Stair Safety: When is it time to install a stair lift?

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If your or a loved one are experiencing certain health issues that make climbing stairs particularly dangerous, you may want to consider purchasing and installing a stair lift. Growing old isn’t the only factor to consider when deciding whether to have a stair lift installed.

If you or a family member suffers from osteoporosis, a stair lift can greatly reduce the risk of falls on stairs, which would result in broken bones to the osteoporosis patient. If someone in the home suffers from knee or hip problems, these are also reasons to consider having a stair lift installed. Even after knee or hip replacement surgery, having a stair lift will make navigating stairs easier, at least until after the patient has recovered.

If an amputee lives in the home, especially someone who has lost one or both legs and/or feet, then a stair lift is absolutely critical in order to ensure their mobility and safety. If an amputee or someone in the home is confined to a wheelchair, then a stair lift becomes a necessity in order for them to safely navigate the stairs. Even if someone in the home is confined to a wheelchair, special stair lifts are made to assist with that. For an amputee, the risk of and danger from falls is greatly reduced by having a stair lift. Since many amputees are diabetic and also suffer from other conditions such as heart disease, they may also be taking medication that would make a fall down a flight of stairs disastrous. If anyone in the home takes blood-thinning medications, having a stair lift will reduce the risk of them taking a nasty and possibly fatal tumble.

If anyone in the home suffers from a blood disorder such as hemophilia, the same reasons to have a stair lift apply here as they do for amputees and people who must take blood-thinning medications.

A stair lift can be a wonderful thing for someone who suffers from full or partial blindness. By reducing the risk of falls on stairs, the person who suffers from blindness will likely feel a sense of increased independence and freedom from having a stair lift installed.

While deciding upon whether to have a stair lift installed, as well as what type to have installed, can be daunting, more information regarding the certain types of stair lifts and reasons to have one installed.