When caring for someone with mobility challenges, this can involve more than emotional and practical support; it often requires physical assistance in moving, lifting, and handling.
Over time this can have a significant impact on your own physical health long term, so it is important to ensure you are able to support someone physically in the right way, aware of your own abilities and limitations and you have received correct advice and equipment from a professional before carrying out any physical support. Here our guide shares the essential points when it comes to safely supporting someone to mobilise and manoeuvre, sharing current guidelines and emphasising techniques that minimise the risk of injury to both you and the person you are caring for.
Please note this is a guideline and before undertaking any physical support please seek advice and guidance from your medical teams and social health care team to reduce the risk of injury to you and the person you are supporting.
When you may need to support someone to move around and mobilise
When supporting someone with a physical disability, the level and type of support you provide will vary greatly, depending on the person’s needs, your physical health and the equipment available. That being said, it can include support with
- Moving in and out of bed, turning in bed, sitting up in bed.
- Bathing or showering, going to the toilet.
- Standing, walking.
- Getting in and out of a wheelchair, seat or car.
- Supporting someone after a fall.
Before moving and handling becomes part of your caring role it is always worth exploring ways to minimise the need for it. For example, you might position furniture to make pathways wider or bring their bed downstairs to help them avoid using the stairs. You can find other ideas in our article on home adaptations to help the person you are caring for.
Why is it important to support someone physically in the right way?
According to Carers UK, 54% of carers who responded to their 2023 State of Caring survey said their physical health had suffered due to their caring responsibilities, and 22% said that caring had actually caused them injuries. The most common injuries include back problems caused by lifting or supporting someone to move around, and this is more likely if you are not aware of the correct advice regarding safe moving and handling techniques.
The person you are caring for is also more likely to be injured if you are not following correct procedures, so it’s so important to know how to best approach moving, lifting and handling so you can both be safe.
Assessing when to help someone by moving, lifting or handling them
Before you move or lift the person you are caring for, it’s important to assess their needs and your ability as their carer, and think about the following questions.
- How heavy is the person you are caring for? Are you fit and well and strong enough to support them?
- Have you spoken to them about physically supporting them, and do they agree to your support?
- Do they need hands-on support or are they able to move themselves with some supervision?
- Are they able to help with some of the movement, perhaps shifting their weight to the edge of the bed or chair before a lift, or using handrails or a walker, so not all the weight is on you?
- Is there enough space to complete the move or transfer? Do you need to move anything to make it safer?
- Is there any equipment available to support the transfer?
- Is there anyone else who could help?
What help and training is available?
A first step to accessing support or training with moving, lifting and handling is to contact the local authority. They will be able to carry out a Needs Assessment for the person you are caring for to determine their level of need and what equipment would be most suitable in promoting their independence. In practice, these assessments (which might include an Occupational Therapy (OT) Assessment and a Home Assessment) will also identify any needs you have in moving and supporting someone to move around and can offer you formal training where appropriate.
As part of this process, they may offer to complete a Carer’s Assessment for you to support you in your caring role. If the assessments show that the person you are supporting has certain needs, you may also be given useful equipment - like slide sheets, hoists, a Sara Stedy sit-to-stand or other stand aids, for example - and the training to use it safely.
You always have the option to buy your own equipment too, but it is important you seek advice from your OT team to make sure what you buy is the right choice.
Supporting someone safely
If it is necessary to move or lift the person you are caring for, guidelines from the NHS suggest the following points to consider alongside any other professional training you may have received.
Always make sure you:
- Keep your feet stable.
- Keep your back straight and bend your knees.
- Have a firm hold.
- Never lift above shoulder height.
- Keep any weight close to your body.
- Lift as smoothly as possible.
Supporting someone after a fall
If the person you are supporting ever has a fall, your first instinct might be to manoeuvre or lift them back into a chair, bed or standing position. Lifting someone after a fall will be a different process from supporting them to move from a chair to standing or transferring from a chair to bed and may be riskier for you to carry out alone. In this case your assessment of the situation is very important.
If the person you are caring for is clearly injured, it might be that you need to call for medical assistance first; then, making them as comfortable as possible where they are until help arrives is the safest form of support you can offer. If they appear well but need assistance in getting up from the floor, you may still need to seek medical advice depending on their disability or condition. Having an emergency plan in place that includes what to do if someone is at risk of falling and who to contact for help is a good idea. Speaking to your healthcare team can support you in creating this.
Looking after yourself when physically supporting someone else
Supporting someone else with moving, lifting and handling is a demanding task for any carer, which is why, alongside following the correct advice for moving and handling to keep yourself and the person you are caring for safe, it is important you prioritise your own health and wellbeing.
This is especially important if you have your own health needs or if you have sustained an injury; in this case, following medical advice and taking the necessary time to recover is crucial to prevent long-term effects and further injuries.
Taking breaks and seeking assistance
Taking regular breaks and looking after your own needs can prevent you from getting overtired and reduce the risk of injury to you both. If you find that it is becoming more difficult for you to lift the person you care for safely, it is important to seek assistance.
Whilst accessing outside support can feel like a big step at first, having the support you need to continue your caring role safely and sustainably will benefit you both long term. For specific information on supporting someone who is bedbound, you can read our article here.