Types of Stairlift
How do you know which one suits you and your home?
It’s a question everyone asks when they’re looking to buy a stairlift. It’s not an everyday purchase and you might not even know anyone who owns one.
You know the stairs have become a struggle, and you’ve weighed the pros and cons of moving house, single-storey living and moving to a care home. You’ve seen that a stairlift is the cheapest, most hassle-free option.
But how do you choose one?
Firstly, you need to know the type of rail you’ll need for your stairs. Then, you’ll choose the type of chair to suit your needs.
There are many different types of stairlifts. Each one has been developed with a specific purpose, to make life more comfortable in a different way.
At Stannah we have been making stairlifts for over 40 years, and lifts for over 150. We’re always looking to improve our products, so that we can make life a little easier for you. That’s what our added features are all about.
Types of stairlifts:
Lifts for straight stairs
If you have a straight staircase with clear landings at the top and bottom, a straight rail is the ideal choice for your house.
The rail only needs to be cut down to fit your staircase, so is quick to produce. You can get any type of chair on a straight rail, so you’ll get all the comfort and safety of the best chair to suit your mobility needs.
Lifts for curved stairs
If your stairs have a bend in them, if there’s a landing separating two staircases or if you have a spiral staircase, you need a curved rail.
Each curved rail is made to measure, so precise measurements of your stairs must be taken before any work can begin. This means curved rails take that little bit longer to produce, but they’re worth the wait!
Making a made-to-measure rail means we can make sure it’s the perfect fit for your house, and it’ll take up less room on your staircase. The rail hugs every bend and curve, leaving the rest of the stairs free for other people to use.
Lifts for outdoors
It’s a common mistake to think you can only get lifts for inside your house. That’s not true. Stannah also makes outdoor lifts that are guaranteed to work in temperatures between -10°c and +40°c.
Rain or shine, you’ll be able to get to your favourite outdoor areas. The protective cover that comes with our outdoor stairlifts can be placed over the chair when you’re not using it., keeping it clean and dry at all times.
Standing lifts
Is it uncomfortable for you to sit down or stand up? Then the Sadler is the stairlift for you. The chair is somewhere between a normal seat and perch-seat, but with the perks of both.
As you sit on it, the seat of a Sadler tilts down, supporting some of your weight and offering you support as you sit. The chair then takes the strain off your legs, allowing you to perch comfortably on the soft seat. Then, when it comes to standing up again, the seat tilts up with you as you stand, giving you that slight push to help you get on your feet.
The perfect solution for anyone who has trouble sitting down and standing back up.
Book your home visit now to find out how we can give you your independence and your home back.
Stannah Stairlift features
When we say comfort, we mean comfort. We’ve thought about you and your needs, and developed our stairlifts accordingly. We’ve applied ergonomic strategies to our stairlift designs, making them as easy and comfortable to use as possible.
Comfort features
Your stairlift is a piece of furniture. You would probably avoid a chair that wasn’t comfortable, even if it was in a good location. We think the same applies to your stairlift. Even though it can get you up the stairs, if it’s uncomfortable you’ll avoid using it.
We don’t want that to be the case. We want your stairlift to take away any worry that you may associate with your stairs. Our goal is to get you back to when you wouldn’t even think about going up or downstairs. That’s why we’ve added these features to our lifts, to make your ride as comfortable as possible.
- Strategically cushioned seats. The cushioning we use provides maximum comfort on your ride.
- Our ergonomic seatbelt. You only need one hand to fasten it and it’s conveniently placed under the armrest of your chair. That means you never have to search for it, and you don’t have to twist around to find it.
- No need to bend over. All our stairlifts fold up neatly, but that doesn’t mean you have to bend over to flip the footrest up. All of our indoor stairlifts are fitted with either arms or a seat that are linked to the footrest – so that when you fold the arms/seat up, the footrest also folds- or a footrest fold button that folds the footrest up automatically at the push of a button.
- Control over the size of the footrest. Whether you want a longer, shorter or angled footrest, we can give you what you want. The footrest gives you stability as you get in and out of the chair, so having different options could make all the difference to how safe you feel.
- Easy controls. No fiddly switches or little buttons. To control the stairlift, simply hold the lever to the side you want to go in, and you’re off. You can hold it down with any part of your hand or wrist, so even if some hand movements are painful, you should be able to use your stairlift in complete comfort.
Safety features
Like comfort, the safety of your stairlift is a big concern of ours. That’s why all our stairlifts come with reliable safety features:
- A seatbelt. To make sure you’re strapped in and safe.
- Batteries. To make sure you’re never stuck on your stairs during a power cut.
- A key to lock your lift. If you don’t want other people using it, simply deactivate it with the key and it’ll be turned off.
- Obstruction sensors are placed on the edges of your stairlift, so that if anything is in its way, it’ll come to a gentle stop.
- The option of a powered swivel. This means your chair will turn automatically at the top of your staircase at the press of a button, leaving you facing away from the stairs. You can then get out of the chair safely, and have the chair behind you as a barrier, so that you can’t fall down the stairs.