Is a stair lift for old people alone? While most of our customers are older, stairlifts are for those with mobility issues. These can occur at any age so stairlifts can help a range of people who have mobility issues. The main categories of stair lift users are as follows:
- The elderly – most stairlift users are elderly and are beginning to struggle with their mobility in the home.
- People with disabilities – stairlifts are used by those with physical disabilities which limit their ability to walk or stand for extended periods
- People recovering from illness or injury – strokes, surgeries or other conditions often mean limited mobility where a stairlift can become a lifeline
- Chronic conditions – such as arthritis, heart problems or other conditions might find a stairlift helpful
- Those prone to falling – anyone who is likely to fall can benefit from a stairlift
Stair Lift For Old People – Falls
Older people are much more likely to benefit from a stairlift than most other age groups. Approximately 25% of home based accidents occur on the stairs and there’s a high number of injuries and fatalities every year in the UK alone. For the elderly a fall can be more devastating too and will take much longer to recover from.
Most of these accidents are preventable too, so if you or a loved one are experiencing mobility issues in the home, a stairlift is an easy solution, even as a preventative measure.
A stairlift naturally takes out the possibility of a fall on the staircase; one of the most dangerous places in the home for someone who is elderly or experiencing mobility issues.
Need A Stairlift?
The first thing to consider when looking for a stairlift is your staircase type. There’s two main types of staircase – straight and curved. A curved stairlift is generally more complicated due to the inner workings of the stairlift itself, and the fitting of a rail, which needs to turn a corner. With multiple corners or bends, the fitting becomes more complex.
A straight stairlift is the simplest to fit and the chair is of simpler design; since the mechanism doesn’t need to turn a corner, it’s a simpler setup.
We created the stairlift buyers guide to help you when choosing a stairlift. Click this link to download our free stairlift buyers guide.
Stair Lift For Old People – Time lapse
Here’s a time lapse video of one of our stairlift fittings. This one was for a lady of 91 years old who had fallen and broken a hip. This installation was urgent, as she had recently come out of hospital and couldn’t manage the stairs.
She was also frightened of another potential fall. When another stairlift company couldn’t manage the narrow staircase, UKstairlifts came to the rescue!
You can read the full case study of this installation in our post: Stair Lifts For Narrow Stairs, A Case Study.