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.