Unable to Stand
Stretched out, Lynn stands about six feet tall. For the past three years, however, he has been around four feet tall. That’s his height when he’s in his wheelchair. Since just before he was hospitalized in 2010, he has not been able to stand up or walk. Being restricted to a wheelchair has, therefore, changed his perspective on how he sees the world. In other words, his view of the world dropped about two feet. This week changed…
I may have mentioned that we were considering purchasing a device to help him stand. Lynn has been exercising religiously since he got out of the hospital, trying to regain the muscle tone he lost while “laid up” for about three months off and on in 2010. It takes much, much longer to get it back than it does to lose it. It has been said that it takes a week to recover for every day of bed rest. After many hours of exercising, he has now reached the point where he wants to focus his energy on possibly standing independently. He realizes he may never be able to do that, much less walk, but he also figures that if he doesn’t try, it will never happen. Having made that decision, he went in search of a device that could help him reach that goal. He found what he was looking for in the newly released Rifton Tram. (Note: This product was discontinued in 2025 and replaced with a new product, E-Pacer. https://www.rifton.com/products/e-pacer)
The Tram
The Tram is a multi-purpose device with a low center of gravity that lifts from below rather than above. In some ways, it’s like a Hoyer lift with the legs that widen, but that’s where the similarity stops. It can be a lift or transfer device, but it also allows you to assist the person in transitioning from a sitting to a standing position and then from a standing to a walking position. It’s lightweight, weighing approximately 70 pounds, and rolls smoothly. While no medical equipment is inexpensive, this one sells for around $ 5,000, depending on whether you opt for the optional scale device as well. The scale allows you to determine how much weight-bearing is occurring and helps with determining progress in that area.
Since the insurance company claims this device is too new to demonstrate its effectiveness in all that it claims to do, they won’t pay for it. They classified it as “experimental” when they rejected it. So, we decided to withdraw the money from our savings. Sure, it took a big bite out of what we might have for other things, but how do you put a price on hope? For Lynn, the price was $5000. In the scope of what it might do for him, that price seems worth it.
Adaptive Solutions
Adaptive Solutions (https://www.adaptsolutions.com/), the company that helped us discover and purchase this device, was very supportive throughout the process. The sales agent is genuinely passionate about this equipment and personally brought us the device, showing me how to use it. For him, it was a two-hour drive from Lynchburg on a Saturday to deliver it to us, so we could have it as soon as he arrived. You can see how dedicated he is to his customers.
Although the process is simple, I must admit that it takes a lot of practice to set up the straps effectively for our desired purpose. Yesterday, it took four tries. Once, the straps were too tight in the forward position, causing them to lift him into a sitting position rather than a standing one. Two other tries had him once with his right side longer than his left, and then the third time with his left side longer than his right. Finally, I had the straps equal enough that he had almost even pressure on his toes, and he was able to stand for a while. Today I got it right on the first try! He was able to push his feet into the floor and slightly pull back on his knees, as if to lock them; both movements were necessary if he wanted to stand.
One of the main reasons we got the Tram, though, is Lynn’s feeling of independence and normalcy. He recalled that when he was in physical therapy, his therapist would stand him almost upright when transferring him to a chair. He described how exhilarating that feeling was. When he first stood on the Tram, it was a similar experience. “I feel so tall!” he grinned. He explained that he had forgotten how it felt to look down on things. He was so accustomed to being at eye level that looking down to see objects below him made him feel like a giant.
It was a good feeling for both of us.
