Posts tagged Stannah Stairlifts
Council cutbacks to include essential equipment such as stairlifts?
Aug 9th
When couples buy their ‘family home’ there are so many factors to take into consideration. What are the schools like? What is the community like? What does the local council offer in regards to childcare, public transport and so much more? Having been through this gruelling process once, most people hope to stay in the chosen home for the rest of their lives. You certainly don’t want to have to investigate similar criteria all over again, particularly if you live in the same house.
Yet this is precisely what is happening to many mobility impaired individuals who are now having to re-evaluate their circumstances following the Government’s austerity programme and council cutbacks.
Derbyshire County Council is just one such council that plans cut backs by slashing its disability care budget. According to the Buxton Advertiser, its proposed plans include raising the qualification criteria for disability care and those who do qualify being required to contribute out of their disability living and attendance allowances for essential care and support. Contrast this with Knowlsey Council who are currently looking to form a three year framework agreement for the supply and aftercare of lifts for properties in the borough. Knowlsey Council says that stairlifts and ceiling lifts are necessary for disabled residents in the borough.
Our view? Big investments, such as stairlifts, hoists and downstairs bathrooms are essential for enabling the elderly and disabled to stay in their own homes as long as possible. With state pensions incapable of supporting people after forty five years of hard work, the least pensioners should be given is the comfort of staying in their own home – one in which they have spent their life making comfortable.
However, without Council funding many will be unable to afford the cost of this vital equipment and may be forced to sell their homes. To make matters worse this is a poor time to sell a property with some sellers making a loss, especially if they have had expensive mobility additions made to their home.
Stannah outdoor stairlift…
Leeds City Council obviously feels the same way as it has recently applied for additional funding from the Housing Revenue Account budget to be used to make necessary adaptations to homes for the mobility impaired.
Furthermore, Yorkshire City Council recognises that allowing people to stay in their own homes reduces the strain on other areas such as the provision of residential care. If we had one point to make to the Government, this would be it.
Everyone understands the need for budget reductions in the current economic climate. However, we would question the suitability of targeting these cuts at those in the community most in need of support.
To lighten the tone somewhat, we noticed that Stannah Stairlifts’ Facebook page is currently running a ‘Win A Free Stannah Stairlift’ campaign which will help one lucky person by providing them with a stairlift they otherwise may not be able to afford. The winner will win a Stannah Stairlift, its installation and a two year warranty with 24/7 servicing. You can enter for yourself or on behalf of a relative or friend. Good luck!
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.
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