How long did the stairlift get used?

My late mum used hers for about 10 yrs , my MIL has just had to get one in her mid 90s but she should have got it years ago .Here is proof that I should read threads before commenting

My grandma used hers for about two years before she passed. Worth it. She could get upstairs to her bedroom and bathroom without help. Quality of life improved, not just safety.

We used Halton Stairlifts. Rental option, no long contract. If it doesn't get used much after a few months, you're not stuck with a big purchase.

My late mum used her stairlift for about 10 yrs , it was brilliant .

6 years so far. Not possible to live downstairs. Not willing to move to a more suitable property. Rented. Has broken down
numerous times with disastrous consequences:

My Dad used his for over 10 years.

We used Home Stairlifts | Affordable and Easy To Use Stairlifts who cover 'Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire and Middlesex'
for the reconditioned one we got.

They've used this company. It doesn't mention removal on their website but I'm fairly certain it is included from seeing their leaflet in her house.

https://northeaststairlifts.co.uk/rental

They do only cover the North East and North Yorkshire however.

Grandfather in law used his for 10 years. It was bought as a refurbishment and sold on again to another home afterwards.

Mum used it for 6 months, but she got too poorly and had to go to a care home then it was no longer used.

My parents got one quite early (mum is a plan ahead type person) for Dad, who was gradually becoming more frail, for the first 2-3 years he only used it when he needed to carry stuff up the stairs, but now uses it all the time (it is not possible to live downstairs in their house). It was also useful when mum fell and broke her leg a few months ago but she doesn't need it now and is physically fully fit again. They are nowhere near needing to leave their house for any other reason yet so it has been well worth getting.

As has been mentioned any notion of a buy back is all but a fib. My ExDP had to get rid of one from their parents house. Only been in months, they refused to buy back for some 'technical' reason. Even a charity who recover and refurbish them were reluctant to take it.

With hindsight we were fortunate that my DFs crappy seventies house couldn't have a stairlift fitted without major changes. This forced a move to a sheltered flat, which really was the best thing for him.

I should imagine that for every stairlift that gets plenty of use over several years there's at least one that turns out was a folly and waste of money. I think many are fitted when the inevitable is approaching hoping to avoid it and a move to a more practical home would be better.

My mother had one for around 8 years. She had good mobility but her very painful knees made stairs difficult. My brother bought it second hand and had it fitted privately for very little. DM loved the stairlift and it meant she could stay in the house she had lived in all her married life until she died at 92.

I didn't know that you could rent them. Storing up the info for DM... Is there a company that you'd recommend?

I’ve read that two years is the typical use- and many folk 9n here have recommended buying a reconditioned one as it won’t be worn out!

My DM used hers for years, and now she's gone her partner uses it for taking suitcases etc up and down stairs. He changed the battery himself and was rightfully proud of himself!
The elderly relative that currently brings me here has one and again it's been for a year or two now. Means she can still stay in her house without a lot of upheaval.

Mum's been using hers for a decade or so - it was put in immediately after she came out of hospital having been treated for breathlessness and heart problems. She uses it multiple times a day as toilet and bedroom are upstairs. In retrospect they probably would have been better downsizing years ago, but dad was reluctant to give up the garden and they've lived there for sixty years so it was too big a wrench I think.

Maybe we were unusual. Got it for my DF whose mobility was declining, and he used it for at least 5, maybe 7 years - I can’t actually remember now. After he died, my DM's mobility also sadly went gradually downhill and we'd kept it: it was an absolute godsend until the end of her life 13 years later. So we had good use out of it for over 20 years, I’d say. In fact we had it replaced once. However, there was no market for resale once it needed to be taken out.

My parents have had theirs at least 7 years. Started off for mum only, then dad started using it. He is now gone, but mum still using it.

It's not recommended to install a stairlift if there is a dementia diagnosis or cognitive decline. The reasoning is that they will either not remember how to use it or not remember to use it. It therefore becomes hazardous as they might either fall from it, or, as it reduces available width of the staircase and creates an obstruction, it hampers mobility on and around the staircase.

You can get a mini lift put in if there is space, which is generally considered to be safer. The same still applies with regard to remembering to use it/how to use it if they live alone.

My mum initially used hers to send the laundry up and downstairs. She would walk around it. Once she embraced it, it meant she could stay in her home until she died. About two years in total, cost £1500 (North East, straightforward straight flight of stairs). Sold for £250. A brilliant buy, highly recommend if dementia isn’t too bad at time of purchase.

We bought a renovated stairlift for my DM a year ago when she broke her hip.
It has been invaluable to quality of life. She can be 'normal' in her own home. The cost is tiny compared with a care home or live in carers.

It is a bit of a pain for my DF (95) though as it can get in the way of him using the stairs normally.

If you are buying a stairlift check if the company will buy it back. The companies that buy them up offered depressingly miniscule amounts for a stairlift that had sadly only been used once.

My DPs had one fitted after my mother fell down the stairs when she was 80. She was very fit for an 8 year old and - having been partially sighted all her life - had become blind 5 years earlier. Both my parents lived to great ages in their house. I only realised after my mother passed away that my father only used the stairlift for transporting the washing up and down stairs. At 94 he asked me if I thought the chair could be adjusted for him to use. His knees wouldn't go round the corner. They adjusted it and it helped him to stay in his own home for his last year. I think it definitely paid its way

My family member just had one fitted. She has a live in carer so hopefully it's helpful for a long time. Social services refused to put one in due to memory problems. It's rented at £350ish a year which includes repairs, maintenance and removal which I think is a great deal.