With an aging population opting for home care over hospital and
nursing home care, the demand for lifts and transfer devices will
continue to rise, experts say.
“Pure demographics say we'll see the home care lift
segment grow,” says Fran Spidare, product manager for patient
transport for Invacare.
Further, this category gives HME providers the opportunity to
expand cash business with products such as stairlifts, bath lifts
and non-reimbursible patient lifts that can make the lives of
patients — and their caregivers — easier.
Safe Handling
Greater awareness about preventing caregiver injuries is one
major factor driving expansion of the lift and transfer device
market, according to manufacturers.
As aging adults are living at home longer, the number of
informal caregivers who help to take care of them also is rising.
About 52 million people in America provide care at home for an
adult who is disabled or chronically ill, according to a U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services study on informal
caregiving. Another HHS study on family caregiving indicates that
many informal caregivers are seniors themselves: 30 percent are age
65 or older.
The uptick in informal caregiving also increases the likelihood
of injury to the caregiver, with lifting and moving patients being
one of the main causes of injury.
A study of informal caregivers by St. James's University
Hospital, Leeds, UK, found that out of 46 caregivers, 31 injured
themselves while lifting and handling patients at home. Eight were
temporarily unable to care for the patient as a result of their
injuries, and 16 patients were injured themselves while being moved
by their caregivers.
While institutions have been taking greater precautions to
prevent lifting injuries among nursing staff, it has been more
difficult to get the word out to family caregivers, manufacturers
say. But as education increases, many are realizing that it is not
safe — for themselves or the person they're caring for
— to try to lift a patient on their own.
“No caregiver should try to move a resident because they
can injure their backs. It doesn't matter if you're 45 or 65
— you're going to want to use a lift,” says Tom Ellis,
vice president, extended care group, Drive Medical.
“There's a greater awareness for caregiver safety, and
that's creeping into the home environment,” Spidare says.
“People are beginning to understand that repetitive lifting
takes a traumatic toll on the person doing the lifting, and from a
patient's perspective, it's much safer for a patient to be moved in
a lifting device.”
Options Abound
While basic hydraulic lifts are among the category's biggest
sellers because they are the most affordable, Ellis says
battery-powered lifts are gaining in popularity because they are
easier to use.
Many payers won't reimburse a battery-powered lift, but some
customers — especially elderly caregivers — are willing
to pay the difference because they don't require someone to
physically pump a hydraulic lift, he says.
Stand-up lifts are not always fully reimbursable either, but
they, too, have been picking up momentum within the past few years,
Spidare says.
For patients who are able to bear some weight, standing up while
being transfered gives them circulatory and respiratory benefits
that they don't get from a full-body lift, she says. It also gives
the patient the psychological benefit of standing.
“You're not being fully dependent but you're participating
[in your care],” Spidare explains.
The lift also benefits the caregiver because it's much easier to
toilet someone with a standing lift, she says. With full-body
lifts, toileting can be more complicated because the patient needs
to be positioned in just the right place, and the sling opening
needs to be placed over the toilet in just the right spot, she
notes.
However, the full-body lift is still more appealing for many
customers because it offers more flexibility for those who may have
a deteriorating condition, Spidare says. “People are looking
ahead,” she says. “[They are asking,] ‘Will I
still be able to use this piece of equipment down the
road?’”
Ceiling lifts are another segment of the market showing growth.
One of the main appeals is that these lifts don't take up space in
the room, Spidare says. And while most lifts can be difficult to
move over carpeting, ceiling lifts can be used no matter what
surface is in the room.
As for the slings that are used with any of the lifts,
one-size-fits-all won't cut it anymore, manufacturers point out. A
variety of sling types in all sizes are available now, which is
both a “blessing and a curse,” Spidare says.
“For the patient, it's great to have the size that's
appropriate to you,” she says. “But for the provider,
it's difficult because they're going to be challenged with stocking
and having that particular- sized sling.”
Design Details
With products that are more retail-based, such as stairlifts,
aesthetics are becoming increasingly important.
For example, Bruno Independent Living Aids offers seven
different fabrics so the customer can match the lift seat with
their home decor. The unit also is designed so it doesn't look like
“a chair sitting on a box,” says Mike Krawczyk,
marketing manager.
“By making the product attractive so it really compliments
the home, it takes away the stigma people may feel [by having a
stairlift],” he adds. “When they have friends and
family over, the stairlift is not an eyesore, it's an attractive
element.”
Some manufacturers also are making stairlifts with seats that
fold up so they don't impair the use of the stairs by other people,
says Bill Filer, director of sales and marketing for Summit
Lifts.
Aside from design, many consumers desire a lift that's not
complicated to use, he explains. The more bells and whistles that
are added to the lift, the more expensive — and out-of-reach
to the average consumer — it gets.
With stairlifts costing from a few thousand dollars to more than
$10,000, keeping the price down is key, manufacturers say. A number
of new entrants have come onto the market recently, so competition
and manufacturing techniques have helped lower the price in recent
years, Filer says.
“What [consumers are] looking for is something that's
going to get them up and down the stairs in an efficient manner but
offered at a reasonable price,” he says.
Step Up Cash Sales
As the prices of stairlifts decline, it appears more consumers
are willing to hand over cash for these products, their makers
say.
“It's a cash business, and it's a growing business,”
says Krawczyk, adding that Bruno was 10 percent ahead of its target
for 2007.
“With competitive bidding and other things DME providers
are having to go through, finding some way to augment cash sales is
really an attractive option,” says Filer. “If
stairlifts continue to be a cash sale, they will be attractive to
consumers as well as providers.”
Krawczyk says providers should keep in mind that stairlifts are
not only for those who lack mobility but also for individuals who
suffer from arthritis, diabetes or others who find it difficult to
go up and down the stairs.
“They may not be classically disabled, but it's an
important convenience that gives them back their whole
house,” he says. “Before they put in the stairlift,
they're relegated to the main floor. If they don't want to move to
a one-level building or home, they've lost half of their
home.”
Manufacturers are even more optimistic about the future of the
market as baby boomers, who have more disposable income, begin to
need such products.
“The sky's the limit. Baby boomers want it, and they want
it now. And they do have the funds,” says Gary Schwartz,
director of sales for Harmar Mobility.
Advice for Providers
One of the biggest challenges to selling lifts and transfer
devices is letting people know these products are out there. For
example, most consumers don't even know products like bath lifts
exist, says Schwartz.
Providers can help bring awareness by showing lifts in display
windows, Spidare says. Inside the store, she recommends showing a
video of someone using a lift so people will understand how the
products can help.
When providers are selling a lift, salespeople need to ask as
many questions as possible to find out what product will be most
appropriate for the patient, manufacturers recommend. Some
information they need to find out includes:
Weight of the patient. Will the patient require a bariatric
lift?
Environment of the home. The provider should visit the home
whenever possible to see where the lift will be used and look for
potential challenges. For example, if there is deep-pile carpet, it
may be difficult to push a floor lift around, Spidare notes.
Dimensions of the home. Will the base of the lift fit through
the doorway?
Condition of the patient. Can the patient bear some weight?
For the cash side of the business, Schwartz advises displaying
product comparisons in the store. Consumers want to know what's
available along with the features and benefits of each product so
they can make a decision, he says.
He also recommends taking advantage of manufacturers'
educational programs to pick up some retail smarts. For example,
Harmar has a program for providers that teaches them how to sell
and market lifts and set up their stores.
To stand out from their competitiors, Filer says, “HME
providers need to be doing things others aren't.” For
example, renting stairlifts is an option that can be profitable for
providers and has little competition, he says.
“In my opinion, there are not enough people providing
stairlift rental services compared with what the need that is out
there,” says Filer. “This is one way providers can
really augment cash sales.”
For many customers, stairlifts may be only a short-term need
— perhaps someone is rehabbing a hip or has another injury
they can eventually recover from — and it makes more sense
for people to rent rather than purchase one, he says.
Providers just need to make sure to use units that are suitable
for renting, Filer advises, such as products that can adjust to
different stairway lengths and change hands from one side of a
stairway to another.
Consumers Go Online to Find Out What Can Help
Many of the trends in the patient lift and transfer market don't
reflect directly on the products themselves but the way they are
marketed, manufacturers say.
“With the advent of Internet, there's more knowledge out
there of what's available to consumers, and that's helping fuel the
growth in the industry,” says Bill Filer, director of sales
and marketing for Summit Lifts. “That's significantly
changing the landscape of the way stairlifts are delivered and
dealers provide them.”
While the majority of baby boomers — many of whom are
making the purchasing decisions for their aging parents — are
active online, a growing number of seniors also are using the
Internet for research in finding out what products are available.
According to a 2006 Pew Internet & American Life Project study,
34 percent of Americans age 65 and older go online.
The good news is that consumers are becoming more educated and
aware of the products that can help them, manufacturers say. But
the bad news is this means more competition from online retailers
who market direct to consumers and often sell products, such as
lifts, at a discounted price.
If providers are not offering products online, Filer recommends
implementing a Web site or some sort of e-commerce component so
they can compete. “That's something everyone is going to have
to come to grips with,” he says.
But Mike Krawczyk, marketing manager for Bruno Independent
Living Aids, cautions that stairlifts should be installed by the
provider instead of the consumer. “We think it's critically
important that products are installed safely and by people who know
what they're doing,” he warns. “If you don't install
them properly, they could be dangerous.”
Experts Interviewed:
Tom Ellis, vice president, extended care group, Drive Medical,
Port Washington, N.Y.; Bill Filer, director of sales and marketing,
Summit Lifts, Lake Winnebago, Mo.; Mike Krawczyk, marketing
manager, Bruno Independent Living Aids, Oconomowoc, Wisc.; Gary
Schwartz, director of sales, and Sarah Penix, business development
manager, Harmar Mobility, Sarasota, Fla.; Fran Spidare, product
manager for patient transport, Invacare Corp., Elyria, Ohio.
