UK Stairlifts

The benefits of a stairlift

King Henry VIII is rumoured to have invented the stairlift. However, some kind of hoist or lift is known to have been used as far back as the third century BC, using human and animal power. However, it’s not until the last few decades that efficient, motor-powered, safe stairlifts have been available on the mass market.

Independence with a stairlift

The modern stairlift brings many benefits to its users. They mean that people with mobility problems don’t need to move house to a bungalow or have their home adapted, so that they no longer have access to the upstairs. They can stay in their own homes, where neighbours and amenities are familiar to them. Thanks to stairlifts, many gain a new lease on life and find new independence.

But how does a lift work and what useful features can you expect to find on one? Firstly, a stair or chair lift can be fitted onto any staircase, whether it’s straight, curved, spiral or even outdoors. A stairlift is simply a chair that runs on a track, precisely following the line of the stairs.

Stairlifts run on electricity. Very popular these days, though, are models with a battery back-up that is on continuous charge. This means that the stair lift can be used even in a power cut.

Stairlifts and accidents

In its simplest form, a stair lift carries an elderly or disabled person from one floor to another. It may be that they can manage to walk around their home without too many issues, but that stairs pose particular problems. Anyone on crutches, whether permanently or on a temporary basis, will also find a stairlift beneficial.

Stairlifts are a great health and safety device, helping to massively cut down on the number of accidents in the home that elderly people have. That’s why stair lifts offer such peace of mind to the relatives of users.

Just think about the cost of the alternatives to stair-lifts: moving to a bungalow means huge upheaval. Perhaps your relative is friendly with their neighbours – leaving their home can be heart wrenching. Their home might also contain many memories of happy times, when children ran from room to room. If so, it will be especially hard to leave.

Then there’s the expense. A bungalow might be in a new area, where sights and sounds are unfamiliar, but the ruinous expense will no doubt be a worse problem. You’ve got estate agent’s fees, stamp duty and so on, plus the expense of possibly buying new furniture to fit. Your relative could be staring at a bill of £10,000 or more.

The other possibility is adapting the home. This would mean never leaving the ground floor and having a new room or two – a bathroom and a bedroom – built at ground level. This would not only be disruptive and expensive, but it could also eat into other space that your relative has, such as the garden.

Economical and practical sense

This is why installing a stairlift makes such economical and practical sense. The other great thing about chair lifts is that, these days, they match just about any home décor, as they come in a range of coloured fabrics. So, how do stairlifts work?

In simple terms, a chair goes up and down a track connected to the stairs. The track usually bolts to the stair treads rather than the wall or the banisters. It doesn’t matter what kind of stairs the user has – wood, cement and bricks are all fine. Where the stairs are not made of wood, the manufacturer will use special screws.

A hand gadget is connected to the chair lift. On some stairlifts, this gadget is integral to the chair’s armrest. However, on many models, it’s detached. It looks a bit like a TV remote control, without as many buttons. Sometimes, it can be attached to the chair by a wire. Sometimes, there are two remotes – one at the top of the stairs and one at the bottom. They can be used to ’summon’ the stairlift.

One of the safety features of a stairlift is the swivel chair. While the stair lift is moving up and down the stairs, it faces directly away from the wall. When the user is getting on or off the chair, it turns 90 degrees and locks, so that the person can safely dismount, facing away from the stairs.

There’s also a seat belt, which is vital for safety, and a sensor that detects objects in the path of the stair lift. Most stairlifts these days have around six sensors to pick up objects that block the way and prevent damage to the chair lift. Sensors are also available that limit the speed of the stairlift.

Which stairlift?

Another important safety feature on stairlifts concerns children. The lift your relative buys should have a lockout switch that means it can’t operate. It should also work on 24 volts DC, meaning that there’s no worry over electric shocks. Also vital is that the stair lift works smoothly and in a controlled way – particularly when starting and stopping – to avoid neck injuries.

So, which model stairlift should you choose? You should take into account how heavy the user is and the size of the staircase. Most stairlifts, also, can carry up to 300 pounds. Consider the weight of the user when selecting the correct size of chair.

You have two main types of stairlift to choose from – straight and curved. Straight stairlifts are made for stairs with no bends or half-landings. If your stairs are straight, you’ll save quite a bit of money on your stair lift.

Curved stairlift
If your staircase has bends, corners or half-landings, you’ll need a curved stairlift, which is a little less straightforward. Your stairlift rails will need to be custom-built. So, make sure you definitely need a stairlift, as you won’t be able to send it back. Your curved stair-lift will also be a lot more expensive than a straight stair-lift. You can also forget about buying a reconditioned stairlift, too, as the rails will have been made for someone else’s staircase, although you can buy a reconditioned chair.

If your stairs are straight, do consider a reconditioned stair lift. Reconditioned stair lifts are a good idea because both the stairlift and the rail have been refurbished. This is virtually as good as buying a new stair lift, and your relative will usually get many years of good service. You’ll also save about a third of the price of a new stairlift.

Hopefully, you’ll have found this brief introduction to the benefits of stairlifts useful. If you want more information, all the main stairlift manufacturers have good websites. However, for truly unbiased advice based around your or your relative’s circumstances, it might be best to ask an independent retailer, such as UK Stairlifts

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