Stair Lifts

[JennyWreny]

My DM really needs a stair lift. Does anyone have any recommendations or suggestions on what to look out for? A local mobility centre I visited didn’t have any information they could give me as they arrange for someone to visit to give a quote. Presumably because they can vary so much due to the layout of the stairs.

Hopefully it shouldn’t be too complicated because it’s a straight staircase, although there is a doorway at the bottom so not much room there.

Are there any particular makes to be aware of or to avoid?

I would get a few quotes and then make your decision .
Your local adult social care Occupational Therapy dept may give you some advice.

You can get hinged tracks to avoid blocking the doorway at the bottom but they are not ideal . A range of quotes will be your best bet to weigh up the options.

There was a poster on this board recently saying that often when people think it’s time for a stairlift then really it’s time to move home. They went on to list various reasons why - I can’t remember them all - basically a stairlift comes with issues and often doesn’t work well for older people.

My parents had one that actually went through the ceiling rather than up the stairs. It was invisible when you were in the dining room and the lift was up in my father's room, and vice versa. All you saw was a neat rectangular outline in the ceiling. He could get into it with a wheelchair or sit on the seat and it was far more versatile than a chair lift. Also useful for lifting heavy objects upstairs as they grew frailer.

Sorry, better description is 'through floor lift'.

Thanks so much everyone. Lots to think about. I’ll contact some companies and ask them to give us some quotes. The through floor one sounds good so I’ll take a look at that.

Fitforforty I think it would have been good to have got them moved a while ago. Unfortunately, for various reasons it’s not possible now

Get a reconditioned stairlift. New ones usually aren't used for long.

Stairlifts come in two bits, the rail, and the chair. Cheapest is if you have straight stairs. But even if you have stairs with a bend, you can get a tailor made rail and a reconditioned chair, which is going to be cheaper than all new.

Elderly people can find even the simple buttons difficult, so go for the simplest controls possible - if the exit at the top of the stairs is to the side rather than straight ahead, you can get seats that automatically swivel, rather than one where the elder has to member to manually swivel the chair.

A "24-hour call out" may mean "you can call us 24-hours a day" not "we will send someone out at midnight".

I googled "through floor lifts" the other day - they were more expensive than I thought. Might be cheaper to make a wet-room downstairs and abandon the upstairs.

They are worth zero when they are not required anymore. We had to pay someone to take it out and away. If the person has dementia you need to be sure they can safely use the stairlift. My parents had one for a couple of years but they should have moved years before that.

Their house needed rewiring and power failed a couple of times. Luckily the stairlift has a r chargeable battery which works for a couple of journeys.

Ask for an assessment from their local social services OT. They'll assess the need, make recommendations and depending on your parents financial situation could apply for a grant to fund it.

Get a reconditioned stairlift. New ones usually aren't used for long.

I knew someone who had one installed on the Monday and was dead on the Thursday.

Flipside is I know someone who outlived her own stairlift - it was in use for about 15 years, became obsolete, and had to be replaced with another which had 3-4 more years use.

But, on average, you're right.

Hi @JennyWreny I saved a lot of money going for a reconditioned stairlift from a local company for my Mum. I don't know where you're based but if you live in Yorkshire or near, Leodis Stairlifts were fantastic. We didn't feel pressured in the slightest and they were so helpful, I hadn't a clue about stairlifts but they explained everything to us and then left us be to make up our minds. And when we gave the go ahead they fitted it two days later! My Mum is over the moon now she can get upstairs easily.

Same area as Lazza, different company, same experience. I’d suggest going for a local independent rather then the big names

My dad used his for three months. It was worth the try - the cost of the stairlift was not much more than two weeks nursing home.

My parents had a Stannah stair lift, Dad had COPD, it was owned and maintained by NHS (Scotland), for around 14 years. When dad died, although mum probably wasn't entitled to it at that time on her own merits, they left it in for her and continued to maintain it and she needed it eventually. When mum died we called them and they came and removed the lift and the engineer said it was in great condition and it/parts of it would be reused for either new installs or repairs. The stairlift allowed both of them to stay living safely in the family home.

Their front door was just a few inches from the bottom of the stairs. The track dipped straight to the floor after the last step, when the chair was down it blocked the door, but after they had used it they just flipped the chair seat/arms/footrest up and put it back up the track a foot or so to clear the doorway. There was a wireless remote control attached to the banister (basic up and down arrow) at the top and bottom of the stairs to allow them to move the chair as needed.

@MereDintofPandiculation

My dad used his for three months. It was worth the try - the cost of the stairlift was not much more than two weeks nursing home.

I do find that when you start talking relative to nursing home fees, almost any adaptation can be justified - if you think the £2k stairlift will keep your LO out of a £1k PW care home for a fortnight then it's a cost neutral decision. Keeps him out for 3 weeks? You're in profit.

Thanks for all this information! I really appreciate it. We now have a couple of quotes (one local and one National company) for both new and reconditioned lifts. I just wondered if anyone has any experience of either Acorn or Brooks lifts.

Thanks also for the reality check re the cost of adaptations v care homes. It’s a great point.

Just want to reiterate about the controls. If there's any sign of confusion or memory loss, I'd think carefully. There was a poster in here recently who'd had one installed fir her DM. Unfortunately the DM couldn't always remember how to operate it and was often stranded.

Thanks, that’s a good point. Mum will be fine with the controls. Dad has Alzheimer’s disease and it won’t be safe for him to use so I’ve checked with both options that we have had quotes for that they can be locked so he won’t be able to use it if mum keeps the key in her pocket. Luckily dad is physically fitter and can use the stairs easily.

Sounds like they are both struggling. Have they both had a Care Needs Assessment?

Yes, they are starting to need a bit more help. Either me or my sister visit every day for a few hours but it's the morning routine that is a real struggle with Dad. They have both had assessments in the last month or so. We have got carers lined up (hopefully) to start next week and we are also looking at day centres and maybe having a carer to just sit and chat/do puzzles with Dad a couple of hours a week so mum has a break.

That all sounds positive. Have they got other help like a milkman, cleaner and gardener? All things that can help. There are a couple of lunch clubs beginning to reopen near to me as well, might be worth seeing if there are any of those running on the days your DF isn't at his Daycentre. Ours will provide transport if it's needed.

My parents have had an Acorn stairlift for several years. It has mostly been OK but has broken down a few times in that period, and the 24-hour call-out definitely does not mean someone will be there to fix it any time of day/night/weekend. You can be waiting a couple of days.

Problems short of total breakdown seem to be low priority: at the moment my mother has been waiting for three weeks for an engineer to come and check out some alarming noises it is making, and she is terrified that it will break down completely before they get there.

@Fitforforty

There was a poster on this board recently saying that often when people think it’s time for a stairlift then really it’s time to move home. They went on to list various reasons why - I can’t remember them all - basically a stairlift comes with issues and often doesn’t work well for older people.

I absolutely disagree with this . My mother put off having a stairlift for years and struggled with the stairs which obviously impacted on the rest of her life . She finally agreed to one and was very happy with it for about 8 years and was able to move about the house despite needing a wheelchair for outside if she needed to go more than a few steps . We had Stannah in to quote but eventually went with Dolphin as they had much more choice for the type of lift we needed as they do lifts from different companies .