Chuck Beale loves his father. So much so that this 43-year-old adult son and his sister live with and care for their 83-year-old father. Over the years, Chuck's dad had jobs and owned a service station that were hard on his body and in later years developed painful arthritis. "My dad is a vibrant guy," says Chuck, "but he can't take most pain medication and getting up and down is troublesome."

Chuck was looking for a way to move his dad from the bed to a wheel chair or from the wheel chair to a chair or toilet more easily and safely. Decreasing his father's pain while moving him was paramount. That's when he saw an article about the Williamson Turn Stand and arranged a demonstration.

The Turn Stand works by way of a rotating platform that assists the patient in transferring from one sitting position to another. Holding on to the handlebars for balance, the loved one is helped to stand up, then the platform is turned to the desired position and the person is helped to a sitting position safely and comfortably. The device is made of aluminum, is durable as well as light and easy to move.

"Pain brings tears and you want to do something to make things better," shared Chuck, "The Turn Stand works great for me. It fills a big gap in the day and helps me move my father more safely, quickly and makes his quality of life much better."

Not only can the Turn Stand help adult children care for their senior parents more safely and efficiently, but, as Mary Leith can attest to, it can also help petite senior ladies move their husbands who are glad to be home.

In medical facilities, numerous employees are used to move a person where at home it's usually a spouse or adult child doing the work alone. Take Mary and William Leith for example. Even though their son lives 50 feet behind their home and their daughter lives just miles away, it's impossible to rely on adult children for 24-hour assistance. "My kids are working and can't be here 24-hours-a-day," says Mary, who purchased her Turn Stand after seeing it be used with her husband while in physical therapy at HealthSouth.

Mary has been using her Turn Stand for over a year since William fell and had to have a hip replaced, complicating his existing Parkinson's condition. After surgery, William went to HealthSouth, Monroeville, for five weeks of rehabilitation and it was there that Mary discovered the Turn Stand. "He was the first person they used it for."

Through the rehabilitation, Mary found out that William wouldn't be able to walk. At five foot tall and of petite build, Mary knew that if he came home she couldn't physically move him herself. She remembered the Turn Stand that they had used in rehabilitation. "Thank heavens I wrote down the information from the stand," comments Mary.

Some complications required William to go into a nursing home which he did for just six days. Mary illustrates, "He was in for six days and wanted to come home. Who wouldn't?" For the five days William was home prior to receiving their Turn Stand, his son had to physically move him every day. Transferring William was made more difficult by Parkinson's that made his body stiff and hard to move.

The Turn Stand is an effective device for transferring people at home because it features a large, sturdy base, an automatic breaking system and is easy to move from room to room or to put in a car for travel.

"The Turn Stand is our salvation. If I wouldn't have bought it, he would have stayed in a nursing home. It's the key thing to keeping him at home," says Mary.

For more information on the Williamson Turn Stand, contact Marsha, Williamson Medical Devices, at 724-763-2285.