A flight of stairs can be an intimidating obstacle for many people. Elderly individuals often have difficulty climbing stairs. Even going down stairs can be frightening for many seniors. People with arthritis find that stairs can be quite painful. Other diseases also affect an individual's ability to safely and painlessly move up and down stairways.
Commercial and public buildings deal with this problem by installing escalators, elevators, or wheelchair lifts. But these expensive and space-consuming solutions aren't really an option in residential settings. The least expensive solution for the home is a residential stair lift.
Stair lifts provide a simple way to move people up and down stairs. A rail or track (usually made from aluminum or steel) is installed on one side of the stairway. A sideways-facing chair attached to this track is able to move up and down the stairs under the control of whoever is sitting in the chair.
Early models of residential chair stair lifts used a cable to pull the chair up and lower it down. Heavy-duty stair lifts often used a chain to move the chair and passenger. There have even been stair lifts designed around a screw mechanism. Today's most popular residential stair lift design uses a rack and pinion mechanism that uses gear teeth. This arrangement has greatly improved the operation of residential stair lifts by providing a ride that is much smoother and more predictable.
Residential chair stair lifts are powered by electricity, provided either by a battery or by plugging into the home's electrical supply. Lifts powered by home electricity are very reliable as long as your power supply is dependable. These lifts require very little power and will have a minimal impact on your home energy costs. Some lift models include a battery backup for those times when the electricity does go off.
There are some residential stair lifts that operate exclusively on battery power. This eliminates any trailing cord that you might see when operating a lift chair that must be plugged in. However, you can't completely eliminate plugging into the wall. Even battery power stair lifts need home electricity for recharging the battery. Batteries for the stair lift automatically recharge when the chair is stationed at the top or bottom of the stairs. There's always the possibility that frequent use will bring about times when the battery is noticeably weak. Batteries also should be replaced according to the manufacturer's instructions. But battery replacement is necessary for all stair lift batteries, regardless of their main power source.
The cost and ease of installation for your own residential stair lift will depend on the stairs in your home. A straight stairway is the easiest situation to deal with. The design of the stair lift is very simple for straight stairways. Assuming there are no measuring mistakes, installation should be easy, and can often even be accomplished by the homeowner. Curved stairways are another matter. This type of installation often requires measurement by a manufacturer's representative, followed by weeks or months of waiting while custom stair lift tracks are made. Installation of a residential stair lift on curved stairs should be left to professionals, preferably installers from the stair lift manufacturer.
Regardless of the cost to purchase and install a residential stair lift in your particular home, maintaining the ability to move freely and independently up and down stairs is priceless.
Residential chair stair lifts provide the least expensive solution for stair climbing difficulties