There are many diseases suffering from which the patient is not able to walk properly and climbing stairs is a very big deal for him. Some of such diseases are polio, paralysis and many more. A stair lift is an innovative product for such patients. It helps them in climbing stairs without any effort or dependence upon others. Stairlifts can be installed in homes or offices for helping medically challenged people in climbing up and down the stairs. State of the art home stairlift is becoming popular day by day.
Working of Stairlift
A stairlift consists of a seat or a platform which is attached to the rails. It is also sometimes called chair lifts or stair glider. The person gets onto the platform or chair and it starts moving in the required direction. The rails and carriage which are used in the construction have huge strength to ensure safety during the ride. Generally, the rails are more than 30 kg of weight and the actual weight depends upon the length. In modern architectures, curved rails can also be installed for the curved stairs. The seat or the carriage is also available in several styles to provide maximum comfort to the patients.
Types of Stairlift
- Straight Rail Stairlifts
They are the most common types of stairlifts which are widely used in most of the application. The rail is completely straight and the chair moves along it. They can be installed in a very short time.
- Curved Rail Stairlifts
In this type, the rails are curved along the stairs. They provide a style alongside the utility. The cost and time of construction are higher than that of straight rail stairlifts.
- Vertical Platform Stairlifts
This types also provide the facility to withhold a wheelchair on it. The strength has to be higher than the regular stairlifts because the weight of the wheelchair is an excess.
- Outdoor Stairlifts
They are installed outside the house or building. They are more or less similar to indoor stairlifts except for the fact that they need to be weatherproof. This adds to a very nominal increase in the cost.
Safety Measures
- There are safety edges which are connected to the power source which can be ac or dc. These edges are used to disconnect the power source as soon as something goes wrong.
- The seatbelt is provided in the chair and should always be tied during the ride.
- If you want, then they can avail the locking feature in the stair lifts. You will be provided a key without which nobody can use the stairlift.
- Obstruction sensors can also be installed which will stop the lift as soon as some obstruction is detected on the path.
Conclusion A stairlift is a great invention for medically challenged people. You can get it installed in your home or office according to your need. There are several companies which offer the installation of stairlifts at low prices. Generally, the base price of a typical stairlift may range from USD 3000 to USD 5000. The price increase as the number of features increases. But this price is nothing as compared to the convenience offered by this great tool.