If your mobility has declined to the point where going up and down stairs is difficult for you, you may have started looking into installing a stair lift. These have been wonderfully helpful to many people, allowing users to stay in multi-story homes instead of having to move to a single-level house or an assisted living center. However, you have to be sure that installing the stair lift will work out well for you because certain factors can make the lift difficult to use -- and the lift can impact other people. Here are three things to consider before you install the lift.
Will You be Able to Get Other Exercise?
For many people, walking around the house and going up and down the stairs is the main form of exercise they get throughout the day. If you can still go up and down stairs, just more slowly than before, you may want to:
You can still install the lift as a precaution, but try not to become dependent on it completely if you still have some good mobility.
Will Your Stairs Compromise the Safety of Others if There is a Lift?
Get the stairway evaluated by the lift company, like All-Star Lifts, first. Some stairs are too narrow for lifts, or they'll accommodate the chair but not have room for anyone else to pass the chair. If you have an older home, you may have to remove railings and renovate walls to create room for the lift, which can create a danger for anyone else trying to use the stairs because now they have no railings to hold onto if they lose their balance. Many modern homes have wide stairways that will accommodate a chair, railings, and other people quite easily, but you have to check that first.
Can Your Stairs Handle Special Situations?
To use a stair lift, you have to be able to fit into a sitting position with your legs down. If you hurt your leg and have to keep it extended, such as when it's in a cast, the chair is going to be difficult to use unless it is in a very wide stairway. When measuring the stairway, take something like a leg cast into account.
Talk to stair lift company about keeping enough room for foot traffic and exercise, as well as railing installations. Talk to them about using the widest stairway in your home and about other modifications that could help you use the stair lift without creating future issues.
Share28 March 2016
When my mother fell at home and broke her hip, we all thought that we were going to have no choice to put her in a nursing home when she got out of the hospital. My mother had always asked us kids to avoid putting her in any kind of home, but we didn’t know what else we could do. None of us were capable of giving her the kind of rehabilitation and care that she needed. Then her doctor suggested that we find out if her insurance covered in-home care. I didn’t even know that that was an option. I was pleased to discover that in-home care was covered by her plan. Now she gets great care from nurses and nurse assistants that come right to her in her home, where she wants to be. It’s a great option, and I’m so glad we have it.
