The reason you have found this site is because you are looking for more information about stair lifts. Perhaps you are getting to the point where you are finding going up and down stairs more difficult than before, or a sudden accident or disability has left you unable to traverse stairs without a great deal of effort or discomfort.
Whatever the reason, what you need now is to find out more about a subject of which you have no previous knowledge. In situations like this the wealth of suppliers who make stair lifts and the information that they have on their websites could seem overwhelming, because you don’t know how best to evaluate the stair lift options they are offering.
This is where The Stair Lift Guide can offer you assistance. In this article, we look at some of the questions that may be asked, when evaluating what type of stair chair lift is the best for your given situation.
It’s all well and good looking at the options from the point of view of where it will fit in your house, or whether you should have a straight chair lift or a curved one. It is not really enough to just know that, there are other considerations as well.
Let’s look at some of the things that need to be taken into account, that willl help you to evaluate a manufacturer or supplier.
About the Stair Lift User
Let us first consider the user for whom the stair lift is being installed. Two questions about them that need to be considers are
- Are they able to transfer to and from the seat
- How much do they weigh
- How tall are they
- Do they suffer a disability that prevents them operating small controls
These questions are important, because they will help to determine the style of stair chair lift that they will be able to operate.
About The Stairs Where The Stair Lift Will Be Installed
- Are the stairs straight all the way from bottom to top
- Do they have a landing
- Is the Landing straight or does it have a curve
- What is the width of the stairs
- Is the width constant or does it narrow/widen in places
- Do you have a handrail on the staircase
- Are there any obstructions at the top or bottom of the stairs
- Is their a power outlet near the stairs
This set of questions will help to determine the configuration of stair lift that you may need according to how your house is laid out. For instance if the stairs are straight all the way from bottom to top, then you may only need one stair lift, however if you have a landing that has an obstruction or is flat, in the middle, then you may possibly need two.
Hopefully this short post will help you to think of the questions you need to ask a supplier when you go to purchase your new stair lift and also the answers that they may need from you to be able to give you a stair lift quote that you will be able to use to compare with other stair lift suppliers.