Using the stairs is done quite frequently in homes across the world. While done frequently, it is also consistently rated as quite dangerous. The forty million Americans who are over the age of sixty-five are at an increased risk of falling and injuring themselves. Of those forty million, around twenty-six million suffer from health conditions that reduce their mobility and put them at a greater risk. To help counter this risk a stair lift can usually be installed to the home.

A stair lift is a mobility device that is most frequently installed directly onto the stairs. They carry a single person up the distance of the stairs and back down again at a very slow and steady rate. Operated by a remote control unit that is attached to the device, a stair lift will only move when the button on the remote is being pushed. This is a safety feature that prevents the lift from moving unexpectedly and ensures that it will only move when the rider wishes it too.

A stair lift can be installed to a straight staircase quickly, inexpensively, and easily. Usually the homeowner will decide to do the installation on their own or have a family member do it, because it requires no special tools. The time it takes to install varies, but most can be installed in an afternoon. You will likely want to have a little help, because one part of the lift will weigh around a hundred pounds and need to be brought to the top of the stairs.

While many people do choose to do the installation of the stair lift on their own, most dealers have professional install teams that can get you up and going in record time. They are not overly costly, so having the unit installed professionally is a good choice for many people.

People that have curved staircases are in for a much more costly and tedious journey though. This is because the stair lift will have to be custom built to fit the curve of the staircase, which because there is no standard, means you will have to have a salesman come to your home and measure your stairs.

Curved stair lift dealers can not accurately give you a price without actually measuring your stairs, so if they do give you a price it is only a guess that is completely hypothetical. They are also much more expensive than a straight stair lift. Usually you will spend at minimum a thousand percent more than the cost of a straight lift and unlike a straight lift, a curved stair lift retains little value. The reason it doesn't really retain any value is that it will only work with identical staircases. Before you call up a curved stair lift dealer, it is a good idea to talk with one that sells straight stair lifts.

Regardless of what type of staircase you have, a stair lift can greatly reduce the risk of injury or accident on the stairs and is a good investment.