Supporting Independence with ALS - How Power Toilet Lifts Help Patients and Caregivers
08/19/2025
More than 30,000 people are estimated to be living with ALS in the United States—a number that’s expected to increase by over 10% by 2030.1 The number of caregivers may be nearly double, with one study finding an average of two caregivers per patient.2
ALS caregivers face significant demands, both physical and emotional. Toileting often poses a particular challenge due to the task's inherently private nature and the physical strength required to perform a toilet transfer.
To make this daily activity more manageable and comfortable, many ALS patients and their caregivers turn to assistive devices. These technologies help promote greater independence, reduce fall risk, and minimize physical strain. Among the available toilet aid options, power toilet lifts are one of the most practical and widely used solutions within the ALS community.
The Impact of ALS on Caregivers
The impact of ALS-related caregiving has been widely studied to better understand how caregivers are affected - and how their burden might be reduced.
Several studies have indicated caregiver burden increases as the disease progresses.3,4 As patients lose mobility and functional control, they become more dependent on caregivers for nearly every activity of daily living. This growing responsibility often leads to more time spent caregiving and a reduced quality of life for the caregiver.5
Other research has narrowed in on more specific factors affecting caregivers. One study found that physical demands were among the top stressors for both patients and caregivers, with 80.3% of patients and 76.3% of caregivers reporting physical-related concerns.6
Assistive devices like patient lifts become increasingly important as ALS progresses, helping caregivers safely support patients during transfers and daily routines. Toileting is one of the most physically demanding of these tasks - and one that can benefit greatly from assistive technology.
The Unique Challenge of Toileting
Providing toileting assistance presents a unique set of challenges. Physically, bathroom spaces are often small and difficult to navigate. Standard toilets tend to be low to the ground, requiring significant effort to help someone sit down or stand up safely. In fact, caregivers of patients with spinal cord injuries have reported that assisting with toileting is the most physically demanding and time-consuming of all daily care tasks.7
Beyond the physical strain, bathroom assistance can be emotionally taxing for both patients and caregivers. For patients, the loss of toileting independence can have a negative impact on their mental health.8 For caregivers, the increased caregiving time involved with toileting often leads to increased burden and decreased quality of life.9
Toileting aids can help address both the physical and emotional challenges by promoting greater independence. In a survey of ALS patients on what assistive technology they found to be most useful, bathroom devices (bathing and toileting) were rated the highest for usefulness and satisfaction.10
The Benefits of a Power Toilet Lift
There are many ways to make assisted toileting more manageable, from simple add-ons to complete bathroom renovations. Because full remodels can be costly and time-consuming, many families opt for smaller modifications and assistive devices.
In the early stages of ALS, grab bars and raised toilet seats can reduce lower-body strain and the amount of assistance required to get on and off the toilet.
As ALS progresses and muscle weakness increases, additional support becomes essential. Some caregivers turn to patient lifts to perform toilet transfers, but these can be difficult to maneuver in small bathrooms and require skill to safely transfer a patient between the sling and the toilet.
A power toilet lift combines the ease of using a raised toilet seat with the lifting assistance of a patient lift. This type of toileting device gently lowers and raises users onto and off the toilet, with minimal involvement needed from a caregiver - for safe, comfortable, and private toileting.
LiftSeat Power Toilet Lifts add even more versatility and ease of use, with features such as a bidet attachment, retractable handlebars, and bedside use capability. Recognized with the Caregiver Friendly Award, LiftSeat is trusted by healthcare professionals, patients, and caregivers alike for its safety, reliability, and ease of use.
To learn more about LiftSeat Toilet Lifts for home use, click here or call 1-877-665-4381.
References:
1. Mehta, P., Raymond, J., Nair, T., Han, M., Berry, J., Punjani, R., … Horton, D. K. (2025). Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis estimated prevalence cases from 2022 to 2030, data from the national ALS Registry. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration, 26(3–4), 290–295. https://doi.org/10.1080/21678421.2024.2447919
2. Chiò, A., Gauthier, A., Vignola, A., Calvo, A., Ghiglione, P., Cavallo, E., Terreni, A. A., & Mutani, R. (2006). Caregiver time use in ALS. Neurology, 67(5), 902–904. https://doi.org/10.1212/01.wnl.0000233840.41688.df
3. Schischlevskij, P., Cordts, I., Günther, R., Stolte, B., Zeller, D., Schröter, C., Weyen, U., Regensburger, M., Wolf, J., Schneider, I., Hermann, A., Metelmann, M., Kohl, Z., Linker, R. A., Koch, J. C., Stendel, C., Müschen, L. H., Osmanovic, A., Binz, C., Klopstock, T., … Schreiber-Katz, O. (2021). Informal Caregiving in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS): A High Caregiver Burden and Drastic Consequences on Caregivers' Lives. Brain sciences, 11(6), 748. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11060748
4. Lian, L., Zheng, M., He, R., Lin, J., Chen, W., Pei, Z., & Yao, X. (2022). Analysing the influencing factors on caregivers' burden among amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients in China: a cross-sectional study based on data mining. BMJ open, 12(9), e066402. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-066402
5. Antoniadi, A. M., Galvin, M., Heverin, M., Hardiman, O., & Mooney, C. (2021). Prediction of caregiver quality of life in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis using explainable machine learning. Scientific reports, 11(1), 12237. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-91632-2
6. Trail, M., Nelson, N., Van, J. N., Appel, S. H., & Lai, E. C. (2004). Major stressors facing patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS): a survey to identify their concerns and to compare with those of their caregivers. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and other motor neuron disorders: official publication of the World Federation of Neurology, Research Group on Motor Neuron Diseases, 5(1), 40–45. https://doi.org/10.1080/14660820310016075
7. Kim, S. H., Kim, O., Bae, Y. H., Choi, D. I., Heo, J. E., Song, W. K., & Lee, B. S. (2023). Caregiver burden according to ageing and type of care activity in caregivers of individuals with spinal cord injury. Spinal cord series and cases, 9(1), 16. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41394-023-00570-w
8. Clark J, Rugg S. (2005) The Importance of Independence in Toileting: the Views of Stroke Survivors and their Occupational Therapists. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 68(4):165-171. https://doi.org/10.1177/030802260506800404
9. Shogenji M, Yoshida M, Kakuchi T, Hirako K (2024) Factors associated with caregiver burden of toileting assistance at home versus in a nursing home: A cross-sectional study. PLOS ONE, 19(3): e0299721. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0299721
10. Gruis, K. L., Wren, P. A., & Huggins, J. E. (2011). Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients' self-reported satisfaction with assistive technology. Muscle & nerve, 43(5), 643–647. https://doi.org/10.1002/mus.21951
This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.