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Elderly parents

Stair lift?

11 replies

SmiledWithTheRisingSun · 08/04/2021 18:44

Has anyone got one for elderly relatives? Any recommendations? Things to be wary of?

OP posts:
AnnaMagnani · 08/04/2021 18:52

Rental is cheaper than buying. As long as you have standard stairs - don't need corners, can attach to the wall - go for rental.

Make sure you are going to have usage out of it. I know this is brutally honest advice but I see a lot of stairlifts going in to people whose mobility is very rapidly deteriorating and their family thinks 'stair lift' while the professionals are thinking 'bed downstairs'. It's a lot of expenditure for something that only gets used once or never.

The person does need to have enough mobility to get on it and then sit on it by themselves while it goes up and down. And then get up at the top/bottom - plus possibly do a couple of steps if you have a corner.

So you do need to be certain it is the right option for your relatives - if it is then they are marvellous.

thesandwich · 08/04/2021 19:20

Reconditioned ones are much much cheaper... I think I read the average use is 2 years.......
Maybe worth asking an ot?

user1471453601 · 08/04/2021 19:28

I've recently had one fitted, straight stairs so relatively simple. It's not attached to the wall, but to the stairs themselves. It's worth it's weight in gold to me. A bed downstairs would be no good, as bathroom is upstairs.

I've got some mobility, but my health makes walking upstairs a major issue for me. The cost difference between new and reconditioned was a couple of hundred quid, so I went for new 2k, but absolutely sort it for me.

ViolentVienetta · 08/04/2021 19:41

If it's straight stairs then reconditioned, can get one for approx £1000ish.

If it's curved it will need to be bespoke and it's a lot more expensive. I'd get at least 3 quotes.

William Merritt centre in Leeds are fantastic for phone advice on all disability equipment - it's a charity which employs OTs.

MereDintofPandiculation · 09/04/2021 08:34

Yes, definitely go for reconditioned. Even if stairs aren't straight, it's possible to have a bespoke rail and a reconditioned chair, which will still be a lot cheaper than new - this is what my father had. Fitting can be extremely quick, like less than a fortnight from commissioning.

I went for a locally based firm, who were very responsive and gave good service.

Whether it's worth doing depend on the specific case. My mother had one which she used for 10 or more years. My father used his for 3 months, but it delayed going into a nursing home for that length of time, and cost considerably less than nursing home fees.

Are your relatives suffering from general frailty or from dementia. The way of operating can be really easy - push the button in the direction you want to go - but, even so, can be difficult for a person with dementia to remember.

Finally - it's important to go up in one smooth go, not in fits and starts. There's a trigger point about 1m from the end to tell the chair to slow down. If you stop just before this then restart, the chair can fail to trigger, go full tilt into the buffers, and get itself jammed. No danger of injury, and your at the top (or bottom), so you're not stuck on the chair, but it won't work next time.

One thing to beware of - "24 hour call-out" - does this mean they will come out in the middle of the night, or does it merely mean you can call them in the middle of the night and they'll send someone in the morning?

Mosaic123 · 09/04/2021 16:26

Are the electrics good in the home? My parents had problems with elderly electrics. The stair lift had some kind of emergency battery so it would work once or twice if the electrics failed. But, ideally, they should be relatively modern.

BunnyRuddington · 09/04/2021 20:24

Reconditioned ones are much much cheaper... I think I read the average use is 2 years.......

Maybe worth asking an ot?

I've heard that as well and speaking to an OT sounds like a really good idea Smile

Hidinginstaircupboard · 10/04/2021 14:04

You can request assessment from local authority Occupational therapist (OT) - long waiting lists for that- or you can just ring the local authority OTs and advice for advice over telephone and they can send you links of local stairlift providers

Other posters are right, if this is optional (or not absolutely required atm) and /or they have over DFG (disabled facilities grant) threshold (£14k/£16k?) savings then they would have to self fund it anyway, and if it is straight stairs doesn't need to be bestoke, it'd be cheaper to see if any secondhand or reconditioned options are available

SmiledWithTheRisingSun · 11/04/2021 09:41

Thanks all.
Not sure it's the right solution for my parent in terms of degenerative illness.
But really appreciate the advice 🙏

OP posts:
HavelockVetinari · 13/04/2021 16:07

I don't suppose you're in the North West? We have one my Granny used (she has since died) that we don't want any more, you could have it for free.

FinallyHere · 13/04/2021 17:01

Indeed, most of them now have some kind of battery backup but still worth checking whether it has enough back up to complete any journey already underway, in case of power supply failing.

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