Stair Lifts for the Elderly

It's very difficult for an elderly person climb stairs, especially if the elevator is out of order. The task is even more daunting for a disabled person who is dependent on his wheelchair or on someone's constant supervision. You look for safe systems to avoid accidents and give security to the elderly person staying in your house. A stair lift is always useful if such is the scenario in your house. Stair lift chairs have various models and designs that enable them to move back and forth in a staircase. You need to know certain conditions before purchasing a stair lift for your house. Stair lifts for the elderly are effective measures to avoid unforeseen mishaps. It can be easily installed in a staircase and thus is a useful aid for people facing difficulty in climbing stairs.

Types of Stair Lifts

The basic design for stair lift is more or less the same. Variations is brought about in designs for the purpose of utilization under different circumstances. The most common type is the pivotal type chair attached with the stair lift. People who have undergone a knee replacement surgery face difficulty to sit. For them a perch lift is designed. The person can ride on the stair lift in a standing posture. This type of lift needs a good grip and balance to avoid injury. The other type is a wheelchair stair lift. It helps to carry a person up and down the staircase. The stair lifts are driven electrically for better performance. The designs of electric stair chair lifts will be elaborated in the following content.

Curved Stair Lifts
Curved stair lifts are designed for staircases that run curved. They are customized in a way so that they can be lifted with ease on the curvature. They are mostly made up of aluminum or steel for durability. They can be mounted on either side of stairway for safe gliding on the bends of stairs. A motor is fitted along with the lift that operates under DC or AC power. To ensure safety of individuals, curved stair chair lifts are provided with a seat belt and a swivel lock system. Curved stair lifts are sophisticated systems having inbuilt sensors to detect obstacles along their path of movement. The lift automatically halts to avoid accident. The motion is controlled through a pressure controller. Curved stair lifts can be installed either indoors or outdoors. Professional assistance is a must for installation of curved stair lifts. The cost of curved stair lifts is much higher than straight lift chairs as the mechanics is designed based on the flexure angle, amount of bend and the length of the lift. The price is also dependent on the labor as it's a difficult task to design the complex machine. Some of the good brands with warranty period are Flow and Stair-Glide from ThyssenKrupp Access and Bruno Electra-Ride III Custom Curved Rail Stairlift. The only disadvantage is the low resale value of curved stair lifts.

Stair Lifts for Wheelchairs
Wheelchair lifts help physically challenged people to move from one floor to another on a staircase. The lifts are assembled with wheelchair so that the user can easily get out of the wheelchair. Certain factors are taken into consideration before designing a wheelchair stair lift. For a chairlift operation, the dimension of the staircase is assessed, the weight of the chair and the occupant are also included so that the lift is able to carry the person along with the chair. The device has a dual battery system and can operate off dual motors. The wheelchair is either incorporated on a household structure or is attached to the staircase. It's one kind of platform lift for performing heavy duty. Such wheelchair lifts have cables and hydraulics. Wheelchair lifts are also installed in vans and vehicles for safe landing over platform. The popular designs include cable hauled, rack-pinion, running chains, screw-driven and mains powered. Among them, mains powered lifts are losing importance as their safety system is not effective.

Stair lifts for the elderly are a safe way to take a flight on the staircase. However, it's essential to judge the safety of the device and know the functions completely before accessing. The user must fasten the belts tightly to avoid any mishap. Above all, one must always accompany an elderly person or a physically challenged to avoid a fortuity.