Stairlifts
Stannah Outdoor Stairlift’s to the rescue!
Jun 21st
With a summer upon us – which surprisingly is actually quite sunny – the last thing that anyone wants is to be housebound. Opening the windows may give a sense of fresh air but nothing beats sitting in a beautiful, sunny garden with a cold drink and a good book or some nice music.
However, many beautiful homes were not designed with the mobility impaired in mind. Those lovely, decorative steps which lead down to the back garden or up to the front door can be a form of torture for someone who is longingly looking out of the window but cannot face the agony of struggling up and down the stairs.
Luckily the lovely people at Stannah Stairlifts have already thought of this – enter the Outdoor Stairlift. This excellent product solves the problem of getting out of the house without assistance and avoids unnecessary risk.
The Outdoor Stairlift does exactly what it says on the tin and can be fitted to solid concrete, solid wood or solid metal staircases. The rail is fitted to the actual stairs so there is no actual damage to the supporting wall. The Outdoor Stairlift has a handy fold away design, so will not block your staircase when you are not using it. It also comes with a great protective cover to ensure that it is safe from the elements.
Stannah’s Outdoor Stairlift is relatively customisable as you can choose which arm you would like the controls to be on and whether you would prefer a joystick or buttons to control the stairlift. If there are two or more people sharing the stairlift you can get a ‘call station’ installed so that if the chair is not where you need it to be you will not have to tackle the stairs to get to it, which would defeat the point of having the damn thing! I feel your pain, can you tell? Go with the call station to avoid the stress.
Stannah’s Outdoor Stairlift
The Outdoor Stairlift is designed to be practical and secure. The seat and arms are comfortable and the swivel seat makes getting in and out of the chair as easy as possible. The foldaway elements and protective cover make the stairlift practical, plus the built-in recharging battery means that you will always be able to use the stairlift, even if there is a power cut. That’s important.
There is also a built in seat belt for the user’s safety and a blockage detector to ensure that if there is an obstruction on the stairs the stairlift will stop automatically. That means pine cones, conkers and pesky leaves ‘on the line’ won’t be a problem. The stairlifts also come with a key operated immobiliser so you do not have to worry about children playing around on the stairlift and having accidents. An added bonus is that you can always get on and off with grace, looking like the true gentleman or lady that you are!
For more information about stairlifts, don’t forget to visit Mobility Compare and download the stairlift buyers guide!
Our thanks to Alex Gaiger who is our guest contributor.
Companion Stairlifts are some of the best around
Jun 8th
Nothing can be a greater torture than having to climb flights of stairs several times a day, especially if you’re mobility impaired. This is where stairlifts come in handy. Simply get in the seat, press a button and you are at the top of the stairs in no time at all. What could be easier?
Choosing a stairlift can be complicated, however, especially when you consider the safety factor. After all, the stairlift has to carry your entire body weight on its way up. Is it sturdy enough to do that properly? If not you might find the stairlift will get you up in ten seconds and down in less than one.
As the team at Mobility Compare are oft heard to say until we’re blue in the face, pay attention to this single factor before you purchase a stairlift. Preferably test it out before you sign on the dotted line (although we’re the first to admit this isn’t always possible).
Another significant concern is how comfortable the seating arrangement is. Make sure the seat supports your lower back, waist and hips properly and prevents slippage during the ride.
This is where the Companion stairlift we tested scored major brownie points. The seat is cushioned for extra comfort, and the non-slip upholstery & strong safety belt ensures a safe ride, every time. As an added bonus, the upholstery comes in various colours, to make sure it matches your décor perfectly.
A sturdy Companion stairlift
Many manufacturers have problems when installing stairlifts on curved stairs. This is another place where Companion proves itself a class apart. The service engineers from Companion can get a specially designed stairlift fitted with your existing spiral staircase in no time at all. And if your staircase is really narrow, even then they can get you a stairlift that can be removed and kept aside, only to be slid in when you need to climb the stairs. The design is pretty innovative, and saves space.
Our tests also revealed that Companion stairlifts are sturdier than many alternatives.
The home trial offer is certainly good for first time customers and the service warranty and access to a helpline throughout the day rounds out the package nicely. We would certainly recommend checking out the stairlifts from Companion, if you are looking to add a stairlift to your home anytime soon.
The value for money and extended list of features are more than enough to justify the recommendation.
Invalifts, a tight squeeze but worth it
Feb 17th
Firstly, apologies to anyone who has left a comment only for it not appear on my blog. That’s been rectified and whilst I’d like to blame WordPress, the bottom line is that I didn’t know I needed to approve them first! So they’ve been lying in my inbox for ages. Ho hum and red faces all round.
It’s difficult to kick my keyboard into gear today mainly because I feel like a good old fashioned rant at First Direct bank. I quite like them tbh, they’re always polite, but credit card interest rates of 21%?? I nearly choked on my Welsh rarebit when I opened my statement. It’s a disgrace when Bank of England interest rates are at a 360 year historic low. Even worse, it’s stealing off those people who can least afford it with many young, elderly and disabled people having to use credit cards or, God forbid, burn furniture to get through this bitterly cold winter.
Angry man
With that off my chest, I was heartened to receive word about Invalifts, a Midlands-based company who are specialists in platform lifts for wheelchair and disabled users. Their website is really smart, easy to read and surf. I laughed when reading about how the two owners Derrick and Neil have 70 years lift experience between them – I saw that trick used once for a 69 year old grandfather and his one year old grandson.
Anyway, where Invalifts seem to make a huge difference is fitting disabled lifts into tight spaces. Not so easy, of course with England, Wales & Scotland all scattered with listed buildings.
The University Hospital of Leicester NHS Trust’s education department is a case in point. They soon realised that no local company would be able to design a lift that’d fit the dimensions of the space allotted for the purpose. Alternative solutions like stairlifts simply wouldn’t work.
Enter Invalifts.
The MC2000 from its stable is a self contained powered access platform lift with a footprint of just 1250mm by 1250mm. That’s tighter than a banker’s wallet. It can work on a single phase of 240 volts of power with the support of a twin chain – don’t ask me what that means – but I do know it works without the help of an overhead machinery room or basement. That’s a big, big plus after all, who wants to dig a basement ten metres into the ground or fit an overhead machinery room?
A tight squeeze but it’ll get you to the 1st floor
Invalifts tell me that they worked fast in installing the lift for Leicester General Hospital and completed it in less than one week. They’ve also added another design to their range which includes an ultra small, self-contained passenger lift. This lift can be easily installed into tight spaces such as stairwells. I’d guess you’d need to put your hands in your pockets and wear latex to get into that one if the MC2000 is any guide.
Latex needed?
Does anyone else know of stairlifts or lifts that can be squeezed into tight spaces? Please let me know as we’re trying to build a list of suitable companies for Mobility Compare.
Oxford Dipper
Dec 22nd
At MobilityCompare we do everything we can to remain fit and healthy. After all, in our day to day work we’re frequently writing about the maladies that plague a significant minority of the UK’s population (alongside the mobility aid solutions to solve them).
We’ve since become acutely aware of the fragility of life and made it our mission to try and remain as healthy as we can before our own bodies start to creek and groan. Clue: it’s earlier than we thought!
In west London, near the M3 just over Chiswick bridge in London, there’s a superb health club called Roko which we’ve settled on as our gym of choice. Easy to get to and park, great staff and a relaxed atmosphere all make it perfect for the MobilityCompare team to try and maintain its health & fitness.
Our exercise regime? We prefer swimming to any other activity, although one of our number curiously enjoys Thai boxing as he tells us it is the best way of keeping fit whilst adding ‘self protection’ capabilities. By our reckoning, the cost of attaining ‘self protection’ abilities is the odd black eye or two…or three!
We tend to avoid running , not because we don’t enjoy it, but rather we know too many adults in their 50’s and 60’s who now have considerable problems with their knees as a result of running thousands of miles in their younger years. Swimming, because it doesn’t put excess pressure on the body or ‘jar’ the joints is the perfect alternative.
Imagine our surprise, therefore, when suddenly we visit Roko and find a huge contraption overhanging one of the swimming pool lanes. Upon further investigation it appears that the product in question is the ‘Oxford Dipper’.
The Oxford Dipper is produced by Dolphin Mobility, a respected name in mobility products based in Surrey, and is used to lift and lower people out of the water using a hydraulic lift. With a weight capacity of 22 stone it is the perfect way for individuals who have great difficulty getting in and out of the water to actually overcome the issue.
But what’s impressed us more than anything else is that a brand new health club, launching in difficult economic circumstances, has invested over £4k in equipping its pool with a mobility aid for just a few of its users. They needn’t have done that. The fact that they have is a sign that mobility products are becoming more mainstream and also a reflection of the club’s own standards in meeting the requirements of all its users, not just the fit and healthy.
Impressed? We were.
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