Installing a stair lift in your house is a good way to extend the quantity of years you or a loved one with mobility impairment can live in your own home. They are great if you or a friend or family member have health restrictions that make it tough to go up and down stairs.
As a real estate agent, I was out with an elderly client last week who was looking at buying a new home. She already had bad knees, and had to take the steps slowly as we toured different properties. One of the things she was attempting to find was a new property that she could continue to live in even if she became wheelchair bound or unable to go up and down the stairs on her own.
I thought she might just want to look at one-level homes, but every home she looked at had a staircase in it. One home had a lovely Y-shaped staircase featured in the living room that split off in two directions. One home had a rickety old staircase leading to the finished basement, and one home had a plain old fashioned 2-level staircase that went to the upstairs. My client told me that this wasn't exactly what she was looking for and said she would "know it when she saw it." It had been hard for her to figure out online whether the homes she was interested in would accommodate a stair lift because most realtors don't feature the stairs in their MLS photos.
This client gave me a bit of an education about what it takes to install a stair lift. Basically, she was looking for a long, straight run of stairs from the first to the second floor. We actually found it in one of the new construction homes we looked at, so they are certainly out there. Stairlifts can be installed on other types of staircases, of course, but as with everything, complication adds expense.
If you are building or buying a home that you want to grow old in, it's a good idea to contemplate in advance how the home can be modified to suit your needs when you are older. Some things - like wide hallways that can accommodate wheelchairs - are nice features you might want to have anyway.
Other things, like grab bars in the bath tub, are easy to add on later if they become necessary.
What's not as straightforward to plan for is if you'll need wheelchair access to upstairs rooms of the house. Even if you are not in a wheelchair, going up and down the steps could be a challenge for many seniors.
You might decide that putting a stair lift in is a great way to handle the situation.
A step lift consists of a little chair you sit on which runs up and down the stairs on a track installed on an adjacent wall. Your steps must be against the wall or have a braced railing to bear the full weight of an individual sitting on seat, and the weight of the track mechanism itself. The step lift will help you bring groceries and washing up and down the steps, too. Just about anything you can carry, provided you do not surpass the safe weight limit for the chair lift, can be brought up and down on the stair lift.
Although they can be pricey to install, many seniors are so happy about the idea of having the ability to remain in their own homes as they age, they are more than willing to pay the price to have their home upgraded to accommodate their changing mobility needs.