Stairlifts Restore More Than Mobility

Jargon makes it easy to talk about things like aging-in-place and restoring mobility and accessibility in simple, cut-and-dried terms. What those facile marketing and academic terms also do, though, is mask the most important benefits of installing equipment like stairlifts. There’s no easy word for it, though freedom comes close. Many people don’t ever pause to think what it means when stairs become difficult or impossible to navigate. Anyone who has ever been there understands just how much you lose when you lose access to half your home because you can’t climb stairs anymore..
When Nana was discharged from the hospital after a massive coronary, she came home to a twin bed set up in the living room – the only room on the first level of the house with space for a bed. Her own bedroom, furnished with antiques she’d lovingly collected over the past 40 years, was up one flight of stairs, and the doctors had told her the stairs would kill her. She had no privacy in the house’s open floor plan, and, unable to climb the stairs to the tub and shower on the second story, was subjected to the indignity of bed baths in the living room. A simple stair lift gave her back the second story of her home – and so much more. Being able to move back into her bedroom and to access the full bath on the second level returned her dignity and privacy, helped her stop feeling like an invalid and allowed her to move on with her recovery.
Nana’s story isn’t unique. When pain or disability takes away your ability to easily navigate the stairs between the levels of your home, you lose far more than “mobility.” You lose bedtime stories and tucking the children or grandchildren into bed. You learn to make sure you have everything you’ll need for the day when you leave your bedroom, or do without, because it hurts too much to return to get a sweater, a book or your eyeglasses. It may mean you choose to sleep on the sofa in the living room rather than climb the stairs at the end of a long day, or have to rely on someone else to do the laundry because you can’t descend the stairs to the laundry room any longer.
Chairlifts give you back full access to your home, yes, but they also return independence and so much more. If you’re finding it difficult to climb stairs – or have a family member or loved one who finds stairs difficult – take a look at the emotional, financial and health benefits provided by stairlifts.

Tips for Choosing the Right Stairlifts

Stairlifts are one of the premier accommodations you can make in your home to make it safer and more accessible for older adults and anyone else who has trouble with stairs. While stair lifts cost more than smaller accommodations, such as safety bars in the bathroom, they can make the difference between remaining in your home or having to give it up. If you’ve started dreading chores that require climbing up or down the stairs, a stairlift could make your life easier and allow you to remain in your own home longer. These tips will help you choose among the many stairlifts available on the market.
Who You Buy From Is Important
Stairlifts are complex pieces of machinery that must be installed properly in order to operate safely. Before you decide on which stair lift to buy, decide which stairlift company will get your business. It’s not just about quality stairlifts. It’s also important to choose a company that provides a consultant to help you choose the best model for your home and that will install it professionally for you. It’s the only way you can be certain that your chair lift is installed for safe operation.
Decide What’s Important to You
Before your appointment with the consultant, look over material about chairlifts to familiarize yourself with what’s available. Consider the various options for seats, upholstery, arm rests and foot rests so you have a list of options you want in your new lift.
Consider the Typical Use of Your Stairway
Think about the way the staircase is used now – who uses it? Does it get a lot of traffic or is it just you who will use that particular staircase? Are there typically children in the home? All of those factors will help you and your professional consultant decide on important options, such as clearance for people to pass on the stair and safety features like automatic stops and security locks that prevent the lift from operating without a key or a code input into the control.
Always Buy New
Every stairway is different, which is why the best companies selling stairlifts will come to your home to survey and measure your staircase so they can custom fit a lift specifically for you. Low-priced second-hand or refurbished chairlifts may be tempting, but the costs to fit them properly to your stairs can make them far more expensive – and if you don’t fit them, they may not be safe for use.
Stairlifts can help you stay in your home longer. A properly fitted stairlift isn’t just a convenience. It’s an investment in peace of mind and comfort.

Dangers of DIY Stairlifts

Stairlifts help seniors and others with mobility impairments remain in their homes. Installing a stairlift can give you peace of mind by eliminating the fear that a loved one might fall on the stairs, and makes it possible for those who suffer from restricted mobility to get around their home freely again. Stairlifts can seem expensive at first glance, but in most cases, the prices quoted for chairlifts include the cost of installation. Some homeowners think they’ll save money by doing the installation themselves. While there are some companies that will sell a stair lift to be installed by someone else, installing stairlifts should never be a DIY project. There are some very good reasons that stair lifts should always be installed by a professional with experience in doing it.
Safety Concerns
The Homecare Industry information Service recently published a report on the dangers of buying and installing secondhand stairlifts or DIY stairlift installation. The report pointed out that DIY stairlift installation is physically dangerous, and can lead to injuries and even fatalities. In one widely reported incident, a young child was killed when his head became trapped under the footrest of a DIY-installed chairlift. Professionals understand the safety features and how to install them properly.
In addition, stairlifts are not a one-size-fits-all proposition. Every stair lift must be properly fitted to the staircase on which it will be installed. Even on straight stairs, it’s important that the rail fittings be fitted properly to the rise and width of the stair treads. Stairlifts are complex, modern machines and should be installed by qualified professionals, if only for the safety concerns.
Financial Concerns
Many people who thought they’d save money buying a secondhand stairlift found they’d been penny wise and pound foolish. Some businesses do a thriving trade in coming in to repair damage done when DIY stairlifts go off the rails – sometimes quite literally. Family members who thought they’d save a bit of cash by doing their own installation have often found that the lift doesn’t operate properly because a safety feature is installed incorrectly – or worse, someone is injured because of the faulty installation and they have not only the repair bill but the medical bills as well.
Finally, older stairlifts may not incorporate the latest safety devices and features, making them unsafe. A reputable dealer and installer of stairlifts won’t sell outdated, dangerous equipment, so you can always be assured that you’re buying a safe product and that it is installed correctly for proper, safe operation.

Stairlifts Are an Affordable Option

Do stairs in your home make your life difficult? Are you or a loved one facing a decision about moving because you can no longer navigate the stairs in your home? Stairlifts offer an affordable alternative to many other solutions to the stairs problem. Once the province of those well-off enough to afford major renovations to their home, today’s stair lifts are not only more affordable than ever, they’re also safer and far more attractive. If you or a loved one has problems with stairs, a stair-mounted chairlift may help you remain in your home despite the stairs.
Facts About Popular Stair Lifts

• In most cases, you won’t need permission from local authorities to install a stairlift
• No matter the configuration of your stairs, a stairlift can be built to fit them
• Stairlifts are mounted on the stairs, not the wall, so there’s no concern about adequate support for the lift
• Today’s stair lifts are powered by a battery, not by your house current, so they continue to work even in a power failure
• Wireless remote controllers allow you to call the chairlift from either end of the stairs so you’re never stranded
• Modern stairlifts fold neatly out of the way when not in use so that others can use the stairs unobstructed
• Stiff, jerky rides are a thing of the past. Today’s chairlifts provide a smooth, gentle glide along the installed track

The Benefits of Stairlifts
Stair lifts, sometimes also called chair stairs and chairlifts, help people how have difficulty climbing the stairs. They’re a fairly easy home modification that can provide safety and ease of use to people who suffer from osteoarthritis, neuromuscular disorders and other conditions that make it difficult to climb stairs. These are the major benefits of installing a stairlift in your home.
Safety
Falls are a major danger to older adults. A fall down stairs can cause broken bones, pulled muscles, head injuries and worse. A stair lift prevents falls in people who are unsteady on their feet or who deal with pain when climbing up and down stairs, making the home safer and preventing injuries.
Affordability
Stairlifts are surprisingly affordable even when you don’t consider their cost in comparison to the cost of moving to a more accessible home or transferring to a nursing home. A stairlift can allow an adult to remain in their home rather than facing the expense of moving to a supervised living facility because you fear a fall.
Convenience
A stairlift allows a person with limited mobility to access all levels of their home.
Don’t be put off by concerns about cost. You’ll find that stairlifts are far more affordable than you thought.