as the former.

Several manufacturers suggest that slings should, in most cases, be taken out of serviceand replaced after two years of use or sooner if necessary. Sling condition can be




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affected by frequency of use, disinfectants, detergents, frequency of washing, temperatureof the wash/rinse cycles and weight of the user.

Victor hygiene sling in combination with a portable lift.Edition:MDA/ALS Newsmagazine Vol. 15, No. 2Bill Norman

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis - ALS clothing for toileting Feature pants toiletingdevices urination Daily Living ALSN Vol. 15, No. 2

Source URL: http://alsn.mda.org/article/ups-and-downs-hygiene-slings


10/6/2010http://alsn mda org/print/980

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Ups and Downs of Hygiene Slings