The first stair lift was developed in the early 1900's by a man who wanted to help his neighbor who was mobility challenged and could not use the stairs. Stair lifts have greatly improved since this first lift, but the idea is still the same. Stair lifts are designed to improve the mobility and independence of people who have difficulty walking due to illness, disease, age, or injury.
Watching someone that you love struggle as they try to walk up the stairs can be very difficult, and you will not always be there to help them. This is one of the reasons stair lifts are so popular. A stair lift physically carries a person up and down the stairs. All they have to do is push and hold the call button and the stair lift will be there.
A stair lift can be quickly installed in most cases, but if you own a curved staircase or an exceptionally narrow stair case, the installation process tends to be more complicated and expensive.
On a straight staircase a track is first securely bolted to the stairs. Next the car is attached to the track. The car is what actually moves up and down the stairs carrying the user. It consists of a chair, electric motor, and depending on the model, might also contain a battery pack.
A battery powered stair lift still plugs directly into the wall, but it uses a set of rechargeable batteries to guarantee that even when your power goes out you will still be able to use your lift. These types of lifts cost a little more and also require you to periodically replace the battery, but if you live in an area with frequent power disruptions, they can be a great choice. AC Powered stair lifts are very popular and usually cost less than a battery powered lift. The downside of course is that you will not be able to use the device if you loose power at your home.
If you have a very narrow staircase or a curved staircase, you will probably have to have the stair lift professionally installed. Generally in these cases the track system will be mounted to the wall. A curved stair lift can be very expensive and usually takes over a month to build and install. Where the installation process of a straight stair lift is fairly easy and can be done in an afternoon, you will need to hire a professional team to install your curved stair lift.
Stair lifts provide a great way to allow a person to retain their independence even when they suffer from health problems that make it impossible, dangerous, or hard to climb the stairs.