How Stairlifts Can Help Prevent Fall-Related Injuries of the Elderly

In the U.S. alone, records show that dangers around our own homes can cause around 20,000 plus deaths, 7 million injuries and numerous trips to the hospital. Records also show that one of the most fatal are the fall-related injuries especially among the elderly. Do you know which part in our homes these fall-related injuries usually happen? It is from our own stairs.

With lower body weaknesses, balance or walking problems and other age-borne medical problems, the risk for the elderly to encounter these fall-related injuries is increased. In fact, one-third of the elderly 65 years old and above experiences 360 ~ 480 thousand fall-related injuries every year and out of these around 11,000 deaths occurs.

These statistics become the reason why most homes with an elderly around and especially those with stairs have stairlifts, a safety device that can help prevent fall-related injuries for the elderly.

Simply defined, a stairlift is a mechanical piece of equipment used to haul up people that are mobility restricted up and down the stairs. It is a cost-efficient alternative for elevators. Like the elevator an elderly can go to another floor with convenience. However, instead of being in a room, they are transported thru a chair or a platform attached to a rail that is mounted to the treads of the stairs. To use it, an elderly can simply sit on the chair and will be safely carried up or down the stairs. Stairlifts are directly attached with hand controls in order to move it.

Homes with an elderly who got a stairlift are able to lessen the risk of fall-related injuries on the stairs because they do not have to manually climb them. Physically climbing that stair for an elderly suffering from arthritis or rheumatism is pure misery. Why let them suffer when an easier and safer means can be provided thru stairlifts?

Further, most stairlifts are designed with security and safety in mind. You can see stairlifts in the market that gives an option to install a set of grab bars at the top of your stairs to increase stability for the elderly as they exit the lift. Others have seatbelts and even some have swivel chairs that allow the elderly to turn and set their feet on stable areas as they reach the top of the stairs. This is living made easy with comfort and safety combined.

Using a stairlift in our homes has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of fall-related injuries and virtually eliminate the risk of a fall. Indeed, stairlifts definitely plays an important role in improving safety not just for the elderly but for all of those who are mobility challenged. This role, we can say, is notably the stairlift’s most important function.

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