Stairlifts - A Brief Overview on the Need and the Demand

Stairlifts are commonly used for transporting carts, wheelchairs and even people. And in recent times, they are much in demand in the UK.

Stairlifts are essentially mechanical devices which are used by people to climb stairs without requiring a lot of effort. These are commonly used as a low-cost alternative to cargo lifts or even passenger lifts.

Many people even use stairlifts at home. Passenger lifts are quite huge and eat up a lot of space. On the other hand, stairlifts are quite compact to use. Climbing stairs up and down becomes extremely easy with stairlifts. These are primarily used by senior citizens or elderly people who find it difficult to climb stairs. They are usually installed on the staircase which makes climbing effortless and burden free. Stairlifts are of two kinds- straight and curved. Depending on their purpose, these are used for various types of stairs or even buildings with multiple floors. For straight stairs, a straight stair lift will be used. A stair lift can be fixed effortlessly to a stair track and can be moved downwards or upwards.

It is somewhat complicated to install curved stairlifts since they need to be customized first based on the staircase bends. Needless to say, a curved stair lift involves some effort while constructing and is also little more expensive as compared to a straight stair lift. Though stair lifts have been in use for many years, the present – generation ones are equipped with multiple precautionary features. Some of these stair lifts also come with sensors for detecting any kind of obstruction that they may sense. When the sensors detect any kind of obstruction, the stair life will cease to function instantly so that a collision does not occur. Most of the stair lifts are also operated through a single switch. The switch cannot be powered on if the stair lift mechanism is not in place. The modern stair lifts feature all safety measures.

Both electric UK Stairlifts and battery operated ones are sold in the market. It is economical to purchase electric stair lifts but they will stop functioning if power supply is cut off. Though battery operated stair lifts are slightly expensive than electric ones, they continue to function effectively when in an event of power outage. Stair lifts also render themselves for use in narrow and steep stair cases. It is possible to customize these stairlifts to fit any type of a staircase, be it broad or a narrow one. Some of these stair lifts can also be neatly folded and stored securely when you do not require them. With such a fold able design, the empty space can then be utilized for some other purpose. Some of these stair lifts are quite wide to fit even a wheel chair. Some of these also find application in transporting cargo. Most of the modern-day stair lifts boast of a slew of features and offer optimum comfort to the user.

When a stair lift has to be purchased, its exact usage should be well considered before the final purchase decision is made. The height and weight of the individual who will be using the stair lift should be factored in before you purchase a stair lift.