— College of Allied Health Professions — Patient Safety — CAPTURE Falls — Roadmap — Fall Risk Reduction Interventions — Interventions to Reduce Fall Risk for Patients with Difficulty with Mobility and/or Activities of Daily Living — Gait/Transfer Belt

Gait/Transfer Belt

Gait belts (also known as transfer belts) are thick fabric or vinyl belts placed at the patient’s waist near his or her center of mass. Staff hold on to the belt as a point of contact to assist that patient’s balance during mobility, and control a fall, should one occur.

Gait/Transfer Belt Education

Print Resources

Factors Associated with Unassisted and Injurious Falls: A research study published in BMC Geriatrics by the UNMC CAPTURE Falls team reports factors associated with unassisted and injurious falls, supports the idea that assisted falls are more desirable than unassisted falls, and promotes the use of gait belts to assist patient mobility.

Gait/Transfer Belt Tools

Safe Transfers and Mobility Training Videos: Sixteen stand-alone training videos created by the CAPTURE Falls Team demonstrate safe strategies for assisting patients with a variety of movement tasks ranging from rolling in bed to an assisting a fall. Many of these videos demonstrate the proper use of a gait belt and one specifically demonstrates the application of a gait belt. These videos can be used as tools for staff education on this topic.