Stair Lifts

If you are not able to easily and safely climb the stairs, you might feel disheartened about not being able to access all areas of your home. One way to overcome this obstacle is to install a stair lift and if you have a straight stairway, a stair lift will be an affordable alternative to an elevator.

Stair lifts are devices that carry a person up and down the stairs. Often a chair is used to transport the person, but in some cases a small platform is used instead. The platform stair lifts, called perch lifts, are usually only used by people who, due to medical reasons, cannot sit down in a traditional chair stair lift.

The reason that perch lifts are not quite as safe is because the individual must remain standing as they move up the stairs. Despite having extra handle bars and even a place to lean up against, a perch lift still requires more balance to use.

In most cases a chair stair lift is the better choice. The chair can be turned so that it faces away from the stairs, so the user can safely enter and exit the lift. In addition because the rider is sitting as they are carried up or down the stairs, the risk of a fall is drastically reduced.

If for medical reasons you decide to go with a perch lift, always be extremely careful when you use the device. The platform, or perch, is rather small. Some perch lifts, like those by Acorn, have a small pad that the user can lean up against, so it is a good idea to invest in a perch lift that has this feature.