How to Use a Sara Stedy Safely

You are a healthcare assistant on a busy morning shift in a Galway nursing home, and a resident needs to move from her bed to the commode. She can push up through her legs a little and hold on tightly, but she cannot rise on her own. Parked beside the bed is a Sara Stedy, and you want to be certain you use it the right way rather than risk a slip, a fall, or a strain to your own back. Knowing how to use a Sara Stedy safely is one of the most practical skills a carer can have, and getting it right protects both the person you support and yourself.

A Sara Stedy is a non-powered, manually operated sit-to-stand transfer aid. Unlike a powered standing hoist that raises a person with a motor and a sling, the Sara Stedy relies on the person doing the standing work themselves while the device gives them a stable frame to pull up on and a safe seat to be moved on. It is used for short transfers such as bed to chair, chair to commode, or wheelchair to toilet. Because there is no motor and no sling, it is quick to set up, but it is only safe for the right person. Using it with someone who cannot take weight is one of the most common and most dangerous mistakes in Irish care settings.

Who Is a Sara Stedy Suitable For?

A Sara Stedy is appropriate only for a person who can bear some weight through their legs, who has the upper body strength to hold and pull on the handrail, who has reasonable sitting balance, and who can understand and follow simple instructions. All of those need to be true. The device supports and guides the movement, but the person has to actively participate by pulling themselves up. If someone is fully dependent, cannot weight-bear at all, has poor sitting balance, is unpredictable, or cannot cooperate, the Sara Stedy is the wrong equipment and a powered standing hoist or a full-body hoist should be used instead. The person's care plan and their moving and handling risk assessment should always tell you which aid is correct before you begin.

How Do You Use a Sara Stedy Step by Step?

Start by checking the equipment before you bring it to the person. Look that the castor brakes work, that the footplate and knee pad are clean and undamaged, and that nothing is cracked or loose. Under Irish law work equipment must be maintained in a safe condition, so any fault means the device is taken out of use and reported, not worked around.

Bring the Sara Stedy to the person and apply the brakes. Lower or fold the seat out of the way so the person has clear space, adjust the knee pad so it sits just below the kneecap, and guide the person to place their feet flat on the footplate. Ask them to hold the handrail with both hands. Explain what is about to happen so they know to lean forward and pull up on your count rather than being surprised.

On a clear instruction, ask the person to lean forward and pull themselves up to standing using the handrail while you steady the device and observe. You are not lifting them. If they cannot rise with this level of support, stop and reassess, because that is a sign the Sara Stedy is not the right aid for them today. Once they are standing and stable, fold the seat down behind them and ask them to sit back onto it. Only then release the brakes, move the short distance required, re-apply the brakes, and reverse the process to lower them gently. Keep the transfer short, keep the person informed throughout, and never use the aid to drag or hoist a passive person.

How Is a Sara Stedy Different From a Standing Hoist?

The difference matters because it decides who the equipment is safe for. A Sara Stedy is manual: the person provides the effort to stand and simply uses the frame for stability and a seat for the move. A powered standing hoist uses a motor and a sling or vest to raise a person who has less strength, and a full-body or passive hoist lifts a person who cannot weight-bear at all. Choosing a Sara Stedy for someone who really needs a powered hoist puts strain on the carer and risks a fall for the person. This is exactly the kind of task-specific judgement that manual handling and people handling training is designed to build.

What Does Irish Law Require for Using Handling Equipment?

In Ireland, moving and handling in care work is governed by the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007. Part 4 of those regulations deals with manual handling and requires employers to avoid hazardous manual handling where reasonably practicable, and where it cannot be avoided, to assess the risk against the Schedule 3 factors of the load, the task, the working environment and the individual's capability. Providing suitable equipment such as a Sara Stedy is one way employers reduce that risk, but the equipment only works when staff are trained to use it. Employers also have a duty to provide information, instruction and training, and the Health and Safety Authority expects that training to reflect the actual tasks and equipment staff use. Our own training is aligned with HSA guidance and delivered by an instructor with a QQI Level 6 qualification, and it includes demonstration of correct technique rather than slides alone.

Who This Is For

This guidance is for healthcare assistants, nurses, care home and home care staff, and anyone supporting people with reduced mobility in Irish workplaces. It is also relevant for employers and clinical leads who need to be confident their teams are handling residents safely and in line with their duties under Irish law.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a Sara Stedy a hoist? Not in the usual sense. A Sara Stedy is a non-powered sit-to-stand transfer aid that the person pulls themselves up on. A hoist uses a motor and a sling to raise a person who cannot stand under their own effort, so the two are used for different levels of need.

Can one carer use a Sara Stedy alone? That depends entirely on the person's care plan and moving and handling risk assessment. Some transfers with a cooperative, weight-bearing person are assessed as safe for one carer, while others require two. Always follow the documented assessment rather than deciding on the spot.

Who should not be moved with a Sara Stedy? Anyone who cannot bear weight through their legs, cannot hold the handrail, has poor sitting balance, or cannot follow instructions. For those individuals a powered standing hoist or a full-body hoist is the safer choice.

Do carers legally need training to use a Sara Stedy? Employers are required under the 2007 Regulations to provide information, instruction and training for manual handling tasks, and using transfer equipment safely falls squarely within that. Staff should be trained on the technique and on the equipment before using it with a person.

How often should the equipment be checked? It should be visually checked before each use and formally maintained and serviced on a regular schedule, because Irish law requires work equipment to be kept in a safe condition. Any damage or fault means it is taken out of service until repaired.