Suppose you have a patient who can not move on stairs ( disabled or is too weak to move on stairs ), there is no elevator available in the building, and you need to move the patient up/down the stairs, which can be very hard & almost impossible.
So, you are looking to buy a stair stretcher that will make the job easier, but there are so many kinds of stair stretchers on the market, and you are confused about which one to buy, which will be easy to use & budget-friendly, and so on. Do not worry,
In this blog, we will help you choose the best stair stretcher for you because we are an International Stretcher company that has developed many kinds of stair stretchers by studying hundreds of disabled persons. So, whatever information you will get from us will be 100% practical, based on years of experience.
So, let us start right away;
1) What Is A Stair Stretcher?
“A stair stretcher is simply a stretcher which will help move a patient up and down the stairs.”
Okay, So How does a Stair Stretcher look like?
Most stair stretchers will look just like standard wheelchairs, but they will be equipped with unique mechanisms ( handles or belting systems, etc. ) to easily move patients on stairs.
2) Where You Can Use Stair Stretchers?
★ Large Buildings
If you live in an apartment in a large building where the elevator is not present or unavailable most of the time.
★ Homes
If you have a patient in a home, like your wife, kids, old parents, etc., who gets sad about their disability and you want them to move around the house, especially on the stairs, to make them feel less disabled and more encouraged.
★ For Check-ups & Outdoor Activities Use
If you a patient is going outdoor, like on tour or for a check-up, etc., and there is a possibility, there will be stairs there, so instead of lifting the patient, which can be very hard, you can simply use a stair stretcher.
★ EMS Personals Use
If you are EMS personnel, and there is a fire or another emergency in the building, you need to evacuate the disabled patients from the building’s upper floors through stairs.
★ Independent Use
If you are somebody who does not like their disability and wants an excellent wheelchair that can also move on the stairs even in the outside world without the help of anybody.
★ In Hospitals
In hospitals, it is very necessary, especially in large ones, where there are not enough elevators in emergencies, and you need to move the patients through stairs.
- And More…
3) How To Use Stair Stretchers?
There are basically 3-main kinds of stair stretchers, and each one has its own usage method;
✓ Simple Lifting Stair Stretchers
✓ Belting System Gliding Stair Stretchers
✓ Fully Automatic Stair Wheel Chair Stretchers
As we move from up to down in the above listing, the mechanism through which they move the patient on stairs also become more and more advanced & easy.
a) Simple Lifting Stair Stretchers
“These strectehrs are the most simplest form of stair stretchers. You will find that these are equipped with special extendable handles, which you can use to easily lift the patients on stairs.”
How to Use
You can use a simple stair stretcher in the following steps;
Preparation;
- Gather at least 3 personals.
- Secure the patient tightly on the stretcher.
- Place the taller personnel on the front side of the stretcher.
- Now, face the stretcher towards the stairs if moving downwards or away from the stairs if moving upwards.
- As both, Place the 3rd person as a spotter, just behind the front person if moving downwards or behind the rear person if moving upward. The spotter must give place his hand on the back of the front person and guide him by his hand & clear verbal clues.
Move the patient on the Stairs;
- Now, suppose we are moving downwards first place the stretchers a little away from the first step.
- Push the release button and Extend the front handles by pulling them out.
- Unfold the rear handles ( if they are folded ).
- Now, both personnel must face the patient, grab the chair slightly and tilt it until the weight is balanced.
- Place the spotter behind the front person for guidance because the front person is facing the patient ( upside of stairs ), and he can not see where he is going downwards.
- Now, get the chair close to the first step, and lift it gently.
- Move the patients step by step all the way down.
- When reaching the ground, close the front handles by pressing the release button. And also, fold rear handles if they are foldable & you do not need them anymore.
Move the patient on the Ground;
- Some simple stretchers have only two rear wheels and no front wheels. So moving on wheels, you need to tilt the chair until the patient is balanced, then roll the stretcher in a tilt position.
- If your stair stretcher has four wheels, there is no need for tilting; simply move a stretcher like a standard wheelchair.
b) Belting System Gliding Stair Stretchers
“As the name describes, these stretchers have a special belting system which you can extend and your stretcher will glide on this belt rail on the stairs. You do not need to lift the stretchers in this process.”
These chairs mostly need only 1 person to operate, and they come in 2-main options;
- Non-motor Powered Evac Chairs
- Motor Powered Chair Stretchers
How to Use
Non-motor Powered Evac Chairs
“Most of these stretchers do not have front handles, so they can only descend the stairs, which make them a tool for emergency. Thats why these non-handle only descending models of stair stretchers are also called Evacuation Chairs.”
Follow the below steps for proper usage;
- First, get the chair out of its packing, extend the handles, unfold the belting system and lock the seat in its place by following your manufacturer’s guidance.
- Secure the patient on the stretcher.
- When on normal ground, extend the back wheels, and keep the belting tracks up in order to use it as a normal four wheelchair.
- When reaching the stairs, push the rear wheel to the front to get the belting system in its place.
- Now, confidently push the stretcher on the stairs until the belting system touches the stairs.
- Now, grab the handle from the upside and just support the chair when it is moving with a constant speed downwards the stairs.
- When reaching the ground, pull the rear wheel simply by foot to get them on the ground; this step will also push the belting system upwards. And you will be able to use this stretcher as a temporary wheelchair.
It is important to note that some manufacturers also offer front handles, making these stretchers capable of moving upstairs as well. So, in that case, always use a spotter.
Motor Powered Chair Stretchers
“In these stretchers, you will find a motor which operates on a rechargeable battery. This motor do all the heavy work on stairs. All you need to do is push the buttons and it will automatically up as well as down on the stairs.”
How to Use
- Check if the battery is full or not. If not, recharge the battery.
- Secure the patient on the stretcher. ( Always lock the rear wheel when securing )
- Now, if you are moving a patient upwards, place the chair 10 inches from the stairs, and if moving downwards, place the chair, so its front wheels are only a few inches away from the edge of the first stair.
- Extend the upper handle and locks it in its place.
- Unfold the belting system and lock the tracks in their place.
- Now, tilt the chair back a little to get the chair on the belting tracks. If moving upwards, the titling process should place the upper edge of treads on the stairs.
- Now push the downward going button if going downstairs or the upward button if moving upwards.
- On stairs, for better friction between stairs & belting tracks, you must pull the handle towards the stairs. Do not try to lift the weight of the chair.
- When reaching a normal ground, lock the rear wheels, un-extend the upper handle and fold the belting system ( if stairs are ended ).
- Finally, extend the chair handles, and roll the chair on wheels just like a normal wheelchair.
Motor-powered stair stretchers mostly come with extendable front handles, which are only there for extra support during moving, not for lifting.
c) Fully Automatic Stair Wheel Chair Stretchers
“These stretchers looks like a advanced wheel chair. When on normal ground a patient can move on it just by a push of buttons, and when reached stairs, just push a button to unfold a special mechanism( mostly a belting system ) which which will allow to go up/down the stairs, without any other person help.”
How to Use
These stretchers are very advanced ones, and only some companies in the world manufacture them. Every company has its own design for operation. So, you can look at the unique instruction book of the company from which you brought your one.
