There may be a time when you notice your mobility isn’t the same and your daily routine becomes more difficult. Whether it’s age, you’ve had an accident, or been recently diagnosed with a specific condition, you could start to notice certain tasks are harder to do.
Climbing the stairs could be something that not only becomes difficult, it can also be painful and potentially cause you harm but you may not know when the time is right to purchase a stairlift. That’s why we’ve put together this guide to help you decide whether a stairlift will help you get your home freedom back.
Go see your doctor
With any mobility issues, it’s best to first see your doctor who may diagnose a medical condition or offer advice on mobility caused by ageing. You can discuss any concerns with moving around your home with your doctor and talk through whether you think a stairlift will help you.
Take a simple mobility test
The ‘TUG’ Timed Up and Go test is an easy way to determine mobility issues. Start seated in an armchair, stand up and walk three metres, turn around and walk back to the chair and sit down. Have a practice run first and then time how long it takes you to do the full test. If your results are over 14 seconds, the test indicates you are at risk of falling over and you have mobility issues. Between 11 and 14 seconds means you may have some mobility issues and could consider a stairlift to help you move around your home faster.
Are you about to have surgery?
You may have surgery coming up and during the recovery time, you know your mobility will be compromised. Rather than wait until this time, why not pre-empt these issues and have a stairlift installed? That way, when you’re recovering, you’ll still have freedom and independence in your home.
Notice the pains in your body
Do you regularly get pain in your knees and joints? Does the pain get worse when you walk up the stairs? If yes, it could be time to get a stairlift to help reduce this day-to-day pain. Stairs can put a particular strain on the knees and lower back but there are also other signs to look out for in the body. Perhaps your joints are ok but you have difficulty breathing when you move up and down the stairs. This is another indicator that you may need a stairlift but as with any pains in your body, consult your doctor first.
You’re moving to a new home
It could be that in your current home your stairs aren’t an issue or you may not have any at all but you are about to move into a new home with a staircase that could cause a problem. Consider getting a stairlift installed before you move in so that you can access all areas of your new home straight away.
Assess how much you need the help of others
Do you regularly rely on friends, family or a carer to help you around your home? Could some of this be reduced if you had a stairlift? A stairlift can help you get some of your independence back and give you freedom in your home, without having to rely on others.
Your friend or family needs a stairlift
Sometimes it can be hard to accept that we are unable to do certain things anymore and when you see a friend or family struggling with their mobility, it can be difficult to tell them that they might need a stairlift. It could also be that you are their helper, and a stairlift would not only assist them, it could also help relieve some of the care work you do. Or perhaps a friend or family isn’t financially able to get their own stairlift and you want to give someone the gift of their home freedom.
Stairlifts can help with movement around the home and ease the pain it may be causing you to climb the stairs each day. Our stairlifts are easy to operate and accommodate any mobility issue. If you want to know more about which stairlift is right for you, read our blog here or get in touch with our helpful sales team who will answer any questions you may have.
We have over 10 years of experience in the stairlift industry and we’re passionate about helping you get your home freedom back. Get in touch today and make any mobility issues disappear from your stairway.
