Using the stairs is done rather easily for many people who are not yet sixty-five, but often those over sixty-five are more likely to have difficulty when using the stairs. This can be as the result of cognitive disorders like Alzheimer's, which can make you unsteady on your feet, or it can be as a result of neuromuscular diseases, such as arthritis. What ever the cause for problems on the stairs, they can be dangerous and are often the cause of injury. This is one of the reasons that stair lifts are so popular in many people's homes.



To choose a proper stair lift for your home, you must first measure your stairs. If you have a curved stair lift, then you will likely have to have someone come into your home to make the measurements, but this is not the case if you have a straight staircase. This is because curved staircases require a custom built track that is molded to fit the bends and contours of your individual staircase, since there is no uniform standard to curved staircases and since a curved stair lift is custom built, it will be necessary to have a professional team come and get an exact measurement.

This is also important, because in order for the company to give you an estimate that is actually accurate, it is necessary to come to your home. The downside to them coming is that you will be faced with an in your face sales pitch that is often high pressure.

There are many downsides if you must go with a curved stair lift, including a cost that is over 1000 times greater than a straight lift, but if you must go with one, ensure that you get estimates from at least two separate companies. Of course this will mean that you must deal with two different high-pressure salespeople in your home, but once you have the estimates, you can use them to haggle and save a little money.

All of these negative points are for the most part removed if you can install a straight stair lift. The price of the lift is posted and only changes if you have a longer staircase and need some extra track. The cost of the lift is still much less expensive then a curved stair lift and you will quite literally usually save you at least $10,000 dollars. A straight stair lift is also relatively easy to install, especially when you compare it to the intensive installation process that is involved with a curved stair lift.

If you can at all avoid it, you will probably want to steer clear of curved stair lifts. Try talking with a straight stair lift dealer first, because you might be able to install two straight stair lifts in place of the one curved lift. This method is a little less convenient, but will save you a great deal of money and time.