Stairlift Reviews

If the stairs have become an obstacle for handicapped loved ones instead of an access point to reaching the upper levels of your home, perhaps you might want to consider installing a handicapped stair lift in your staircase. A stair lift is simply an electrically operated machine with either a platform or a swivel seat that runs on tracks bolted on the treads of the stairs.

While a stair lift may be used by other members of the family, most users are handicapped people who have been incapacitated by an accident or who suffer from a debilitating illness. While these handicapped people do not have full control of their bodily motor functions, they can move about a room with the aid of devices such as a cane, crutches, walker or a wheelchair. Negotiating a stairway unassisted would be rather dangerous for them and should not even be considered at all.

When stairs have become an obstacle or even pose a hazard for our handicapped loved ones, installing a handicapped stair lift is certainly the cheapest and most acceptable option than adding a room to your first floor or buying a single-storey home or even moving to an assisted living center.

However, before you buy a handicapped stair lift, you have to carefully consider some factors such as the configuration and dimension of your staircase. A stair lift designed to carry a wheelchair bound person would require at least a 36-inch width staircase, which is uncommon in most residential houses. If the staircase isn’t wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair stair lift, then you can plan for a chair stair lift, which can be fitted to staircases with a width of at least 24 inches. But the critical consideration in this case is that the handicapped person must have the upper body strength to transfer from the wheelchair to the stair lift chair.

If the person is a cane user and prefers to stand up while being transported to the next floor, then a step stair lift might suit him better. This kind of a handicapped stair lift has a platform that is just wide enough for the person to step on and handle bars for him to hold on to for balance. However, a lot of other people with disabilities prefer to use a handicapped stair lift model with the swivel seat attached to it because it is more comfortable and a lot safer. Whatever the requirements of the users are, your supplier will certainly find the right mobility solutions for your handicapped loved ones.

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