Are you considering the purchase of a stair lift, such as which is best, a curved or straight stair lift? Ultimately, an aging in place home assessment provides a more complete basis for comparing new stair lift, platform lift or home elevator installations while considering safety, usability, space, and budget.

Looking Beyond the Shape of the Staircase

Choosing a stair lift involves more than determining whether the staircase is straight or curved. An aging in place home assessment can help identify how the user moves throughout the home, where mobility difficulties occur, and whether additional safety considerations should influence stair lift selection. The goal is to choose equipment that works not only with the staircase, but also with the person who will use it every day.

During an aging in place home assessment, important factors may include the user’s ability to sit down and stand up safely, maintain balance, bend the knees, use the lift controls, and transfer on and off the stair lift at each floor. The assessment should also consider whether a walker, cane, or other mobility device needs to be available at both the top and bottom of the stairs.

Stair Lift Safety at the Top and Bottom Landings

Safe entry and exit areas are especially important. An Aging in place home assessment can evaluate whether there is adequate space at each landing and whether the stair lift rail should extend beyond the staircase to provide a safer transfer location. A folding or powered rail may also be appropriate when a doorway or hallway crosses the bottom of the stairs.

Other features to consider include:

• Swiveling seats that make getting on and off easier
• Folding arms, seats, and footrests to preserve stairway clearance
• Seat belts and obstruction sensors
• Powered swivel seats for users with limited strength or flexibility
• Appropriate seat height and weight capacity

An aging in place home assessment may also reveal that the least expensive stair lift configuration is not necessarily the safest or easiest one for a particular homeowner. For example, transferring between two straight stair lifts at an intermediate landing requires greater balance and mobility than remaining seated on one continuous curved lift.

Using an aging in place home assessment, the homeowner needs to determine which lift best matches the abilities of the user as well as the stairs upon which they are to be installed.

Which Type of Mobility List is Needed?

A straight stair lift is installed on straight, regular rise stair tracks that ascend from one floor to another in a straight line. The user must be able to get in and out of the chair.

A curved stair lift or custom built stair lift is one that ascends along irregularly patterned steps, or on a circular staircase. As with the straight lift, the user must be able to get situated safely in the seat of the lift.

Bruno straight stair lift for the Atlanta or north Georgia home

A double installation straight stair lift is a series of lifts that travel up more elaborate staircases that have a landing between the levels. This installation feature requires the user to be able safely to transfer from the first to the second stair lift. While perhaps difficult to believe, this is typically a more economical choice than a curved or custom stair lift.

If you are trying to decide whether a curved or straight stair lift meets your mobility, structural and financial abilities, look into getting an aging in place home assessment today by telephoning Stair Lifts Atlanta at 770-880-3405.

The following cities, county and states are served by our mobility division, Stair Lifts Atlanta, LLC: 

We serve the following Georgia counties: Barrow County, Cherokee County, Clayton County, Cobb County, Coweta County, DeKalb County, Douglas County, Fayette County, Forsyth County, Fulton County, Gwinnett County, Hall County, Henry County, Jackson County, Newton County, Rockdale County, and Whitfield County.

Atlanta, Acworth, Alpharetta, Athens, Austell, Bogart, Braselton, Buckhead, Buford, Canton, Carrollton, Cartersville, Chamblee, Clarkston, Cleveland, Commerce, Conyers, Covington, Cumming, Dacula, Dahlonega, Dalton, Decatur, Douglasville, Duluth, Dunwoody, Fairburn, Fayetteville, Flowery Branch, Forest Park, Gainesville, Griffin, Hoschton, Jackson, Jefferson, Johns Creek, Jonesboro, Kennesaw, LaGrange, Lawrenceville, Lilburn, Lithonia, Loganville, Mableton, Marietta, McDonough, Milton, Monroe, Newnan, Norcross, Peachtree City, Peachtree Corners, Powder Springs, Riverdale, Rome, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Smyrna, Snellville, Stockbridge, Stone Mountain, Sugar Hill, Suwanee, Toccoa, Tucker, Vinings, Warner Robins, Winder, and Woodstock.

This Tennessee city is served by Stair Lifts Atlanta, LLC: Chattanooga.

Cities in Alabama served by Stair Lifts Atlanta, LLC include Athens, Decatur, Fort Payne, Gadsden, Huntsville, Madison and Scottsboro

Contact Atlanta Home Modifications, LLC for more information about stair lifts, platform lifts and
home elevator options for your home or office at 770.880.3405.