Stair Lifts Explained

If you can not walk up and down the stairs easily and without assistance, then you might feel like you are very restricted in where you can go. This restriction is usually not that big of a deal around town, but not being able to use the stairs in your own home can be a very big inconvenience. Many people are forced to neglect large portions of their homes simply because they can not walk up the stairs without assistance, but this is not necessary if you own a stair lift.

Stair lifts are personal lifting aids that are used in homes across the country to help carry people up and down the stairs. Usually a stair lift uses a special chair that is attached to a track that is attached to the stairs.

The chair usually swivels to make it easier to mount and dismount the device and many times the armrests are adjustable. There are a few models that use a platform in place of a chair, but these are not as common and are reserved for those who have severe joint or knee problems.

In most cases a stair lift can be quickly installed using normal household tools. Many do-it-yourself stair lifts are available that are specially engineered to be installed easily and quickly. AmeriGlide, a manufacturer of quality medical equipment, Stair Lifts are designed to be easily and safely installed in a few hours. They use use only the best materials available including super strong aircraft cable. In addition to quality materials, AmeriGlide also extensively tests their models to ensure dependability and reliability. In fact after 30,000 cycles, the equivelent of using the lift 5 times per day for 16 years, they show only normal wear.

In most cases where a stair lift is installed on a straight staircase, the installation can be done in a few hours, but if you have a curved staircasen the installation process is not as straight forward. Since there is no uniform standard for curved staircases, the track will have to be custom built and professionally installed. This results in a much larger cost for curved stair lifts and they take about 2 months to be built and installed.

A stair lift is a great way to make sure that you or a loved one is always able to use the stairs safely and easily. They can be installed on most types of staircases, including concrete and brick steps. In addition to being used indoors, some outdoor stair lifts are available that can withstand all types of elements. These types of lifting aids are most frequently found in homes, but many places like churches, schools, and businesses use these devices to provide accessibility for all of their patrons.