Stairlift for my wife-need help

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Retired Finally
Posts: 42
Joined: Mon Dec 05, 2011 5:39 pm

Stairlift for my wife-need help

Post by Retired Finally »

My wife recently was told that she would need assistance going upstairs so I am looking into purchasing a stairlift. My research on this forum resulted in very little info.

What would be very helpful would be input from Bogleheads who have had experience with these products. I am specifically looking for recommendations of specific brands and comments about the best way to research this product.

My sincere thanks for your help!

Retired Finally
littlebird
Posts: 1868
Joined: Sat Apr 10, 2010 6:05 pm
Location: Valley of the Sun, AZ

Re: Stairlift for my wife-need help

Post by littlebird »

I understand you don't even have to buy one, if you don't want to or you think your wife will only need it for a short time; they can be rented. At least that's what I learned from Dr. Google.
BoxOfUpticks
Posts: 98
Joined: Sun Nov 24, 2013 11:19 am

Re: Stairlift for my wife-need help

Post by BoxOfUpticks »

Similar situation, got a Bruno Elan SRE-3000 last year from a local dealer, Mobility Express. At the local dealer, we could try a mini demo (three steps high), ask questions, etc. The dealer uses the mini demo unit at home shows, which may be an option to try one and gather more info. Like you, i found the internet a bit lacking in useful info -- lots of sales pitches, (seemingly staged) testimonials, promises, but weak on details/specs.

You can buy new, buy used, or rent. The used units are basically returned rentals. For us, the price difference wasn't compelling so we went new instead of used. You can also just buy the unit and install it yourself. I've read both success and horror stories with both dealer and diy, but i wasn't brave enough for a diy, ymmv.

Basically there are three major components:
- chair
- rail
- power supply

The chair contains the seat, motor, and battery. This allows a limited number of runs during a power outage, so one isn't completely trapped.

The rail not only acts as the support for the chair, but also provides two hidden conductive rails so the battery in the chair is always charging (with some smarts to avoid ruining the battery).

The power supply looks like an older laptop power supply: ac cord, transformer block, dc cord. You'll want an outlet reasonably close to one end of the rail -- i think the overall reach is around 5-6 feet.

Ours is a simple straight run of the rail -- no turns or corners. I imagine the cost would increase with more complex installations.

Our seat swivels at one end, not both. At the bottom of the stairs, our seat doesn't swivel, but does at the top. The seat/arms/footrest fold up to be a bit out of the way, which helps. i can barely squeeze by sideways if the seat is not folded down, but can walk normally past it if it's folded up, but this stairway is a bit wider than most -- it would be a bit tighter in a standard width stairway.

Hope this helps!
There are 10 kinds of people in the world: those that understand binary, and those that don't.
kaudrey
Posts: 1143
Joined: Fri Nov 22, 2013 1:40 pm

Re: Stairlift for my wife-need help

Post by kaudrey »

If you are a veteran, look into that as well. My uncle got one free from the VA.
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DesertOasis
Posts: 133
Joined: Mon Apr 13, 2009 8:55 am
Location: Boston, Massachusetts

Re: Stairlift for my wife-need help

Post by DesertOasis »

I did some research for my mother. What I found out was that the two best companies are Stannah and Acorn. I met with reps from both companies and was more impressed with Stannah. The Acorn rep was too high pressure (i.e. if you buy now I will take off a certain percentage). Also, Stannah will rent you the equipment or if you purchase it, they will buy it back from you within a given time window.

Ultimately we decided against the stairlift for now. Our stairway is narrow and when the chair is parked it seemed like it would be a hazard for my mother to navigate around. Since she is still mobile we decided to install a second railing, so she can utilize both arms to pull herself up the stairs. This is working for her right now.
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