In many areas of the country it is common to find at least one set of stairs in a home. This presents a very real danger to those who are at all unsteady on the stairs, because falling down the stairs is the leading cause of accidental death among the elderly. To help combat these dangers and to allow independent use of the stairs, many people rely on a stair lift.



A stair lift is a lifting aid that is designed to carry a single occupant up and down the stairs. They are operated by a remote control that is used to send the unit up and down the stairs. As an added safety feature, the stair lift requires constant pressure on the remote control. If you take your finger off of the remote, then the stair lift will stop moving, which greatly reduces injury risks.

Stair lifts can be placed on almost any type of staircase, but they are most easily placed on straight staircases. People that have a curved staircase will likely have to spend about 1000% more on their stair lift then they would if they had a straight staircase. Many people who have an ?L? shaped staircase are able to install two straight stair lifts instead of one curved stair lift. It is a good idea to contact a dealer that sells straight stair lifts even if you have a curved stair lift.

If you do end up having to go with a curved stair lift then you will be required to get a in house estimate and the company will have to take the measurements for you. Not only does this result in a lot more time, but often the salesmen they send on these in home estimates are high pressure sellers. No one likes being pressured into buying a stair lift and this is usually what a curved stair lifts salesman will do, and because they are in your home, it can be much more difficult to get rid of them.

Once installed stair lifts generally provide many years of service and most are covered by extensive warranties. A straight stair lift retains a fairly good resale value and many several dealers will buy your used stair lift at a good price. If you own a curved stair lift, it is probably not going to have much resale value. This is because the track is custom built to fit your stairs and will only work with a staircase that has the exact same curve as yours. Likely unless you can find a buyer in your neighborhood that has an identical stair lift, you will not be able to resell your curved stair lift for any real money.