To many people, the stairs are used everyday and seen in a friendly light, but for those who have difficulty walking or poor balance, the stairs can be much less friendly. Many serious injuries occur on the stairs and to help prevent them, many people use stair lifts.
Stair lifts are medical lifting aids that were first developed over eighty years ago. They are designed to carry a person up or down a staircase, to reduce the risk of a fall.
Even though early models of stair lifts have existed since the 1920′s, they did not become popular until the 1990′s, when technological advances and improved manufacturing techniques resulted in stair lifts that were less expensive and more dependable.
Today, the most commonly used stair lift is the seated stair lift or stair chair. A stair chair provides a chair that the occupant can sit in. They are then moved up or down the stairs in a seated position. In many cases, the stair chair will include a seat belt, with optional chest restraints also available, which makes these lifts excellent for caregivers.
The perch lift is another type of stair lift, which provides a small platform for the occupant to stand on. They will then be carried up the stairs in a standing position. This requires a much stronger sense of balance and is not advised for most people. In some cases though, a medical condition, such as having knee replacement surgery, will make using a stair chair impossible. In these cases, a perch lift would be a better choice.
Those that use stair chairs or perch lifts are able to reduce the risk of a fall. The stair chair is the safest choice, but the perch lift also reduces the risk of a fall.
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