A wheelchair stair lift is a machine-operated device used to lift wheelchairs and their occupant up or down a staircase. A chair or a platform is attached to the railing of the stairs. This will then lift the person as the seat or the lifting platform travels along the rail. It is installed in such a way that the stairs can still be functional without reconstructing the architecture of the building. It is affordable, and a good alternative to wheelchair lift elevators.
One of the earliest documented usages of a stair lift is during the time of King Henry VII. According to TV Historian Doctor David Starkey, the said monarch used a chair that was dragged up and down by servants at the ancient Whitehall palace in London when he was injured by playing joust. In America, the first commercially advertised wheelchair lifts for stairs were sold by the Inclinator Company of America in 1993, a time when many Americans were infected by polio.
Many commercial stair lifts nowadays offer a variety of features. These modern features include emergency stop buttons, obstruction sensory, speed governor, seatbelt, adjustable seat height, and communication tools in order to safeguard the patient.
Straight-running wheelchair stair lifts usually cost less than $5000. Curved stair lifts, on the other hand, can have a price of $15000. Although these prices might rather seem expensive, upon a closer look they really are not. If you’re going to install a home vertical wheelchair lift, you have to deconstruct and renovate a portion of your house. Elevators, too, are much more expensive than a normal stair lift.
There are various types of wheelchair stair lifts. Some of these are the straight rail stair lifts, curved stair lifts, wheelchair platform stair lifts, outdoor stair lifts, and pre-owned stair lifts.
Straight Rail Stair Lifts are usually used in residences that have a straight staircase and railing. On the other hand, Curved Rail Stair Lifts, installed on a curved stairway, require careful measurement, design and production. Additionally, installation of this lift is usually longer than the first one.
Wheelchair Platform Stair Lifts are mostly used in public buildings and in private residences. This type has a platform that is large enough to contain the wheelchair. It has also folding edge ramps that prevent the wheelchair from moving toward the edge of the platform. Modern versions of this type of stair lift have control buttons, emergency stop button, rack-and-pinion drive system and safety arms.
Outdoor Stair Lifts are somehow similar to indoor stair lifts. The only difference is that they are weatherproof. Conversely, Pre-owned Stair Lifts are second-hand and used wheelchair lifts. Most pre-owned stair lifts are those that can fit to straight rails. A used Curved Rail Stair Lift is difficult to install into another staircase because it has a particular measurement that is exclusive to its own stairway railing. However, some curved rails are being produced nowadays with components that can be unfastened and used elsewhere.
Wheelchair lifts for stairs are either electric- or hydraulic-powered. Electric powered lifts include batteries in case there is no power connection. Hydraulic lifts use a pipe that creates pressure, initiating the movement of the lift. Some modern models of wheelchair stair lifts are remote-controlled for better convenience and ease of use.
