Here's the Many Ways a Stairlift is Useful in the Home

For thousands of years, a flight of stairs has proved a simple, practical way to easily move between two floors of a home or other building. A stairlift is a reliable alternative to struggling with stairs.

For thousands of years, a flight of stairs has proved a simple, practical way to easily move between two floors of a home or other building. As youngsters, we bounded up and down stairs without a second thought, but as advancing years or reduced mobility catch up with us, stairs become more of a problem. And just as we’ve used stairs for centuries, we’ve also been looking for ways to avoid using them for almost as long. It might surprise you that England’s King Henry VIII had a rudimentary stairlift built in one of his palaces! A list of the King’s possessions, compiled around the time of his death in 1547, referred to “a chair that goeth up and down”. Eminent historian Dr. David Starkey believes it was used to transport the largely immobile king up and down a 20ft staircase in London’s Whitehall Palace, with servants hauling on a block and tackle system like those used on the king's warships.  

Luckily things have moved on! Today’s stairlifts offer a practical, affordable and electrical way to move between the different levels in your ‘palace’. Whatever causes you difficulty with the stairs, a stairlift provides a comfortable and reliable alternative to the daily struggle. It is useful in delivering a range of benefits, including: 

• Access to all of your home, all the time. You won’t need to confine yourself to living on a single level or limiting the number of times you move between floors because of the difficulty or discomfort it causes. 

• Self-reliance – being able to go up and down stairs without help or a watchful eye from anyone else. 

• Remaining in the home you love, without the upheaval and expense of moving to a bungalow or ground floor apartment because you can no longer manage the stairs. 

• Removing the worry that you’re no longer safe on the stairs or, worse still, the fear of falling. It’s not just you who’ll benefit here, but also the loved ones who care about your welfare. 

As well as taking you up and down the stairs, a stairlift can be used to carry other loads, such as a basket of laundry, toiletries for the bathroom, or even holiday luggage. There’s nothing worse than trying to struggle up or down the stairs carrying a heavy or cumbersome load, especially if you already have mobility problems and need your hands free for support.  

Most modern stairlifts are supplied with remote controls, letting you send or summon the stairlift carriage to wherever it’s needed. With one person at the top of the stairs and another at the bottom, you can use the remote control function to move some loads up and down the stairs, providing you follow some common-sense guidelines: 

• Make sure any load is secure and won’t fall off the stairlift carriage 

• Never exceed the stairlift’s maximum weight limit 

• Never use the stairlift carriage to move liquids that might spill and cause damage, such as a cup of tea or coffee for breakfast in bed 

• Never move a family pet or other animal on a stairlift. 

You’ll probably discover other uses for your stairlift too and as long as you follow the safe operating guidelines, it could prove a helpful housemate in all kinds of ways!