The Sara Stedy is useful when assisting a person who is struggling to carry out sit-to-stand transfers but still has upper limb strength and trunk control, and is fully weight-bearing. An integral, two-piece paddle seat and castors enable the User to sit between transfers and to be wheeled short distances between seated surfaces and beds.
A carer (formal or informal) is required to move the Stedy, operate the brakes and supervise the User.
This equipment is not mechanised. The User needs to be able to raise themselves to standing by placing their feet on the foot platform, leaning forward and pulling themselves up using the frame of the Stedy. The seat will be in the upright position during transfers. Once standing, the seat paddles are moved to the down position, and the User can sit on the perched seat between transfers.
This equipment is robust and low maintenance, simple to use and easy to keep clean. It is usually operated by one carer and requires active User participation. Therefore, it is ideal for proportionate care delivery and to maintain User independence.
The presence of seat and brake castors increases convenience to Users and carers and can reduce the number of transfers required.
The platform cannot be dismounted once the User is standing and is therefore unsuitable for Users who can step or walk once assisted to stand.
The knee pad can not be adjusted on the Stedy. The perched design of the seat may result in excessive knee discomfort due to knee pad contact for some Users.
It is not suitable for Users who are not fully weight-bearing or who have fluctuating ability to stand. It is difficult to remove a User from the Stedy once they are unable to stand from the paddle seat.
When used with a riser-recliner chair, it can sometimes be problematic to operate the paddle seat in narrower chair seats.
The ease of moving this equipment will depend on factors such as the floor covering and the strength of the attendant.
Mrs S was referred to Occupational Therapy when her mobility deteriorated. Her carer reported that in recent days, Mrs S had become unable to transfer from a sitting to a standing position from her chair, wheelchair, or commode. She also struggled with the few steps to transfer to her wheelchair. Her chair was raised, but she was still unable to transfer safely.
The care provider requested two carers and a fully supportive hoist due to the risk of injury to one carer.
The OT identified at assessment that Mrs S had strong upper limbs and was still able to weight bear. Mrs S demonstrated attempting to pull herself up on her walking frame or on her carer's hands to stand.
A Sara Stedy was introduced to utilise her arm strength to pull herself into a standing position. This enabled her to maintain her standing ability and upper body strength. The Stedy could be moved to the sitting surface she required. This enabled Mrs S' care provision to remain with one carer and for the same care period.
The Sara Stedy helps a patient stand with only the support from one caregiver. The easy-to-use device lets the patient to have an active role in the process to promote early mobilisation. The device is also essential to any caregiver to redistribute weight and reduce the overall force required.
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