Using Stair Lifts at Home

While there are many parts of a home that can be difficult or cumbersome for someone who is mobility challenged to use, the stairs often present the biggest hurdle for the mobility challenged. In fact, stairs are the single biggest cause of falls and accidental injuries among the elderly, with many seniors falling and hurting themselves each year. Due to the design of a staircase and the surfaces involved, it is often not even a full fall on the stairs that results in injury, simply a missed step. One way of making the stairs safer and easier to use is to install a stair lift.

Stair lifts were first developed almost 100 years ago, but these early models were more custom creations and a bit of a novelty. It was not until around 30 years ago that home medical manufacturers began building and designing stair lifts for the modern home. Stair lifts offer a means of moving a person safely between floors of a home, without requiring the expensive installation of a personal elevator.

The design of a stair lift varies, but most adopt the stair chair model, in which a chair is sent along a track that spans the length of the staircase. This can allow for seniors and others with difficulty walking, to sit down and be carried up or down the staircase, along the metal aluminum stair chair track. Of course, due to space requirements or the physical needs of a senior, standing stair lifts, called perch lifts, are also sometimes used. However, perch lifts are not quite as safe, so unless they are absolutely needed, it is typically a better choice to use a standard stair chair lift.

One of the main selling points of a stair lift, as opposed to a residential elevator or even an inclined platform lift is the ease of installation. For most staircases that are straight, a single stair lift can be easily installed. In fact a number of stair lift manufacturers provide an easy to install DIY stairlift kit. However, as the staircase bends or otherwise deviates from a standard straight stairway, the installation and stairlift needed to accommodate the staircase becomes more complicated.

For example, on stairways that have an actual curve, a special bended rail-system is needed, which is quite expensive. These curved stair lifts can easily cost over $10,000. However, most residential homes do not have a curved staircase, with most that do have bends having square bends. For instance, the “L” shaped staircase, with landing in between, is a good deal more common than an actual curved staircase. Stair lifts to accommodate this type of bend, as well as stairways with landings in between the steps, are more expensive, but several stair lift manufactures provide lifts intended to accommodate this type of bend, while still being easy to install.

Stair lifts are not for everyone and do require a decent amount of motor function. It is important that the individual is able to stand and sit on their own, as they will need to be able to get onto and off of the stair lift. The seat of a stair lift should swivel away from the staircase; however, there is still the need to be able to lift oneself out of the device. Standing stair lifts are an okay choice for some, but due to the small size of the platform provided and the necessity that one remains standing as the lift moves, they are not always the best choice.

While the cost for a standard straight staircase installation is very affordable and can be done by most mechanically able individuals, often for under two thousand dollars, many staircases have bends or landings that necessitate a special type of stair lift. For these sorts of

installations the cost and difficulty begins to climb and so it is important to explore all available options, including installing a home elevator.