2009 November | Electric Stair Lift

Acorn Stair Lifts

An electric stair lift is a mobility device that assists elderly and disabled people to travel up and down the stairs in their homes. There are many companies that manufacture stairlifts and one of the world leaders is Acorn stair lifts. Acorn makes a number of different stair lift models that each cater to an individual’s specific needs and requirements.

Been worried about elderly or disabled family members or friends can be very distressing. By having a stair lift installed into their home is a great way for them to maintain their freedom and independence. It is important to put yourself into their shoes for a day. If you were not able to get upstairs easily to use the bathroom, or if you had to struggle morning and night to get to and from bed, you would have to totally rely upon someone else. That is not a nice situation to be in, day after day.

Functionality and safety are two of the best characteristics of an Acorn stair lift. Acorn spend a huge amount of time and money to develop the best stair lifts that are available on the market today. They have pioneered cutting edge technology in the stair lift market place. This includes DC power supply which will ensure you stair lift will continue to work, even in a power cut.

Acorn manufacture three different types of stair lifts. These are:

* Curved stair lifts. These are custom built to fit stair cases that have curves or bends. It is not advisable to purchase second hand curved stair lifts as the custom made track will have to be cut and rewelded to fit the new stair case. This will weaken the track structure and may make it unsafe.

* Straight stair lifts. These are the most common Acorn stair lifts as most houses have a straight set of stairs. They are very easy to install and can often be moved to another house at a later stage.

* Outdoor stair lifts. These types of stair lifts are specially designed to withstand the natural elements outside. They are made from heavier duty materials to ensure they do not rust or corrode. It is not only water, wind and rain that can damage a stair lift. The baking sun can also damage the seating, but the Acorn outdoor stair lift has been specially made to withstand everything that nature can throw at it.

Acorn stair lifts employs over one thousand people worldwide, with distribution centres and offices in the UK, Canada, Germany and Australia. As well as an extensive presence in North and South America, Europe and Australia, Acorn also has dealer partnerships worldwide.

Buying A Home Stair Lift

Buying an electric stair lift can greatly increase your quality of life by returning your freedom and independence. Stair lifts can be modified to suit your individual needs, so it doesn’t matter what your particular requirements are, there will be one to suit you. The representative from the stairlift company who visits your home can advise on what type of design would be best suited for your home.

Primarily there are two main types of stair lift.

Straight stair lifts are designed for staircases that do not have any bends. They operate in a straight line, travelling up and down the stairs. If your staircase has corners or curves, a curved stair lift will be required to negotiate the bends.

Your individual mobility needs will be taken into account by the stair lift company representative. Seated stair lifts are more common in design as it is safer to sit down when using a stair chair lift than to be standing. If you have problems bending your knees or moving from a standing to sitting position, you can get a stand on stair lift intalled. However, these usually can only be installed onto a straight staircase and often have a lower maximum weight limit.

Some public buildings have specialised wheelchair stair lifts that are fitted with platforms for the wheelchair to ride onto, but these require a lot of space and are usually too wide to be fitted in a normal residential home.

When using a stairlift, it is vital that you are comfortable and feel safe. Adaptations can be fitted to your stair chair to make your life a little easier.

Special stair lift features can include:

1. A joystick control rather than button conrols. This is very helpful if you suffer from arthritis in your fingers.

2. A seat belt. If you suffer from dizzy spells or involuntary convulsions, a seat belt will help to hold you firmly in the stair lift whilst travelling up or down the stairs. This will help to avoid any injury that may occur if you fell out of the chair.

Before choosing a stair lift, it is beneficial to get expert advice from a reputable stair lift company. You need to look for a company who provides excellent customer service and whose products meet the stringent government safety standards. Look for a company that provides exceptional after sales care. It is no good getting a cheap stair lift only to have it break down and not be able to get anyone to fix it.

Try and get an extended warranty on the stairlift as this will give you peace of mind as you know the company will repair the stairlift if it does happen to malfunction.

I recommend you try the FREE stair lift finding service at http://stair–lifts.com
to help you find reputable stair lift companies in your area. This is a totally, 100% free service.

Stair Lift Gift Gave War Hero Back His Dignity

War Hero Gets Back His Dignity Following Stair Lift Gift

As war veteran Ken Ladbrook’s health began to deteriorate due to old age, he knew he would have to modify his home in Rose Hill.

What he hadn’t expected was the generous gift of a stair lift costing more than £2,000 from the Royal British Legion.

Former Royal Engineer Mr Ladbrook died at the age of 89 last year.

Last night Mr Ladbrooks son Peter, said: “I want to tell people about this now so they can really see why buying a poppy is so important.”

“The stair lift proved extremely helpful.”

“My father called it his chariot and he always appreciated the financial assistance very much indeed.”

Craig Treeby, manager at the Oxfordshire Royal British Legion said they were currently working with three hundred applications for assistance.

He said: “When somebody gives us feedback and shows their appreciation it really does mean so much to us.”

“We are delighted when anybody spreads the word about what we do.”

“If there are people who are eligible for our help but don’t know about us, then we are failing in our job.”

Both service and ex-service personnel are eligible to receive help.

For further information call 01844 216961 or
email ysmith@britishlegion.org.uk

The Outdoor Stair Lift

An outdoor stair lift is designed to be installed on a set of stairs that are exposed to the elements, including porches, sun decks, garden steps, garage or basements steps and front stoops. If you are lucky enough to live in a beach house or your home is close to the sea and suffers from a lot of salt spray, ensure the outdoor stair lift is suitably protected from this super corrosive weather before you buy it.

An outdoor stair lift has all of the same safety features and advanced specifications as an indoor stair lift. The only difference is that it has been made to withstand natures elements no matter how extreme they are. This provides an extended life of the chair due to the more durable products that have been used in its manufacture.

On a high quality outdoor stair lift, the metal components should be made from either aluminium, or should be zinc plated or oil annealed before they are powder coated. In order to protect the stair lift from ambient heat damage and colour fading, plastic components need to be UV and heat resistant. Before buying an outdoor stair lift, make sure it comes with a durable plastic cover that will help to protect it from rain, snow and the sun during periods when it is not in use.

Safety Is Paramount With An Electric Stair Lift

Safety Is Paramount With An Electric Stair Lift

Getting a bargain on a second hand stair lift can be beneficial to the budget in the short term, but what problems are you buying.

Is the electric stair lift going to break down half way up the stairs at 9 o’clock at night?

Will the stair lift refuse to come when called on the remote leaving you stranded up stairs?

These things may not happen, buy there are definite benefits to buying a new electric stair lift that is covered under warranty that you know if, in the rear case it does break down, it will be repaired quickly and as a priority.

Make Sure You Buy Your Electric Stair Lift From A Known Manufacturer

There are many reputable electric stair lift suppliers but you need to ensure you research them fully. Getting a good price for your initial purchase is important but you also need to considered the quality of the product and the after sales care.

Ask the supplier questions like:

A) Can the supplier offer telephone support?
B) If the stair lift breaks down how long before and engineer can attend?
C) How long is the warranty?
D) Can you purchase an extended warranty on the stair lift?

Common features that come as standard with a new electric stair lift

Common features that come as standard with a new electric stair lift:

A) Soft start and stop technology
B) Wireless remote controls – this is handy if there are more than one users in the household. If one person has used the stair lift to go upstairs, the other user can call the stair lift back to the bottom to use next.
C) Gear rack and safety brakes.
D) Foldable rails to eliminate trip hazards – this is a great space saving feature as there is usually not much room on the stairs.
E) Padded armrests
F) Seat belts – an essential safety feature to ensure you do not fall out of the stair lift.
G) Concealed power cable (if A/C powered)
H) The ability to lock the swivel seat at 45 and 90 degrees

Electric Stair Lift

Electric Stair Lift Information

Acorn Stair Lifts

Acorn Stair Lifts

Buying A Home Stair Lift

Buying A Home Stair Lift

Primarily there are two main types of stair lift.

Special stair lift features can include:

Stair Lift Gift Gave War Hero Back His Dignity

War Hero Gets Back His Dignity Following Stair Lift Gift

The Outdoor Stair Lift

The Outdoor Stair Lift

Safety Is Paramount With An Electric Stair Lift

Make Sure You Buy Your Electric Stair Lift From A Known Manufacturer

Common features that come as standard with a new electric stair lift

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