How safe are chair stair lifts? That’s a question that seems to be at the forefront of many buyers mind. And rightly so. The thought of moving up and down a chair rail can be frightening. Just think, until just a few years ago, chair lifts never even crossed our minds. Today, not only has it entered our minds, we are either seriously contemplating purchasing one, for ourselves or for a friend or loved one. However, with the growing population of disabled and elderly people, safety is one big concern well worth the time taken to give you peace of mind.
Now according to experts, 7.1 million persons have home accessibility features, such as raised toilets and/or seats, hand rails, ramps, widened door entrances, adapted door locks, lowered counters, slip-resistant floors and chair stair lifts in the United States. And with the large number of baby boomers, that number will escalate in years to come. This article be will focused on the safety rules for stair lifts, how to maneuver, what you should and should not do in order to ensure a positive experience in your mobile mover.
Read below as we discuss the do’s and don’ts for mobile moving:
Do:
Make sure you purchase a reliable functionally sound chair. With most disabled persons being on a fixed (or broke) income schedule, money is a great concern. However, if you’re considering purchasing a used chair lift, use the same caution as if you are buying a used automobile. Have someone that’s experienced with stair chair lifts help you evaluate the used equipment (if possible). Be sure to do a little research so that you will know what questions to ask. There is nothing better than an educated consumer.
Check for a seat belt. Standard equipment with many new chair lifts is a seat belt. Seat belts are designed for the same purpose that they are for cars. To protect you and keep you safe. While moving along in your mobile chair some patients fall from leaning or shifting their weight in their seats. So always wear your seat belt, you never know when you will have to make an emergency stop.
Don’t:
If you are thinking of purchasing a used lift…do not buy one that is older than 10 years old. According to manufacturers a chair stair lift usually last 10 years and sometimes a little longer. So if you are thinking of purchasing a used one, be certain it is a lot younger than 10 years old for best performance.
When traveling in your chair lift, try not to tilt. You don’t have to sit like a mummy, but don’t lean to far forward. Doing so, you can potentially tilt your chair which could cause serious injuries. Since there are more options when purchasing “new”, you can buy a lift that has a swivel chair, that you can adjust if you need to.
Remember if you purchase a new stair lift you can customize your chair to best suit your health needs. Don’t forget a chair stair lift should last at least 10 years or longer; wear your seat belt when traveling and remember to not be to active while en-route. Since about 10 percent of the world’s population is experiencing some type of disability, the other 90 percent of the population is looking for solutions to make life as convenient as possible… and that includes safe chair stair lifts.
