Here’s Why a Stairlift Makes a Helpful Housemate!
As we age, our creaky limbs catch up with us, the stairs become more of an ordeal. Modern stairlifts offer an affordable and electrical method to move between the floors in your home. Also, it's a helpful housemate in all kinds of ways!
Ever since mankind moved to multi-level living, a flight of stairs has proved a practical way to move between the different floors of a home or other building. When we’re young and nimble, we dart up and down the stairs without so much as a second thought, but when advancing years and creaky limbs catch up with us, the stairs become more of an ordeal. So just as we’ve used stairs for centuries, we’ve also been looking for ways to avoid using them for almost as long.
For example, did you know that England’s King Henry VIII had an early stairlift built in one of his palaces! An inventory of the King’s belongings, compiled around the time of his death in 1547, referred to “a chair… that goeth up and down”. Leading historian Dr. David Starkey believes it was used to move the stocky sovereign up and down a 20ft staircase at Whitehall Palace, with servants hauling on a block and tackle system similar to that used by the Royal Navy.
Thankfully things have moved on! Modern stairlifts offer a practical, affordable, and electrical method to move between the floors in your ‘palace’. Whatever it is that makes your stairs trick to negotiating, a stairlift provides a comfortable and reliable alternative to the daily grind. It’s useful in delivering various benefits, including:
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Removing the worry that you’re no longer safe on the stairs or, worse still, the possibility of a fall. It’s not just you who’ll benefit from this, but the loved ones who care and worry about you too.
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Having access to all of your home, whenever you need it. No more limiting the number of times you go up and downstairs each day, or even confining yourself to living permanently a single floor.
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Enjoying continued self-reliance and independence without needing anyone else to help you on the stairs or watch over you.
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Being able to stay living in the home you love, without the upheaval and expense of moving to a bungalow or ground floor flat, or into sheltered accommodation.
As well as taking you up and down your stairs, a stairlift can be used to carry other loads, such as a basket of laundry, a box of shopping items for the bathroom, or even holiday luggage. There’s nothing worse than struggling up or down the stairs carrying a heavy or cumbersome load, especially if you need your hands free for extra support.
Most modern stairlifts are supplied with remote controls, so you can send or summon the stairlift carriage up or down its rail to where it’s needed. A side benefit is that with two people at home – one stationed at the top of the stairs and the other at the bottom – you can use the remote control to move some loads up and down the stairs. You just need to follow some common-sense guidelines. For example:
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Never exceed the stairlift’s maximum weight limit
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Make sure any load is secure and won’t fall off the stairlift carriage
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Never move a family pet or other animal on a stairlift
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Never use the stairlift carriage to move liquids that might spill and cause damage, such as a cup of tea or coffee for breakfast in bed.
You might well find other uses for your stairlift. Providing you follow safe operating guidelines, could prove a helpful housemate in all kinds of ways!