If you are thinking about installing a stairlift in your home, no matter if it’s for you or your loved one, you want to be sure you get it right the first time.
There are quite a few factors to consider when choosing a stairlift, so buying one shouldn’t be done hastily. It all depends on the user’s physical condition, your budget and several other things.
To help you make the right choice, we have a few tips that can help you out in the decision process. This is what you need to keep in mind.
Type of stairs
The first thing to look at is the type of staircase you have in your home.
You have your straight staircases, spiral staircases, staircases that have a landing in the middle or turn abruptly at their end, even outside and inside staircases.
Naturally, their length also has a role to play.
Because of all this, a good idea is to call a company that sells staircases and ask them for advice. Some will even send you an expert to your home to take a look and advise you. Love Stairlifts is an excellent example of a reliable source of information on anything stairlift-related.
How long will you be using them?
If the medical condition that prevents you from using the stairs is of temporary nature, you don’t have to buy a stairlift right away.
There are stairlifts that can be rented out and then simply returned when you don’t need them anymore.
If you won’t be needing your stairlift in a few weeks, this is a great way to keep a nice amount in your pocket.
Will wheelchairs need to fit there?
If the stairlift user is in a wheelchair, that is also something that has to be considered. Your solution in this case is to install a platform (if the staircase is big enough) or maybe a lift to help you maintain mobility.
But even if nobody is in a wheelchair now, this is something you should consider. Ask yourself how likely it is that you or your loved one will be needing it in the foreseeable future. It pays to prepare for that eventuality.
Who will be using them?
Is the future user quite tall? Are they heavy?
While stairlifts are great things to have in the house, they have some physical limitation, primarily in terms of the weight they can carry.
You should also make sure that the person sitting on them is always comfortable and that they can get on or off the stairlift effortlessly.
