Overcoming Difficulties on the Stairs

There are many things that can make using the stairs very difficult. Many people feel that their only option is to move or simply stop using the upstairs, but this can greatly affect your lifestyle. There is a much more eloquent solution, using a stair lift, which can allow an individual to safely use the stairs in an independent fashion.

Using a stair lift is one of the easiest ways to increase the safety of an individual who can not safely climb the stairs. These devices carry a person up the stairs and remove much of the difficulty that is associated using the stairs. Most of these lifts use a chair to transport its occupant, but some lifts use a platform, called a perch, instead.

The perch lifts are not as popular or generally recommended, unless you need it for medical reasons, such as those who have had knee replacement surgery and cannot bend their legs. This is because the occupant will be required to stand as they move up the stairs, which requires a stronger sense of balance. Instead the chair lifts are usually a better choice for most people.

These units either use battery power or direct electrical current. The models that use direct current are less expensive, but they will not work if the power goes out. The battery powered lifts cost a little more and have a higher maintenance cost, because the battery needs to be replaced every 12 to 18 months. Despite these extra costs, many people choose to use a battery lift, because they will not leave you stranded if the power is interrupted.

Using these lifts can be an excellent way to improve independence while increasing safety. An individual is able to independently decide when they want to go upstairs or back down again.

Stair Lift Advantages

The inability to use the stairs is something that can greatly limit the way a person gets around their own home. Due to the high number of serious injuries and deaths, using the stairs is something that should be done with care, so if you suffer from arthritis or some other mobility related disease, you need to be very careful when using the stairs. This is one of the reasons that stair lifts are so popular in homes all across the world.

Many people think that if they cannot safely use the stairs anymore, they will have to move, invest in an elevator, or perhaps hire someone to help them up the stairs. These options are seldom practical, both from a monetary standpoint and from a convenience standpoint, so a stair lift is in many cases the best solution.

Most stair lifts use a chair to help carry a person up the stairs. A few lifts use a small platform instead, but since these require the occupant to remain standing, they tend to be less safe than regular stair lifts.

The weight that a stair lift can support varies, but the majority of them can support over 300 pounds. Depending on the distance that the lift must span, the weight they support can vary, but some are able to support over 500 pounds.

Stair Safety and Preventing Falls

Falls on the stairs can be very detrimental to the health of those over the age of sixty. This is because often those over this age are not able to recover as quickly and have brittle bones. Preventing accidents on the stairs is very important and one of the first steps is identifying common causes of falls on the stairs. There are several factors, some preventable, which contribute to most accidents on the stairs.
One of the most common causes of accidents on the stairs is as a result of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is caused by calcium and vitamin deficiencies, a decrease in activity, and changes in hormones. It causes the bodies bones to become likeier to fracture, because the bones become brittle. Preventing osteoporosis can be achieved by consuming plenty of calcium and vitamins, while maintaining a regular exercise regime.

Another leading cause of falls is as a result of decreased physical exercise. Weaker muscles and loss of strength is common in the elderly, but even just working out a few times a day can greatly decrease the risk of weights.

Decreased vision is another factor that can increase the risk of a fall. Often decreased eyesight results in poor depth perception and peripheral vision. This can make it difficult to use the stairs and often results in missing a step. This also makes it harder to detect when a fall is imminent, so the individual is often ill-prepared for the fall. It is important to clearly mark areas of differing elevation and ensure that grab bars and handrails are present. Colored tape and textured tape are often used to mark areas of differing elevations.

By understanding some of the common causes of falls, a good deal of them can be prevented. If you are at all unsteady, then a stair lift is often a great device to use. These devices carry an individual up or down the steps, so greatly reduce the risk of an injury.

Accurately Measuring you Stairs for a Stair Lift

Today, people all over the world use stair lifts as a means of allowing complete access to a home or building. They are used commercially and in private home alike. Many of the people that have straight stairways, choose to install a lift on their own using one of the many do it yourself stairlift kits that are available.

Stair lifts are used to allow an individual to safely move between floors and most physically carry its rider up or down the steps. Individuals with a straight staircase or a staircase that has a 90 degree bend and is shaped like an ‘L,’ can sometimes do the installation on their own. Doing the installation usually saves you time and money.

Before you begin the installation of a stair lift, you will need to get a complete and accurate measurement of your staircases dimensions. This includes the total length of the stairs, the distance from the landing to the nearest wall, and the measure of an individual step. To ensure that you get an accurate measurement and to also improve safety, it is by and large a good idea to have someone help you take the measurements. Usually the dealer can walk you through the steps of measuring on the phone, but if you do not feel like you can accurately take the measurements, they can also have a team come in to measure for you.

The main reason that an accurate set of measurements is needed is two fold. The first reason is to make sure that the stair lift can safely fit your stairs. Your staircase could be too long or too narrow for a specific type of stair lift, so by measuring it, the dealer can make sure you get a compatible lift. The other reason is that the dealer is going to cut the track system, so that it runs the length of your stairs and no longer. Getting an accurate measurement is imperative to ensuring that the track is cut to the proper length and will fit your stairway.

Safety With Stair Chairs

People who have difficulty using the stairs, might not be able to easily go everywhere, but there is no reason you should not be able to easily go anywhere in your home. This is the reason that so many people choose to install a stairlift in their home.

Stairlifts are devices that are used to carry a single person along the distance of the stairs. They are used commercially and residentially, but are far more common in the home. They are sometimes called stair chairs, because most use a chair to carry the person along the distance of the stairs.

The stair chair is by far the most common type of lift, but not everyone is able to easily and safely sit down, so the perch lift is used as an alternative to the stair chair. A perch lift requires that the occupant stand as they are carried across the distance of the stairs. Due to the extra physical demands, such as a steady sense of balance, of a perch lift, the stair chair is usually the recommended option.

Those that use stairlifts to climb the stairs are able to do so in a safe manner that they would not otherwise be able to do un-assisted. The lifts can be operated by the occupant or by a caretaker using a wireless remote. Seat and chest belts are available for most models, so if the device is to be used by a caretaker, the safety restraints are usually highly recommended if not physically required.

Stair Lifts: Safety on the Staircase

Those that are not able to walk up or down the stairs are usually able to get around fine in public areas, but if their home has a staircase, then they might not be able to access all areas of a home. These people would benefit from using a stair lift, which is a special type of mobility aid.

Stair lifts are designed to safely transport a person up and down the stairs. On a straight staircase, a stair lift can be easily installed and is a much less expensive alternative to an elevator. Usually the person is carried up and down the stairs in a chair that moves along a track that is attached to the staircase.

One of the main reason stair lifts are such an attractive alternative to elevators is of course the cost, but they are also easier to install and can be often ordered and set up in under a week. When you are done using them or you move, you can take it down and re-use it or sell it.

While on straight stairways, a stair lift is a good choice, if you have a curved staircase, you should seriously consider going with an elevator. Modern residential elevators can be installed into wood frames, such as you find in most homes, and will add value to the home. Curved stair lifts, on the other hand, must be custom built to fit the staircase, so they have little resale value. The cost and time it would take to order and install a curved stair lift is about the same as a residential elevator, so you will be far better served by choosing a residential elevator instead of a curved stair lift.

People who can not easily walk up the stairs can greatly benefit from using a stair lift, which will help keep all areas of their home open.

Elevator or Stair Lift?

It is not always easy for people who have severe arthritis to use the stairs. There are many other conditions that also make the task of climbing the stairs difficult, and some cognitive disorders, when coupled with conditions like arthritis, serve to amplify the dangers of a fall. To help reduce the risk of a fall, a stair lift is often installed and is usually the most cost effective way to allow a person full use of the stairs.

If you can not climb the stairs, you have a few options available to you. You can simply not use the upstairs portion of your home, but this often means a major change to your lifestyle and means that you will be not using a large portion of your home. Another option would be to move to an assisted living facility that has elevators or to a home that is only one level, but for many people this is not even a consideration, because among other things it means a large reduction of your independence.

Generally the only other option would be to install a personal elevator or a stair lift. If you have a straight stairway, a stair lift can be installed quickly, easily, and will be much less expensive. There is usually no major home modification required in the installation of a straight stair lift and most times it can be ordered, shipped, and installed in less than a week. Often times those who have an ‘L’ shaped stair lift are also able to install a lift for much less than an elevator would be.

People who have a curved stairway, must purchase a special type of stair lift that is custom built to fit the curve of their stairs. The cost and time associated with this endeavor is great and it usually costs at least one hundred times more than a straight stair lift. Due to the great time and cost associated with this type of lift, it is generally better to install a residential elevator as opposed to a curved stair lift.

The cost of a residential elevator is about the same as a curved stair lift, but it will require some home modification. Several models are available that can be installed into a wood framed home and simply require a straight shaft between floors. Most houses that have a closet hallway, can install the elevator into the space taken up by the closet.

Aside from the added functionality of a residential elevator, which can be used by people in wheelchairs, an elevator will also increase the homes value. When it comes time to sell the home, the elevator will be a good selling point and much of the initial cost of the elevator will be recouped. A curved stair lift on the other hand, looses much of its value when it is built, because it will only fit a staircase that has the same degree of bend, so it actually dramatically decreases in value as soon as you buy it.

If you have a straight stair lift or one with a 90 degree bend (‘L’ shaped), you can typically install a stair lift easily and for less than a residential elevator, but if you have a curved stairway, then a residential elevator is usually the best option.

Preventing Accidents on the Stairs

It is quite easy and extremely common for those of us who are over the age of sixty-five to have accidents on the stairs. Many times it is simply a missed step, which results in a bruised knee, but it is not always so benign and falls on the stairs are the leading source of fortuitous death in seniors. To help control these risks and ensure that those who are over sixty-five can remain safe on the stairs, while still accessing all areas of their home, a stair lift is commonly installed.

A stair lift is a medical device that is used to transport a person between floors, in a manner that is similar to an elevator. They are much less expensive though and do not require anywhere near the same type of construction commitment that a personal elevator would. Stair lifts also do not carry a person vertically up and down between floors, but instead transport the rider across the length of the stairs.

The average do-it-yourselfer is usually able to install a stair lift to a straight staircase. It does not require any tools that are out of the ordinary and generally the only modification to the stairs is the bolting on of the track. The track remains stationary on the stairs and spans the complete length of the stairs. The stair lift user is then sent up and down the track in a chair or standing on a small platform. The platform stair lift, or perch lifts, are not quite as safe as a stair lift that uses a chair, so unless medically necessary, it is usually advised to install a chair stair lift.

People who choose to install a stair lift are able to safely access all areas of their home, despite the fact that their body might not allow them to safely climb the stairs any longer.

Stair Lifts and Safely Climbing the Stairs

Many people of all ages have difficulty safely climbing the stairs, but as your age increase, so does the risk of falling and injuring yourself on the stairs. A fall on the stairs is the leading cause of accidental death and hospitalization among seniors who are over sixty-five, so for many climbing the stairs is incredibly dangerous. To help reduce this danger a stair lift is often installed.

Stair lifts is a type of medical equipment that is commonly installed in the home. They are used to carry a person up and down the steps. Often a chair is used to carry the person up and down the stairs, but a few models are available that use a very small platform instead. These platform stair lifts are called perch lifts and are a little more risky, because the rider must remain standing the whole time. The stair chair is a much safer and common option, but for people who have severe knee or joint problems, the perch lift may be a better choice.

Most often a stair lift is installed directly onto the steps of the staircase. A metal track is secured to the stairs and will remain stationary as a car moves up and down the stairs on the track.

If your home is in an area that frequently looses power, then it is a good idea to make sure that you install a battery powered lift. Battery powered stair lifts are a little more expensive than a traditional stair lift, but unlike a traditional stair lift, battery powered stair lifts will function if the power goes out. In addition to a slightly more expensive initial cost, you must also replace the battery periodically, which usually will cost between $50 and $70.

You will save money by going with an AC lift, which does not use a battery, but this will also mean that the lift will not function if the power goes out.

Stair lift Basics

Unfortunately, there are a plethora of obstacles that are faced daily by the disabled or elderly persons. Mundane tasks such as walking or simply using the stairway can be an unavoidable complication that may bring great levels of unnecessary stress, increase health risks, and create high levels of anxiety to one. However, there is a solution for those who face these particular hardships; the Ameriglide Stair lift.

The Ameriglide Stair lift is a device used to transport a person up and down a set of stairs. This device is fixed on an aluminum track that is factory cut to fit your set of stairs. One does not have to worry about it taking up the walking space of others. The track only occupies up to 10” of the stair case and the chair folds to 14” from the wall. The seat is quite comfortable, measuring at a wide 18” and is able to swivel at a 90° angle toward landing at both the top and bottom of the stairwell.

It is also easily affordable, safe, and quite easy to install. So easy to install, that in fact, the usual time allotted for installing this product falls approximately within a mere two hours. One reason is because the carriage is pre-installed on a short section of the track. Another particular reason is because of the clarity of the instructions; they are clearly illustrated, very detailed, and easy to follow. Just in case there are difficulties with installation, one can make an easy phone call and receive help right away.

In addition to the stair lift being safe, affordable, and easy to install, the buyer also has a choice between two power options. One can use the AC electrical operation or use the DC battery operated system. The DC operated system continually recharges, so there would be no need of worrying about using the Ameriglide Stair lift if power outages occur.

The Ameriglide Stair lift is an excellent product that will definitely be of great help to those who are unable to reach certain areas in their home. It is a very secure and durable device that is useful and will last for years to come.