Why You Should Consider A Stairlift

As you get older, you may find that your mobility and ease of movement is significantly reduced. Unfortunately, aging is inevitable, and although we can’t stop time, there’s no reason to let reduced mobility impact your independence. Due to advances in technology and a consumer-centered approach, there are many mobility aids currently on the market that can help you to stay active and retain a high quality of life. 

One of the most invaluable and most commonly used mobility tools are stairlifts. Stairlifts can help consumers with mobility difficulties easily, and most importantly, safely navigate flights of stairs. However, it’s important to note that installing any mobility aid often requires permanent modifications to your home, so it’s prudent to consider all the available options and make an informed decision. The most straightforward approach is to do your research online by comparing different stairlift companies.

What Is A Stairlift?

A stairlift is a mechanical mobility aid that lifts people up and down flights of stairs. Typically they consist of a rail that is mounted to the wall or the stair treads and a chair that is attached to the rail.

How Do Stairlifts Work?

Chair lifts work via a simple mechanism that moves the motorized chair, often using wheels or gears, and pushes it along the track and up the staircase. Depending on the type of staircase, and the number of stairs, the track is adjusted accordingly.

Who Needs a Stairlift?

Anyone with limited mobility or difficulty navigating steps can benefit from using a stairlift. A stairlift is not only a safe and practical solution, but it can also significantly improve your quality of life and ability to complete everyday tasks that become more difficult with age.

Put simply, whether you’re a senior citizen, and your family is concerned about your safety, or you find going up and down staircases several times a day exhausting, a stairlift could be the perfect solution. Not only will it give you and your family members peace of mind, but it could also help protect you from a fall. According to the National Council on Aging, every 11 seconds, an older adult is treated in the emergency room for a fall. Still, even more startling, an older adult dies from a fall every 19 minutes.

Fortunately, installing a stairlift in your home can help prevent a devastating fall and also make it easy for you to go about your day — without worrying about getting injured.

What Are Some Benefits Of Installing A Stairlift?

As well as the points we’ve touched on above; stairlifts can also help ease the lives of people suffering from certain medical conditions. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 30 million adults in the U.S. suffer from osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis causes painful inflammation at the joints and can make navigating stairs particularly tricky. Installing a stairlift in the home can help people with arthritis overcome the obstacles that it creates in their day to day life. Not only do stairlifts help you get safely from one floor to another in your home, but they also enable you to do it without experiencing pain.

What Kind of Stairlift Do I Need?

The type of stairlift you should get is highly dependent upon your individual needs and the type of staircase you have at home. For example, if you have extreme difficulty sitting down, a stairlift with a seat may not be the most appropriate option; however, perch stairlifts — a type of stairlift that transports in a standing position — could be the perfect solution.

Similarly, if you have a particularly narrow hallway, or find it difficult getting into a chair, you might want to consider a stairlift that has a swivel seat which allows for more movement. Swivel seat stairlifts work much in the same way that office chairs do, and they will enable you to rotate them, making it much easier to step into the stairlift, and out again.

Regardless of your mobility issues and resulting needs, many stairlift products are available on the market and could help significantly improve your quality of life.

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