# Anyone out there have experience with stairlifts? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 2, 2017, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-out-there-have-experience-with-stairlifts/776151 "2017-01-02T17:34:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-out-there-have-experience-with-stairlifts/776151/21 "2017-01-03T04:39:20Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > We live in a small, remote area. Unfortunately there’s only a few dealers in the area, and no independent installers that I can find. I lived in a pretty rural area when I was a kid; know the issues. I would still consider calling around some general contractors or local fix-it types and pick their brains if I could. Don’t know if the whole Grange Hall thing is still a going concern but that was a place I remember my Dad asking around sometimes. Different times and different technologies but I am still surprised when I recall the depth of knowledge around that place. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-out-there-have-experience-with-stairlifts/776151/22 "2017-01-03T06:05:18Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > No shit. I wasn’t suggesting that she should do what I did. Mentioning it was just a way to show how much I despised that thing. > [@Ambivalid](#): > > I tried to edit in a 🙂 but got timed out. No worries - if I recall, from your very first post here you made it very clear how much you value your ability to get around without help. I think, however, many people are simply not aware of how much of a role upper body strength can play in regards to physical independence, nor are they aware of just how much of a problem getting into and out of a chair can be for some people. Certainly, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. > [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > I’ll second the bolded part. Would a home helper work instead (especially if we’re talking a matter of weeks)? There are a large number of agencies now that could help you find someone trained in elder care. We used this method when my grandmother was failing but refused to leave her home to go into the nursing home. It allowed her to stay at home until just before she died. It sounds like it could take some of the burden off of your dad as well. There are issues sometimes with introducing new people into a household of elderly folk. Frail little old ladies, in particular, can have fears of new people, especially big burly sorts which are not totally irrational considering they new helpers start off as complete strangers and the frail little old ladies can feel very much physically defenseless. I’m not saying it’s impossible to introduce home help, just that it might be a good idea to be aware of potential problems in doing so. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-out-there-have-experience-with-stairlifts/776151/23 "2017-01-03T07:06:38Z")
I grew up in a row house in the Philly suburbs. My mother still lives in it with my brother. The bedrooms are on the second floor. It has a relatively narrow, steep, but straight, staircase. In recent years her mobility has become limited. We looked into stairlifts and were able to get a brand new one installed. If memory serves me I think it cost around 2 or 3 thousand. It has been a godsend. It enables her to sleep in a nice bed at night and bathe in the upstairs bathroom. The alternative would have been sponge baths in a powder room and turning the dining room into a bedroom with no privacy. It’s worked perfectly for a number of years without maintenance and holds a number of trips worth of charge even during a power outage. The only drawback is other people having to squeeze past it to use the stairs. This actually becomes a safety hazard when it’s parked at the top. If I’m there, she’s upstairs, and I need to go up I’ll sometimes just bring it down (it has 2 remotes) and ride it back up myself. That said, your situation, with only 4 or 5 steps, is different from her dozen or so. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-out-there-have-experience-with-stairlifts/776151/24 "2017-01-03T08:14:21Z")
Stair lifts have been around for many decades. My church installed one in the 1970’s. 14 steep steps. There’s a local company that keeps it serviced. There’s maybe 8 to 10 people that use it every Sunday. There are companies that specializes in mobility equipment for homes and vehicles. We have one in Little Rock that I know has clients 50 miles away. I’m not sure just how far they’ll drive to install equipment. A friend of mine got a porch lift installed. The rest of her house is accessible. ---
**Author:** ![48Willys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/db5fbb/32.png) [@48Willys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/48Willys)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-out-there-have-experience-with-stairlifts/776151/25 "2017-01-03T09:11:05Z")
My great Aunt had one installed when she fell & was not able to get up. Her hubby found her when he got home from plowing. Twenty years later, they still love it. Theirs is an old stately home with two, Yes, 2 grand staircases. There is plenty of room to go around it, so no safety issues there. My son builds & installs elevators, dumbwaiters, & stair lifts.His company is happy to come out & give you quotes, but they also will let you know if they think that the machine is not going to work for you. They also have an elevator & a stair lift installed in their office. While your mom may not get into the office to try one out, you can. The ride on one will give you a better idea as to whether one of these will work for your mom. With weeks to use one, I am not sure that it would be worth the hassle. Like others have said, it should take less then one day to install. IHTH, 48. PS. He will go over 400 miles to install one. Your location is a bit far though. If you want me to, I can ask if he will go out there, he might. We are in Western Colorado. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-out-there-have-experience-with-stairlifts/776151/26 "2017-01-03T16:32:12Z")
If it’s a straight staircase like in the example you link, and your Dad is also not at his best physically, you could look into the kind of lift you can wheel a wheelchair into and then wheel it straight out at the top. I think they’re usually called platform lifts and they often require the user to be able to keep a button pressed, which is not enclosed, so usually on a private lift someone else can stretch across and press the button if need be. It doesn’t sound like anything else would be worthwhile, TBH - the installation time and noise has to be considered too. If your parents’ house design is typical of the area they live in that would increase the secondhand value of any lift you have installed. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-out-there-have-experience-with-stairlifts/776151/27 "2017-01-03T16:52:08Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > There are issues sometimes with introducing new people into a household of elderly folk. Frail little old ladies, in particular, can have fears of new people, especially big burly sorts which are not totally irrational considering they new helpers start off as complete strangers and the frail little old ladies can feel very much physically defenseless. I’m not saying it’s impossible to introduce home help, just that it might be a good idea to be aware of potential problems in doing so. Well, in my grandmother’s case, we had a team of very sweet, “non-burly”, women. They worked in shifts, so someone was always there around the clock. One needn’t be a linebacker to ably assist the elderly. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-out-there-have-experience-with-stairlifts/776151/28 "2017-01-03T17:30:18Z")
True. And hiring a team of women vs. one or just a smaller team of men is one viable solution. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-out-there-have-experience-with-stairlifts/776151/29 "2017-01-03T20:49:17Z")
Back in the 70’s my sister worked as a companion for an old lady in her summer house outside of Traverse City. She had one in her house, and it was easy to use and reliable. It does seem like a ramp might be possible for only 4-5 steps. StG ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2017, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-out-there-have-experience-with-stairlifts/776151/30 "2017-01-04T23:20:22Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > I’ve known several people to own and use them and we installed one in our church. The key seems to be the stairway/physical arrangement of the house. Really narrow steps without a clear entrance or exit can be an issue but for anything say normal to a little wide is pretty darn good. I know - the companies say that they have models for almost every situation; yeah – and one size clothing fits most people. If you can, get an independent installer or someone with experience with the darn things look at your house first. This would be an issue in our house. My mother-in-law has said that if FIL dies before she does, she’s moving in with us - we live in a more temperate area than either of the other adult kids, and we get along well so it’s fine with us. HOWEVER, we’re in a Colonial-type house, which means the bedrooms are all upstairs, and if we tried to make over the living / dining rooms for her there’s no full bath on this level. Ideally she’d have the basement - more room, more privacy, its own full bath… but the stairway is narrow, has a 90 degree bend, and has a doorway at the top… I just don’t see how a stair lift would work there. For the OP’s situation: If it’s only 4-5 steps, is there a way it could be converted into a ramp? I don’t know if that would be any easier, really, because I don’t know your mother’s limitations. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2017, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-out-there-have-experience-with-stairlifts/776151/31 "2017-01-04T23:27:54Z")
Another thought, reading more of the thread: Is there space on the bedroom level to turn it into living space (I mean daytime - e.g. couch, TV, a small fridge, a table, a microwave)? This would reduce the amount of times she’d even NEED to go up / down the stairs. My parents turned one of the empty-nest bedrooms into dad’s TV room, where he hung out all the time - it was sort of his above-ground man-cave. It would mean she wouldn’t be able to putter in the kitchen, and that would be a bit of a blow - plus someone else would need to be able to run up / down the stairs for meal prep and the like. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-out-there-have-experience-with-stairlifts/776151.md?page=1)