Common Merits And Demerits Of Straight Stair Lifts

Straight stair lift is a much-awaited solution especially for disabled persons who are unable to climb the stairs of their own homes to visit a common bathroom that is situated upstairs. To adjust to their immobile lifestyle, such people have to leave their beloved houses and move in to day care centres that offer better conditions. Instead of changing residence, straight stair lifts can be installed for persons who have just survived a major accident and are unable to ascend or descend the stairs, or those who are permanently disabled.

There are two types of straight chair lifts available for home use. One straight stair lift has a fixed chair in it, so that the disabled person can sit on it and go up or down; the other type of straight stair lift is such that it has a stand for a wheel chair to get fixed to, and it can also be used while the person is standing.

The main benefit of this type of lift is the convenience provided to the disabled person who was otherwise unable to climb the stairs. Installing a straight stair lift is of course a better idea than moving out of ones house or restructuring the house, particularly in cases where the bathroom is not situated on the ground floor.

Other than serving the purpose of transporting people from the lower storey of the house to the upper one, straight stair lifts also have an added advantage of moving heavy loads up and down the stairs. Most of the straight stair lifts are built to carry a minimum load of 300 lbs and a maximum load of 500 pounds. This load limit is sufficient to transport most of the household items between the two floors of the house.

The use of straight stair lifts is not limited to the disabled or for moving heavy stuff. It can also be used if a person is tired and he does not have the energy to climb stairs. Children love to use these lifts all the time and they may even come with new ideas of playing with it.

The straight stair lifts have advanced safety features, which makes it the perfect choice for the elders and children alike. The elderly people who feel it extremely difficult to climb the stairs up or down, find it really beneficial because they do not need to look for other options like day care centres to move to.

While there are numerous advantages of installing a straight stair lift at home, there are accompanying demerits as well of this latest technology. Disadvantages of stair lifts include the expensive machinery that needs to be installed, and the electricity cost, which is consumed when the stair lift is in operation. In addition, if the lift breaks down, it is hard to get its parts from the local market and a lot of hassle is involved in getting it fixed. It takes around three to four weeks to get the stair lift shipped to the house, which is way too long if a person becomes immobile unexpectedly from an accident and needs immediate help.