If you live in a two-story home but have trouble navigating the stairs, you may have considered stairlifts
as an option. Stairlifts reduce the risk of falling and allow adults
who can sit in a chair to traverse stairs comfortably and safely. Some
people think that they’ll save money if they buy a stairlift and install
it themselves, or have a local handyman install it for them. While it
can be considerably cheaper to do it that way, there are some very
serious dangers in a DIY installation of stairlifts.
Stairlifts Rely on Accurate Fitting
Yes,
there are standard styles and sizes of chairlifts, but because every
staircase is different, even standard stairlifts often need special
accommodations to make them fit properly. Even more important, the
staircase must be measured properly to ensure that the lift can be
safely installed. The measurements include the length of the staircase
and the rise of the stairs, among others. For staircases that have a
landing or a curve, professional measurement is even more important.
Stairlifts Are Complicated Electrical and Mechanical Machines
A
stairift isn’t just a piece of furniture that can easily be assembled
by anyone. It’s a complex machine that must be installed properly to
function safely. An improperly installed chairlift can malfunction and
cause serious injury. In addition, many manufacturers void the warranty
on lifts that are not installed by professionals.
Professional Installation Often Comes with Maintenance and Upkeep
When
you opt to have your stair lift installed by a professional, you often
also have the option to enroll in a maintenance plan. You’ll have a
repair service on call in case something goes wrong with your lift, and
often, regular checkups by a professional to prevent problems from
developing.
Professionals Can Help Overcome Many Seeming Issues
Got a staircase with a door
at the bottom? Got a narrow landing at the top of the stairway?
Professional stairlift installers have seen all of these problems
before, and can suggest ways to get around the issue safely. You can
avoid many installation problems just by consulting a professional from
the start.
Professional Installation Ensures Safety
Safety
is paramount importance. The biggest reason most people have for
installing stairlifts is safety – they fear that they or someone in
their household might fall on the stairs. When stairlifts are installed
improperly, they simply substitute one safety issue for another.
Professional installers are trained to make sure that the lifts are
installed properly and safely so there’s no risk of injury to either
riders or bystanders.
Stairlifts are an excellent option for
people who want to stay in their homes but find it difficult to manage
stairs without assistance. Professional installation is an absolute
necessity to ensure that the stair lift is safe.
Monday, October 28, 2013
Monday, October 21, 2013
Benefits of Stairlifts in Making Homes More Accessible
Over the past several decades, it has become more and more clear that
there are many benefits to making accommodations that allow people with
physical challenges to continue living in their home. It’s less
expensive, leads to better health outcomes and provides a far better
quality of life than other alternatives. For people who live in homes
with stairs, stairlifts are a common-sense adaptation that can provide
many benefits. Here are some of the major benefits of installing a stairlift to provide easy transport between two stories of a home.
Allows People to Remain in their Homes Longer
As suggested above, people who can continue to live in their own homes after stairs become a challenge tend to fare far better by almost any measure than people who give up their homes because they can no longer manage the stairs. They are surrounded by their own belongings and remain in their communities. This familiarity actually has a measurable effect on delaying the onset and lessening the symptoms of such conditions as Alzheimer’s disease.
Enhances a Sense of Control and Empowerment
Being shut out of part of your own home is a frustrating and limiting experience. It can leave you feeling powerless and deprived of reasonable control over your own life. Stairlifts allow homeowners to continue with their daily activities with very little disruption, allowing them to be more active in the upkeep of their homes. They remove the feeling of helplessness that being confined to one area of the home can create.
Makes It Easier to Perform Routine Household Tasks
Many people who choose to install stairlifts can still traverse the stairs on their own, but find that normal chores are much more difficult or impossible. A chairlift can allow a homeowner to carry a basket of laundry up or down stairs, for example, allowing them to continue dealing with their routine household activities instead of relying on someone else to do them.
Reduces the Risk of Falling
Stairway falls account for a large percentage of hospital admissions in older adults. As we age, the sense of balance can become distorted, and dizziness is common. An older adult who falls on the stairs risks serious injury, including broken hips that often lead to permanent disability. Stairlifts prevent falls on the stairs and their consequences.
More Affordable than Relocation
Whether you’re moving into an assisted living situation or simply moving to a one-story home, it’s nearly always less expensive to install a stairlift This is especially true for older adults who have already paid for their homes in full and face a new mortgage or paying monthly rent if they are forced to move because they have trouble with stairs.
These are just a few of the most obvious benefits of stairlifts to provide accessibility in a home. Stairlifts are available to fit nearly any staircase configuration. For more information about installing a stairlift in your home, contact a local company that sells, installs and services stair lifts.
Allows People to Remain in their Homes Longer
As suggested above, people who can continue to live in their own homes after stairs become a challenge tend to fare far better by almost any measure than people who give up their homes because they can no longer manage the stairs. They are surrounded by their own belongings and remain in their communities. This familiarity actually has a measurable effect on delaying the onset and lessening the symptoms of such conditions as Alzheimer’s disease.
Enhances a Sense of Control and Empowerment
Being shut out of part of your own home is a frustrating and limiting experience. It can leave you feeling powerless and deprived of reasonable control over your own life. Stairlifts allow homeowners to continue with their daily activities with very little disruption, allowing them to be more active in the upkeep of their homes. They remove the feeling of helplessness that being confined to one area of the home can create.
Makes It Easier to Perform Routine Household Tasks
Many people who choose to install stairlifts can still traverse the stairs on their own, but find that normal chores are much more difficult or impossible. A chairlift can allow a homeowner to carry a basket of laundry up or down stairs, for example, allowing them to continue dealing with their routine household activities instead of relying on someone else to do them.
Reduces the Risk of Falling
Stairway falls account for a large percentage of hospital admissions in older adults. As we age, the sense of balance can become distorted, and dizziness is common. An older adult who falls on the stairs risks serious injury, including broken hips that often lead to permanent disability. Stairlifts prevent falls on the stairs and their consequences.
More Affordable than Relocation
Whether you’re moving into an assisted living situation or simply moving to a one-story home, it’s nearly always less expensive to install a stairlift This is especially true for older adults who have already paid for their homes in full and face a new mortgage or paying monthly rent if they are forced to move because they have trouble with stairs.
These are just a few of the most obvious benefits of stairlifts to provide accessibility in a home. Stairlifts are available to fit nearly any staircase configuration. For more information about installing a stairlift in your home, contact a local company that sells, installs and services stair lifts.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Stairlifts Improve Your Quality of Life
One of the primary benefits of residential stairlifts
is the improvement in quality of life they offer. “Quality of life” is
one of those nebulous phrases that people like to toss around, often
without knowing exactly what they mean and how their lives – or more
importantly, your life – will improve. When it comes to installing a
stairlift, though, there are proven benefits that most certainly fit
under “improved quality of life.” You may not even recognize how much
easier stairlifts can make your life. If you’ve never really thought
about it before, consider how different your life would be if you never
had to think about going up or down the stairs.
Go Up and Down Stairs Whenever You Want or Need to Do So
Many people don’t really consider themselves mobility-impaired, even though they spend most of their lives living on one story of their home. They can still climb the stairs, but it takes effort – enough effort that they avoid making those trips up to the bedroom or down to the laundry room – as much as they can. The little inconveniences may seem like small things, but they add up over time: leaving the house with a lighter jacket because it’s not worth the climb back up to your bedroom to change, for example, or forgoing the next chapter of your book because you left it on your bedside table.
It’s easy to think that it’s not worth the expense to install a stair lift just because it’s a little bit more difficult to climb the stairs than it used to be, because you’re out of breath when you reach the top or because your knees ache all day if you climb the stairs more than once or twice. Stairlifts are for people who are disabled, you may be thinking, certainly not for someone who can still climb stairs.
Stairlifts Prevent Injury and Debilitation
In fact, one major benefit of installing a stairlift in your home is that they help prevent further loss of mobility. If you suffer from arthritis or COPD, your condition isn’t going to improve with exercise. In fact, climbing stairs puts additional stress and wear on your joints, and could be hastening the time when you can’t climb the stairs at all. A stair lift can put off that day further, and preserve your mobility for things you enjoy doing, like playing with your grandkids or working in the garden.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that stairlifts are only for people who are unable to use stairs at all. In fact, one of the best reasons to install a stairlift is to hold onto your ability to engage in activities you enjoy – or, in words that bureaucrats love – they improve your quality of life.
Go Up and Down Stairs Whenever You Want or Need to Do So
Many people don’t really consider themselves mobility-impaired, even though they spend most of their lives living on one story of their home. They can still climb the stairs, but it takes effort – enough effort that they avoid making those trips up to the bedroom or down to the laundry room – as much as they can. The little inconveniences may seem like small things, but they add up over time: leaving the house with a lighter jacket because it’s not worth the climb back up to your bedroom to change, for example, or forgoing the next chapter of your book because you left it on your bedside table.
It’s easy to think that it’s not worth the expense to install a stair lift just because it’s a little bit more difficult to climb the stairs than it used to be, because you’re out of breath when you reach the top or because your knees ache all day if you climb the stairs more than once or twice. Stairlifts are for people who are disabled, you may be thinking, certainly not for someone who can still climb stairs.
Stairlifts Prevent Injury and Debilitation
In fact, one major benefit of installing a stairlift in your home is that they help prevent further loss of mobility. If you suffer from arthritis or COPD, your condition isn’t going to improve with exercise. In fact, climbing stairs puts additional stress and wear on your joints, and could be hastening the time when you can’t climb the stairs at all. A stair lift can put off that day further, and preserve your mobility for things you enjoy doing, like playing with your grandkids or working in the garden.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that stairlifts are only for people who are unable to use stairs at all. In fact, one of the best reasons to install a stairlift is to hold onto your ability to engage in activities you enjoy – or, in words that bureaucrats love – they improve your quality of life.
Monday, October 7, 2013
Taking Care of Stairlifts In your Home
Buying a stairlift
can solve many accessibility problems for older adults and those who
have difficulty climbing stairs. Many people forget that stairlifts may
need maintenance to keep working properly. Luckily, keeping your
chairlift in good working order is quite simple.
Preventive Maintenance Is the Key
Much of the maintenance required by stairlifts is preventive maintenance – simple daily care that will keep your stairlift in top working order. These simple tasks include:
Preventive Maintenance Is the Key
Much of the maintenance required by stairlifts is preventive maintenance – simple daily care that will keep your stairlift in top working order. These simple tasks include:
- Always leave the chair at the right position on the track when it is not in use. The chair will generally stop naturally at the right point. When the chair is positioned properly, the unit will recharge its internal batteries so that it will always be charged for use.
- Only unplug the unit if it will not be used for a considerable length of time, and then follow the procedure outlined in your user manual to prevent the battery from being damaged. Generally, you must switch off the mains before unplugging the unit from the wall outlet. Once the unit is unplugged, you can switch off the battery isolation switch to disconnect the battery.
- Keep clothing and other items off the stairway to prevent them from obstructing the lift or falling into the track.
- Do not allow children to play on or around the lift, both for their own safety and to prevent damage to the stair lift.
- Only use the lift with one person at a time. Stairlifts are not designed to carry more than one person. Exceeding the weight limit can damage the tracks and the lift mechanism.
- Contract with the supplier for your stairlift to provide annual checks and emergency maintenance services if needed.
- Check the power source to be sure that the lift unit is properly connected. If the unit is properly connected but there is still no power, check to be sure the outlet is active by plugging another electrical item into it.
- Check the battery charge level. If the unit has been drained, it can take up to 14 hours to recharge, and the lift may not operate properly until it reaches full charge again.
- Make sure that the chair is in the correct position for traveling. Most stairlifts will not operate unless the chair is in the correct position as a safety measure.
- Make sure that all of the switches are in the ON position. Depending on the model stair lift you’ve chosen, there may be three different switches to turn on.
- Make sure that the safety sensors are not stuck. Occasionally, a safety sensor will get stuck when there is not a safety issue. Carefully use your fingers to manipulate the sensors and make sure they move freely.
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