Is a Stairlift Right for Me?

Humans are mobile creatures. Our bodies are well-tooled machines, capable of jumping, running, side to side movements, twists, turns, lifting, pushing, and pulling. Anything physical we ask our bodies to do, it complies, taking us to mountain tops and ocean depths.

For most of human history, we were a mobile species. Hunter-gatherers who, if we wanted to survive, had to follow the food sources: animals. It’s only been relatively recent in time that we’ve settled down. A basic need is shelter, and our shelters have grown with time from one level to multi-levels to skyscrapers. With these innovations, humans needed ways to climb up and down. And anytime humans need anything, we invent it. Hence, the stair lift was born.

The pros and cons of stairlifts

THE PROS OF STAIR LIFTS

Otherwise known as lift chairs, home elevators, or chair lifts, stair lifts have preserved their original function: to improve the mobility of humans. Below are further benefits of stair lift chairs:

  • Longevity. A stair lift allows the users to stay in their homes and maintain their independence longer. The entire home remains accessible and useable, allowing memories to continue to be made.
  • Safety. This is a big one. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, over 3 million those with limited mobility people are treated in the hospital each year for falls. One out of five of these cause a serious injury. Stairs are a major culprit in these falls.
  • Transportation. Because you are sitting down on the stair lift chair, you are able to move objects you can hold up and down the stairs safely and securely such as laundry or your lap cat.

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  • Flexibility. Stair lifts can accommodate any staircase. Sansbury Medical Stair lifts in Staten Island, NY, has stair lifts specifically designed for straight stairwells, curved stairwells, or our vertical lifts, which bypass stairwells altogether. Stair lifts can be used both indoors or outdoors, making outdoor areas such as porches and garages easily accessible.

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THE CONS OF STAIR LIFTS

  • Cost. Stair lifts for seniors can be expensive especially up front. Most lift chairs are in the thousands of dollars.
  • Space. A lot of older homes have very narrow stairwells, requiring the removal of the handrail. This can create a danger to others in the home who don’t use the lift chair.
  • Dependence. Do you truly need help up and down the stairs? Exercise is especially important as you age in order to keep your bones healthy and to prevent obesity.

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THE BENEFITS OF SANSBURY MEDICAL STAIR LIFTS

Sansbury Medical Stair lifts in Staten Island, NY, a chair lift company that has been in business for over a quarter of a century, exists for you. We didn’t go into the stair lift business for the money. Our mission is to bring you the best quality of life possible and those with mobility issues deserve the best life possible. Sansbury Medical Stair lift offers curved stair lifts, straight chairlifts, and vertical stair lifts in order to meet your individual needs.

 

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With Sansbury Medical Stair lifts, there are no cons with our home elevators.

  • There are options when it comes to the cost of a lift chair for seniors. Some insurances do cover a portion of your chair lift cost. Government grants, church groups, fraternal organizations, service groups, nonprofits for senior living, and other organizations may help you pay for a chair lift. In the long run, the cost of a lift chair for the those with limited mobility is minimal when you think of assisted living, nursing homes, or even selling your home and buying a new one.
  • Sansbury Medical Stair lifts offers stair lifts we’ve specifically designed for narrow stairwells. Choose from our FreeCurve and 2000 models. In addition, we offer space-saving options with our chair lifts. We offer a hinged track so that the track can be conveniently folded away, leaving no obstructions for doors. A slide track is slightly shorter than your stairwell and follows you up the stairs as the lift chair moves. One more space-saving option for our stair lifts is a folding seat and footplate, leaving the staircase clear.
  • Are you using the stair lift as a crutch? This is a question only you can answer. 

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THE HISTORY OF STAIR LIFTS

Henry VIII, the English king known more for the number of wives he killed than anything else, was probably the first to use a stair lift. A royal record from the 1500s lists, “a chair that goeth up and down.” It is believed this lift chair was used to move the monarch up and down a staircase in Whitehall Palace in London. The lift chair would have had to have had a block and tackle system used to physically pull the monarch up and down.

Henry VIII was a large man and later in life became morbidly obese. However, his obesity wasn’t the cause of his lack of mobility. He had a severe injury to one of his legs that because of the medical care of the day, never healed properly. This injury left him practically immobile, and thus in need of a lift chair.

 

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THE MODERN STAIR LIFT

Let’s jump ahead in history to the late 1920s where a man named C.C. Crispen invented the first “inclinator,” which helped a friend up and down his staircase. He founded the Inclinator Company of America in the 1930s, which continued to manufacture and produce lift chairs which at the time were mostly utilized by polio victims.

Stair lifts have continued to evolve. First, most lift chairs for the those with limited mobility were straight. Now, curved stair lifts accommodate a non-linear path and vertical lifts can even bypass whole stairwells. Just imagine what the future will bring!

 

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WHAT SANSBURY MEDICAL STAIR LIFTS OFFERS

One word: freedom. Freedom to live on your terms. Freedom to go where you want to go when you want to go. Freedom to re-claim your home and space. Freedom to stay in your home where you’ve probably spent a significant part of your life and want to keep the memories flowing for as long as possible.

Your home is where your heart is. It holds everything precious to you: photos, pets, palpable memories, precious objects, and people. Stair lifts afford you the opportunity to live life on your own terms and in your own way. Sansbury Medical Stairlifts in Staten Island, New York, is ready to help you maintain your lifestyle and live your heart’s desire. Contact us today for all of your stair lift options and stair lift questions!