Gait Belts and Effective Fall Prevention Strategy

A healthcare assistant fastens a gait belt to an elderly resident who sits on a bed

May 16, 2025

In the United States, healthcare aids are at a high risk for musculoskeletal injuries related to lifting and maneuvering patients. This is likely due to a care assistant lifting a cumulative weight equivalent to 1.8 tons in an 8-hour shift.¹ One way to reduce the risk of injuries is to invest in mechanical lifts. However, a more common and cost-effective way to reduce these risks is to work in teams, or alone, while utilizing gait or transfer belts.

Key Takeaways

Gait belts can help reduce the risk of musculoskeletal injuries for healthcare staff.
Performance Health offers a variety of popular resources for fall prevention and transfers.
Gait belts are most commonly and effectively used for patients who are partially dependent and have some sort of weight-bearing capacity.

When to Use a Gait Belt

Gait belts are most commonly and effectively used for patients who are partially dependent and have some sort of weight-bearing capacity. For moving someone laterally in a sitting position, movable seats are often used in conjunction with a gait belt. However, transfers from chair to chair, bed to chair, or chair to car can be done with just a gait belt. Other situations that may call for using a gait belt include repositioning within a chair and, in some cases, when guiding and controlling falls or helping a patient up after a fall.²

How to Use a Gait Belt

While transfers can be done with one person, more than one caregiver may be needed. This extra person can either be on standby when a transfer is being done, or they can be involved initially in helping transfer a patient. Not every patient is suitable for having a gait belt used on them. Often it isn’t recommended when the patient is heavier or has had a recent back or abdominal surgery.²

When wrapping the gait belt around the patient, ensure a layer of clothing is between the resident’s skin and the belt to avoid abrasion. After ensuring the belt is securely fastened, you should keep the patient as close to the caregiver as possible during the transfer. When making a transfer, you should also transfer the patient to their stronger side. Additional tips on transfers can be found below.² Watch the included video for more gait belt and transfer strategies from the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Transfer Tips when Using a Gait Belt

Use belts that have handles to grip to increase the security and control a caregiver has during transfers.
Use a rocking and pulling motion, rather than lifting, when using a belt.
Lateral transfers with a transfer board and gait belt increase resident comfort and reduce the risk of tissue damage during a transfer.

Our Most Popular Gait Belts

There are a variety of gait belts offered to help assist in lifting and moving patients. While some are simple, others offer options to give extra help and support to caregivers by having handles included. The following are our best-selling gait belts.

1. Sammons Preston Gait Belts

These gait belts are made of cotton webbing with a metal buckle to help aid caregivers when lifting or transferring mobility patients. They also come in a variety of lengths and colors and can be adjusted quickly and easily.

2. Simple Care Gait Belt

This gait therapy belt features a sturdy, chrome-plated buckle to ensure that the patient will remain safely strapped in during use. The 2” wide belt features a wide variety of lengths and the belt’s length adjusts to fit your patient snugly and securely.

3. Sammons Preston Quick-Release Gait Belt

This belt is used by caregivers and nurses to move patients securely and safely from one place to another. It is ideal for hospitals and clinics as well as in the home to help elderly, handicapped, or disabled people with their mobility needs. For your convenience it has a customizable tag and can be washed and dried by easily by machine between uses.

4. Sammons Preston Padded Gait Belt

Designed with comfort in mind, the soft, breathable fabric allows a more comfortable fit to be used for extended periods of time. The belt features four nylon looped handles on the back and sides of the belt offering more places to grab when transferring or guiding patients. Plus, the wider belt also helps displace some pressure on the patient.

5. Multi-Handled Gait Belt

Made with a generous 4 inches of width for comfort, the Multi-Handled Gait Belt features four vertical and two horizontal handles. Made with machine washable nylon, it also has a quick-release plastic buckle.

6. Sammons Preston Quick Clean Gait Belts

Easier to grab than the Sammons Preston Economy Quick Clean Belt, this Quick Clean belt is 50% thicker. Its webbing is 2 inches wide and is easy to clean with a disinfectant. This product is available with a plastic, polyethylene buckle, or a heavy-duty metal buckle depending on what you prefer.

Performance Health Offers a Wide Variety of Gait Belts

Additional Resources for Transfers

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality estimates every year an estimated 700,000 to 1 million hospitalized patients fall.³ Performance Health offers a variety of resources to help with transfers and hospital fall prevention. Some items that help with fall prevention include mobility aides, safe footwear, hip protectors, and bed alarms. To learn more about other fall prevention strategies, check out our article here. A list of resources to help with transfers can be found below.

1. M-Rail Bedside Assist

With multiple crossbars to assist a variety of patients and an M-shaped top bar to allow for multiple grip positions, the M-Rail provides stability getting in and out of bed. The assistive handrail is ideal for patients suffering from balance instabilities, mobility limitations, and weak body strength.

2. Homecraft Curved Transfer Board

Designed to ensure safe movement, this board arch follows a natural sweeping motion of an assisted transfer, helping prevent slips and falls. Made from solid, reinforced plastic, it is waterproof, easy to wipe clean, and resists shattering, chipping, and splintering.

3. Sammons Preston Walking Belt

Ideal for patients who need assistance walking or during transfers, the grip handles make it easier for caregivers to hold up patients and correct any risky movements they might have. The grip handles featured on this walking belt make it easier for caregivers to hold up patients and correct risky movements. The heavy-duty belt features a 4" wide band of back-to-back beige loop.

4. Landing Strip Advanced Fall Protection

Made with a high-density foam core, this mat has tapered-to-the-floor edging to prevent ripping and allows items to easily be rolled over it. The landing strip also has a nonslip vinyl base to ensure it will not slip away during use.

5. Homecraft Bed Assist Handle

For patients who can have some motion during transfers, this handle provides a steady grip for them on the side of their beds in a hospital, care facility, or at home. Equipped with full-length horizontal bars and strap with quick-release buckle provides added safety, stability, and prevents movement during use.

Recap

While many falls occur in a hospital, there are ways to prevent them. Performance Health offers a variety of resources to help with hospital fall prevention and transfers. We offer a variety of gait belt options to help alleviate the pressure nurses feel when transferring patients and hopefully cut down on musculoskeletal injuries.