There are many types of stair lift and choosing the right type can be a difficult task. Or one thing, admitting that there is a need for a stair lift is often difficult to accept. Also the range of stair lifts is enormous. However, a professionally fitted stair lift, from a trusted manufacturer, can improve the quality of an elderly person’s life no end. And the grandchildren will have fun!

There are many different names for stair lifts. They are sometimes called chair lifts, stair chairs or stair glides. There are three main types of lift that are suitable for use in an elderly person’s home. These are:

Curved Stair Lifts – for stairs with a bend or angle
Straight Stair Lifts – for a normal flight of stairs
Outdoor Stair lifts – for steps leading up to a front or back door

Most stair lifts are run on by battery power. This means that they do not have to have any cords of wires that could be a health and safety hazard. After use, the battery is re-charged so that the stair lift is always ready for use. Of course the obvious advantage of using DC power in a chair lift is that it will always work, even in the case of a blown house fuse or a full power cut.

The cost of running a stair lift is minimal as they use very little electricity. The amount used is probably comparable to that of boiling a kettle.

The factors to consider when choosing a stair lift are:

1. Type of stair lift
2. Manufacturer
3. After sales support

The main manufacturers of chair lifts are:

Acorn
Ameriglide
Bruno
Stannah
Summit
Companion Stair Lifts
Minivator Stairlifts
Bison Stairlifts
Meditek Stairlifts and
Freelift Stair lifts