Stairlifts and others in the home? If you are having trouble manoeuvring around your home, it may be time to invest in a stairlift. It can give you the freedom to move safely around your home where you previously struggled.
However, how will a stairlift affect other people within your home if you don’t live by yourself? Will this machine cause more safety issues for them, especially with children and pets?
It Will Take Up Some Room… But Not As Much as You Think!
Some people picture huge, clunky machines when thinking about stair lifts. But although they will take up a bit of room, it won’t make it impossible for other people’s use of the stairs.
In fact, many families who install a stairlift for a loved one have told us that they get used to the lift being there extremely quickly. Of course, it all depends on the width of your stair case as to how much room stair users have access too. But many stairlifts offer collapsible chairs to make even more room.
Even curved stairlifts don’t take up a massive amount of space on the stairs when not in use!
Will Children Be Affected?
Children are inquisitive beings! So it’s only natural that they will want to know what this new contraption is in their home.
While it’s important to let them know that the stairlift isn’t a toy, it’s just as vital to help them get familiar with the lift once it is installed.
This can be done safely as stairlifts are designed to be safe to use. There are finger guards in place to prevent any finger trappings of any age and they are designed to stop if they come into contact with anything else while in motion. This makes it extremely difficult, if not impossible to become trapped in a moving stairlift.
There’s a safety issue that you may have with regards to your children once a stairlift has been installed. You will no longer be able to use a normal baby gate due to the positioning of the tracks on the staircase. This means that you will need to look into other options for keeping your child away from the stairs. However, your stairlift does not pose any further risk to your child.
What About Pets?
Many households have indoor pets such as dogs and cats, and you may be worried about how a stairlift will affect your animals.
Similarly to children, you needn’t worry about them trapping their paws or their tails in the stairlift. The machines are designed to stop when they come into contact with anything while moving. This makes the lift unable to trap or crush anything.
It’s not uncommon for pets to be a little wary of the new stairlift when it is in motion! But it’s only the same as them getting scared about the vacuum cleaner!
Stairlifts are an essential addition to many homes, and they aren’t as intrusive as you may think. If you are looking for a high quality stairlift, complete with professional installation for your home, look no further than ALS Stairlifts. Contact us today on 0800 046 3438 for more information about out services.