Choosing the Right Handicap Stair Lifts

Stair lifts are really a blessing for the aged and the handicapped people. Handicap stair lifts help people with accessibility problems, to maintain an active lifestyle. Special care should be taken to purchase the right handicap stair lifts. Selecting a wrong stair lift can be uncomfortable and dangerous for the person using it.

Handicap stair lifts are available in different models - straight stair lifts and curved stair lifts - to suit straight, spiral and curved staircases. The stair lift uses a rail attached to the stairs to carry the person between floors. These lifts make use of ON and OFF buttons to move up and down the stairs. Curved stair lifts are more expensive than straight stair lifts. The handicap stair lifts come with a number of safety features such as safety sensors, seat belts with locking facility and safety breaking system.

There are some important points to be considered while buying a handicap stair lift. If you are buying a used stair lift, ensure that it has safety belt. When purchasing a handicap stair lift, the most important thing is to select a model, suiting the extent of the person’s disability. You should make sure that the persons using the lift can get themselves in or out of the seat on the lift easily. With these safety features, even aged persons can use the lift comfortably without much effort. From the different models of stair lifts available, you can choose a model fitting your budget and meeting your specific requirements.

Most models are equipped with battery backups to take on unexpected power breakdowns, thus providing reliability and safety for the person using the lift. Stair lifts come with seats that can be folded up when not in use. These lifts, if used properly following the instructions, can provide long years of safe and durable service. While buying a stair lift, take care to choose a model having a weight capacity 20 or 30 pounds more than the weight of the individual using the lift. These stair lifts are suitable only for handicapped people having some control over the upper body. Otherwise they cannot sit on the chair safely and there are greater chances of slipping or sliding from the lift as it moves.

While purchasing stair lifts, ensure that the dealer is an authorized one. One should check that the product received is fully functioning and has passed all factory tests. In order to install a stair lift, the correct measurements of the stair have to be taken. It would be better to get the service of a professional lift installer rather than installing it yourself.

Anthony Robbins is a design consultant of DAY Elevator & Lift, a leading supplier of finest quality elevators, lifts, dumbwaiters and other disability access solutions. DAY offers different types of handicap stair lift models that fit any stairway configuration.