Preventing Accidents on the Stairs

It is usually very difficult for people who have arthritis, neuromuscular diseases, or other mobility problems to use the stairs. The stairs can also present a very real danger to those who are mobility challenged and falling down the stairs is the leading cause of accidental death among those over 65.

With all the dangers the stairs can present to a mobility challenged individual, it is no surprise that many people think that the only way to stay safe on the stairs is to avoid them. This stance is taken by many people, but it means not using a significant part of your home or moving to a home or assisted living facility that does not use stairs. The people that take this route though have likely not heard about stair lifts.

Stair lifts can be found in homes across the country and throughout the entire world. They are a mobility lifting aid that carries a person up and down the stairs in a safe manner. The person is carried up and down the stairs using a seat or small platform that travels along a metal track. The metal track is most often affixed directly to the stairs, but some models attach to the wall.

A stair lift is controlled by a remote control that is attached to the chair or small platform. The remote control has a dead mans switch, which might sound scary, but it just means that to keep the lift moving you must keep constant pressure on the remote control button. In addition to the attached remote control, most stair lifts come with 2 wireless remotes with can be Velcro-ed at the top and bottom of the stairs. These wireless remotes also have a dead mans switch and allow you to bring the unit to the top or bottom of the stairs even if the car is not present, using the same principal as calling an elevator.

If you can not use the stairs, then a stair lift is one type of mobility aid that can greatly help to improve your safety on the stairs.