The new Mangar Eagle Lifting Cushion is a hit with Tracey Carr

I am a plus sized person, currently weighing approximately 180kgs and 1.72m tall. I am fit, healthy and mobile and my muscle tone and body condition are good. For the purposes of the evaluation I was as passive as I could be and, once I’d moved myself into position on the Mangar Eagle lifting cushion, I didn’t assist the product in any way.

The product arrived in a small bag, and together with the Airflo pump was easily transportable by one person. It could be brought discreetly into any location ensuring that the privacy of the Client to be lifted could be maintained. The Plus Size community can be subject to discrimination and prejudice so the small size of the product would ensure that minimal attention would be drawn to the situation. This would be a welcome improvement over the use of a mechanical hoist and sling.

The product itself was small and very non-threatening. If I had encountered it for the first time from a prone position on the floor I think I would be very reassured to see that it appeared to be such a simple concept and only required one person to operate it.

When the Eagle was unrolled I was impressed and surprised to see how small it was. It seemed that it would fit easily even into some of the smallest spaces in a domestic home.

The cushion deflated very flat which meant I was easily able to move across the floor and to position myself on top of it. This low height would also mean it was easy to manoeuvre under a less mobile patient using slide sheets etc. if required.

The pump was quiet in operation. As a larger person I am very sensitive to indications that equipment might be under strain, or that my weight might be leading the equipment to reach its capacity or even fail. I was reassured that the pump sounded easily able to cope with the tasks being asked of it and this removed some of the anxiety and stress that might occur with a patient being lifted for the first time.

The backrest lifted me easily into a seated position. I remained as passive as possible and didn’t attempt to assist but was still moved to a comfortable position in a controlled way. The angle of the back rest was easily adjustable too which was useful and reassuring. Plus Sized patients can be subject to compromised breathing if the seated angle is too upright and this adjustability was useful.

The cushion under me lifted me into a seated position very easily with again, no indication that the pump was finding the task difficult. The airflow around the cushion ensured that I was lifted in a level position with very minimal balancing required from me.

It might be that a patient who is less mobile would appreciate an aid to help them balance and Andrew demonstrated that a hand on the patient’s shoulder was more than sufficient to provide this. As a larger person I am always concerned that a Caregiver might hurt or injure themselves when trying to assist me and it was very reassuring to see that such a simple intervention could help me while clearly not putting the Caregiver at any risk.

The cushion itself was narrow but comfortably supportive and easily lifted my entire body. The rounded front edge of the seat cushion made it very easy to get my feet into a comfortable position to enable me to stand. Once lifted, the height was easily adjustable to the correct height to enable me to stand.

The entire process was completed reassuringly quickly which I think would be of great comfort to a person who had fallen. At the same time though the degree of the backrest, height of the seat cushion etc were all adaptable and were easily and quickly controlled by the operator giving a flexible response to differing body shapes and needs.

Overall the product easily accomplished the task of lifting me to a comfortable and supported seated position. The height and position were easy to adapt to the Client. It was comfortable, quiet and discreet. I’m very impressed by the speed, the quiet operation and stability of the Eagle and happy to recommend it.