Arthritis is something that restricts the movements primarily amongst elderly people and this hinders them to climb stairs owing to joint pain. This is where a stairlift comes into the picture as they provide a chair that takes you up the staircase so that even the elderly can climb the stairs without having to move even a single muscle.
A stairlift, as the name suggests, is a mechanical lift installed onto the treads of the stairs so that people can be lifted up and down them. These stairlifts are generally used to lift wheelchairs users as well as people with mobility problems and therefore unable to negotiate the stairs themselves.
Also known as chair lifts, wheelchair lifts etc, these stairlifts now come with a host of inbuilt features, which add to their convenience, and ease of use. Companion Stairlifts is one such firm that brings you the latest products with affordable prices for stairlifts.
How Does A Stairlift Work?
Before buying a stairlift, it is essential to understand how it works. It runs on a track fitted against the treads of the stairs and is powered by a motor to pull it up the track. These tracks are fitted to the stairs with the help of metal cleats. Ideally, a staircase should be more than 24 inches to be able to accommodate a stairlift.
The battery of the motor can be charged with the help of a 13 amperes electrical socket and even in the case of a power cut, there is enough power available to make a few trips.
Features of A Modern Stairlift
With technological advancements affecting every other device, stair lifts have also undergone a change and now come fitted with a host of modern features and options like:
- Battery-powered seat: The need to turn the seat manually on reaching the landing made disembarking difficult. This problem was solved by the introduction of battery-powered seats, which can swivel or pivot automatically on the landing enabling the person to get off with ease.
- Powered Footrest: The introduction of a powered footrest made it easier for the footrest to be folded away automatically and made it easier to transfer a person from the wheelchair to the stairlift.
- Remote Controlled Stairlifts: Remote Controls have made it easier to recall the stairlift after it has been used by a person thereby making multiple transfers easier.
- Use of Joystick: The use of a joystick in place of the ordinary pushbuttons has made it easier to control the stairlift
- Flexible Chair height: Being able to make adjustments in the height of the chair has made it easier for people of varying heights to use them.
Other features like a hinge rail powered to fold away automatically to prevent people from tripping on it and LED diagnostic displays have made the stairlift a much more convenient version of the ones used before.
Safety Features of a Stairlift
Complying with all the safety requirements as required by the government, the stairlift is not only convenient but it also can be used with peace of mind.
Also Read: 4 Best Tips To Adapt A Stair Lift To Your Home for Older Age
Some of the safety features installed are
- Sensors to detect obstructions and other hindrances on the track and to bring it to a stop safely
- A lockable switch prevents kids from playing and fiddling with it
- Braking systems also prevent the stairlift from going up and down at a very high speed.
In order to make it easier for people with handicaps to buy a stairlift, the government has done away with the VAT that needs to be charged on every object sold. In fact, people over 60 years are also able to get these stair lifts for their personal use for a reduced VAT rate of 5%.