Access to Medical Care for Individuals with Mobility Disabilities

Overhead Track Lifts

Overhead track lifts include ceiling mounted lifts and lifts mounted on a frame supported from the floor.

Ceiling Mounted Lifts

Ceiling mounted lifts are permanently mounted to the ceiling structure and run along one or more tracks. These lifts require no extra maneuvering space in the room adjacent to the exam table and require little storage space. However, they cannot be used in multiple exam rooms, since they are permanently attached to the ceiling structure.

Assisted Transfer with Ceiling Mounted Overhead Track Lift

1. Ceiling structure must support weight of lift and person

2. Overhead track lifts can be used in rooms with limited floor space or where an exam table cannot accommodate a portable floor lift.

Free-Standing Overhead Lifts

Another type of overhead lift is supported from a frame that rests on the floor. Free-standing, nonpermanent overhead track lifts are a good solution when the provider does not want the lift to be permanently installed or where the existing ceiling structure cannot support a ceiling-mounted overhead lift. The medical provider should choose the type of lift that will work best with the exam tables, the space, and the ceiling or floor structure of the medical facility.

Assisted Transfer with Free Standing Overhead Track Lift

1. Free-standing overhead track lift systems function like ceiling-mounted lifts and do not require modifications to existing construction.

2. While not as portable as floor lifts with wheels, these lifts are movable and can be relocated as needs or services change.

3. An overhead lift does not require the additional maneuvering space needed by a portable floor lift.