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 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.

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

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.

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.

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?

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

A stair lift price can vary greatly between different manufacturers, models and types.  Before you convince yourself that you cannot afford a stair lift, I suggest you get a free stair lift quote from a trusted stair lift supplier.  You may be pleasantly surprised.

Like with all products that are for sale, some are expensive because they are a recognised and popular brand name and some are cheap because they are poorly made.  When looking at the cost of a stair lift there are three main things you need to investigate.

1) The quality of the stair lift.

You normally have to pay for quality, but like all good things, it will last.  A stair lift is not a disposable item and you do not want it wearing out after a year or two and being faced with the cost of having to replace it.

2) The reputation of the stair lift manufacturer.

A good reputation takes a life time to build and only a moment to lose.  Those stair lift manufacturers with a good reputation look after their customers and provide a quality product at a fair price.

3) The after sales service that is provided by the supplier or manufacturer.

You want to ensure the supplier will still be around to look after your needs after taking your money for supplying and installing the stair lift.  How long is the warranty period that the will give?  Can you buy an extended warranty for peace of mind?  Can you ring them to quickly get answers to your questions when you need them?

These are all questions that you should be asking before buying a stair lift.

The benefits of having a D/C powered electric stair lift is that even during a power cut the stair lift will still operate.  In todays modern world it is rather uncommon to have a loss of electricity to your home.

However if there is an emergency situation like a fire or a bad storm you may lose your power supply.  The last place you want to be up stairs is in your house with no power and having to get out in an emergency.

Purchasing a curved stair lift is a rather large investment for your home or office, and installing one will also be an expensive venture. However, despite the cost, a curved stair lift can greatly assist elderly or physically disabled people to move up and down the stairs – easily and comfortably. If your stairs are curved or has an intermediate landing, then you will need a curved stair lift and not a straight stair lift.

Full Of Advanced Features

Manufacturers of curved stair lifts have carefully studied the requirements of the user, primarily been the elderly and disabled, and have made modifications and technological advancements to the stair chairs. Safety of the user is one of the most important features that stair lift manufacturers focus on.

To make sure the user has a smooth and safe ride, most curved stair chair lifts come with modern safety features such as seat belts, arm rest controls, automatic obstruction sensors, swivel seats, optional wraparound arms and key locks, cut-out switches,  battery powered D/C technology and more.

The maximum loading capacity of most curved stair lifts is approximately to 350 lbs. It is important not to overload these machines.  If you do you may break or damage the drive motor or have an accident part way up the stairs.

Why Do Curved Stair Lifts Cost More?

A curved stair lift must be custom made to fit your stair case.  Most stair cases are unique to the house or office that they are situated in.  As such they will all bend at slightly different angles and at different places.  As the curved stair lift rail will need to be custom made and fitted, the price paid for the manufacturing and fitting process will be higher than a mass produced item.