Lifting chair: advantages and disadvantages

As the years pass, the joints creak. In fact, it is more and more frequent that mobility is reduced. The stairs become a challenge with each look up, and the knees slam every time they are forced to bend. Fortunately, some companies have developed tools to help mobility; stair lifts, personal elevators and lift chairs are among them. If the stair lifts are reserved for people with reduced mobility, the lift chairs also allow people in wheelchairs to climb the stairs.

How does a lift chair work?

Unlike the stair lift chair, a lift chair is not attached to a guardrail or wall, via a rail. Here, the rail is fixed to the ceiling. And from this rail, down a tube that holds the chair. Thus, the staircase itself is not affected by the installation. You can see announced today.

In addition, the elements are all foldable or retractable and leave the staircase completely free. This is very interesting, especially in case of narrow stairs. There are two types of lift chairs; those for people with low or reduced mobility, and those designed for wheelchairs. In the first case, the chair is attached to the rail, and a footrest is added. In the second, safety harnesses are directly lowered from the rail and allow the wheelchair to be directly attached to the rail. In this way, the user does not even need to get off his chair to go upstairs. In both cases, remotes are provided and allow a smooth and secure movement. As for the harnesses, once folded, they take even less space than the chair.

The advantages of the lift chair

The big advantage of lift chairs over escalator chairs is their price. Much less expensive than chairs, chairs can, moreover, be fixed absolutely everywhere, since they are attached to the ceiling. In short, this suspension gives more freedom of movement and passage, for everyone.

Another advantage is no headache when choosing this model, according to staircase. A lift chair passes on all the stairs. It’s just the rail that fits. The loads can go up to 125 kg, and security is guaranteed. The devices operate on mains and battery, allowing movement even in the event of a power failure. In addition to battery operation, the European standards also provide for the locking of the chair as soon as the appliance is in operation, an emergency stop and armrests to prevent any falls.

There is however a disadvantage to these lift chairs; comfort. Indeed, if these devices are less successful than the stair lifts, it is partly due to their comfort summary. But, unless you have a few kilometers a day on this type of chair, it seems that this inconvenience is not of capital importance. As is the case for stair lifts, the price of the lift chair should not overshadow the price of the installation.

Indeed, and although it is not complicated to achieve, it may happen that some stairs are particularly difficult to adapt. What will be felt in the cost? Nevertheless, it is always simpler, especially in the case of a narrow staircase, to fix a rail to the ceiling than to fix it to unreliable turning walls or railings.


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