The 6 Best Used Stair Lift Sources

There are a number of used stair lift sources for you to consider in searching for a lower cost stairlift.
Here is a list of 6 sources for used stair lifts.

1. Your local classified ads in your local newspapers.
2. Local agencies such as the ALS, MS and MD societies.
3. On line classified ads.
4. Local stair lift dealers.
5. Durable medical equipment dealers.
6. SILVER CROSS – Our nation wide service to find a local used stair lift.

Factors you need to consider in selection of a used stair lift are:

1. Length of track. Measure from the nose of the top step to the floor then add the overhang track required for the particular stair lift model you are considering purchasing.
2. Is the used stair lift match the side of the stairs on your stairs?
3. Can the angle of your stairway be accommodated with the stair lift you are considering?
4. Does the seat height of the stair lift chair meet the lift user’s requirements to safely transfer to the seat of the chair lift?
5. Is the width of the stair chair rail too wide for your stairway?
6. Is a soft stop and start stair lift required for the lift user?
7. Is the footplate sufficient in size for the user to be able to place their feet safely on the platform?
8. What power requirements are needed for the model being considered?
9. Does the seat width and depth fit the prospective stair lift user?
10. Does the lift user require a contour seat for trunk control?
11. Does the pattern of people flow in the home necessitate that the stair lift is installed on a particular side of the stairs?
12. Are the stair treads sufficient in strength, width and angle consistency to fit the stair lift you are considering?

Simply put, there are many factors to consider in selecting a used stair lift to meet your specific needs. I truly feel that a local stair lift dealer is the best source for used stair lifts.

20 Bizarre Custom Wheelchair Modifications

A range of impressive wheel chair modifications which are bound to turn heads!

So we’re getting well into the 21st century now and I don’t know what resolutions everyone’s been making over the last decade, but it’s obvious to say that technology has certainly made some fresh starts. Our laptops and PCs are getting slimmer, our iPhones are allowing users to multitask and even the cars are beginning to ditch the ‘bad’ fuel, and switching to electric diets. And for wheelchairs, it’s no different.

Here is a list of 20 innovative designs that could all be part of changing the lifestyles of the wheelchair user. Some of these are designed by the science giants, and some are just homemade, but these are all remarkable modifications on the old 20th century image of a standard wheelchair.

1. Tankchair – More than just a wheelchair

Don’t be intimidated, this photo was taken from a low angle and those wheels are there for purely practical reasons. Yes, this might look like it’s designed for the army, but it was actually built for love. A gift, from a husband to his wife, Liz Zoden broke her back in a road accident, she was told she would never walk again, and although this restricted her at first, her husband Brad soon sorted that out. This tank allows Liz to drive on all terrains she’s always loved, including snow, sand and even through streams. Her husband Brad can modify the chair to fit just about anybody. What a hero!

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2. RODEM – Half Scooter, half electric wheelchair.

This is just the prototype version displayed in the Veda Centre, but in the not too distant future i’m pretty sure these things will be just as popular as any other techno-gadgetry and will surely be available in a more full and funky spectrum of colours. With an open back it is easy to climb straight into, with a protective cushion for the chest to lean against. Although this is primarily designed for people with disabilities, it could easily become popular with just about anyone who wants a fast way of getting around the city.

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3. A time before RODEM.

This mod is half bicycle and half wheelchair. It’s not quite as hip as RODEM. It’s the bog standard chair, with the main frame of a bicycle attaches to the front. This isn’t a futuristic design as such, nor is it a cruel joke, but a very good way of maintaining or building strength in those who are bound to a wheelchair, and may hope to walk again in their future. Personally, I think this bike is pretty cool. It’s got a front frame similar to a chopper, with the added comfort of a chair appose to a saddle. But if you think this is cool, then check this next modification out.

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4. Born to be wild.

This mod is half wheelchair and half electric motorcycle. So when you hear the motor roar into town at 20mph, move aside. Lock-up your sons and daughters, and anything else you care about. For if a wheelchair can become this wild, then it might just influence everything else to follow in its tracks.

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Wheelchair Lifts – 3 Key Factors to Consider in Wheelchair Lift Selection

There are many wheelchair lift factors to consider in the selection process.

1. First and foremost, the platform length of the wheelchair lift must be sufficient to accommodate the mobility device being lifted from one level to another.

a. If the mobility device is a scooter, tilt wheelchair, wheelchair with leg rests then straight on the platform and straight off the platform is necessary.

b. If the mobility device is a manual wheelchair, then it is a possibility to consider a 90 degree exit from the platform.  But, the ideal flow of the wheelchair is also straight on and straight off the platform.

c. If the mobility device is a power wheelchair, then the weight of the user and the chair is important since some wheelchair lifts have a capacity of 500 lbs.  Another factor is that you may require a dedicated 20 amp fuse if you are considering a plug in style wheelchair lift model.

2. Ground slope in the approach to the platform must be relatively a gentle slope.

a. If the person using the lift propels the wheelchair  themselves then the slope approaching the platform needs to be less than a 1 to 12 slope on enable them to be able to manage moving the wheelchair onto the platform.  This is also the case for the situation where a person pushing the wheelchair is elderly or does not have the strength to push a wheelchair up a steel slope.

b. If the user is moving a scooter or power chair onto the platform then the slope is not as important a factor.

3. Safety issues are important.

a. A gate at the top of the lift is common to be a legal requirement in many states for residential application.  In Canada, this requirement is not mandatory except in commercial applications.  However, a gate of some description is a good idea in all wheelchair lift installations.  This is so that when the platform is at the lower station, that a person standing at the top landing can not fall down onto the platform.

b. Underneath the platform, almost all wheelchair lift manufacturers have a safety pan that will stop the lift if the pan is engaged with any type of obstruction.  This is extremely important to prevent injury if somehow an animal or small child ended up under the platform.

Learn more about wheelchair lift models available.

Dumbwaiters Can Make Your Life Easier

Using A Dumbwaiter Makes Things Easier

You may have seen a dumbwaiter in any number of movies or televisions shows. However, it is not often that you would think that you too can have one of them in your home. Often times a home dumbwaiter is viewed as a gadget that only the rich would have in one of their gigantic, fancy homes. What you should know is that affordable dumbwaiters are available today, and are often times used by those people who have a hard time with mobility.

If you happen to have limited mobility, or someone in your family does, then the dumbwaiter may just be a wonderful addition to your home. Instead of having to worry about getting yourself up and down the stairs with an armful of items, you can simply look to the help of your dumbwaiter elevator to do the lifting for you. This way, you can simply concentrate on getting yourself up and down the stairs safely, limiting your chances of slips and falls that can lead to injury and often times a painful recovery.

While some of the more primitive dumbwaiter designs left a little bit to be desired, many of the electric dumbwaiter models that are out there today will give you incredible performance each and every time. As you look around for the residential dumbwaiter to suit your needs, be sure that you find a reputable dealer that can inform you on everything you need to know before beginning installation. Professional installation of a home dumbwaiter is always the best route to take. This way you will know that your dumbwaiter elevator will be installed, looking wonderful and working properly each and every time that you go to use it.

If you happen to have someone within your family and home that you take care of on a daily basis due to old age or some sort of disability, you might find that a dumbwaiter will be the best investment that you ever made. Whenever you need to bring medications, food, clothing or other items up and down the stairs for regular care times, the dumbwaiter elevator can basically work as a second set of hands. Over time, you will be glad that you had such a piece of equipment installed in your home so that you never had to strain yourself to get things from one portion of the house to the other. The more strain and stress you save yourself with an electric dumbwaiter, the more you can focus your time caring for the loved one in your family who needs you the most.

By the same token, if you run your own business, you may want to look into the purchase of a commercial dumbwaiter, or even a number of them. The commercial dumbwaiter is a great way to move items up and down the floors of your business or office space without your employees having to take the time from their desk or even lifting something up and down the stairs. The dumbwaiter in this case can help to streamline the productivity of your workers in the office while also lessening the chance of any falls and time out of work.

When you find that you are building your home, think to the future and know that the addition of a dumbwaiter may be one of the best design choices that you could ever make. The home dumbwaiter can be used for so many things, having one installed ahead of time and preparing for the future is an incredibly smart decision. Additionally, when you have a dumbwaiter elevator installed in your home while the house is being constructed, you cut out the hassle of having to get one installed in an existing structure later on.

Is An In Home Elevator Right for You?

Is An In Home Elevator Right For You?

When you find that there comes a time in your life or that of a loved one where mobility has become less and less, you may want to think about the installation of an in home elevator.

An in house elevator is the perfect way to assist with mobility needs, letting the person with limited mobility have more freedom instead of always having to rely on others to get up and down the stairs. Often times, people with a handicap or disability are left to live on the ground floor of their home, almost as if they are a prisoner in their own dwelling.

With such access, home elevator cost and  installation can be a major milestone when it comes to getting the added freedom that you need and desire.

The nice thing is, there are all sorts of wonderful new advances in the types of in home elevator products today. You can basically have elevator home personal installation catered to your specific needs within no time at all.

Simply take the time to shop around for the various features that you wish to have with your in house elevator. Then, once you know exactly what kind you are looking for, you can then decide what the best payment options are.

At the same time, you may also want to look into access home elevator financing or even see if your health insurance provider may help you to absorb some of the cost.

While having an in home elevator seems like some sort of luxury to most people, to others it is necessary for providing the ultimate in terms of in home mobility. By being able to use an elevator, home personal care can be taken care of on your own, without having to rely on the help of a nursing staff or other home health care aids. You will be able to go up and down the different levels of your home without having to constantly worry about slipping and falling, which can lead to painful injuries that some patients may never fully recover from.

The wonderful thing about having an in home elevator installed is that there are so many incredible safety features included with them today. Most of the in house elevator systems you will find are just loaded with all sorts of bells and whistles, and can even be tailored to your specific needs as well as your homexs structure. All you have to do is talk with the access home elevator profession that you choose and they should be able to customize just the right system that will fit your exact needs.

If you happen to be a family that has a handicap child or even a relative who has lost a significant amount of mobility, an in home elevator will surely be one of the best investments that you have ever made. Such an elevator will help to ease the burden on you, the caretaker.

Over time, excessive lifting while carrying your disabled loved ones from room to room or up and down the stairs will end up taking quite a toll on your back. The elevator home personal installation will help to give you the peace of mind in knowing that you can easily care for your loved ones while also keep you with your own health under control.

Looking For A Reliable Used Stair Lift?

Anyone who has mobility issues and is not quite sure how they can afford some of the home health care aids needed to get on with their daily life, they should look into some of the used stair lift models available to them. Because mobility is such an important part of what makes you an individual, there is nothing worse than having most or all of your mobility taken away from you. Hundreds of thousands of people today, whether injured from an accident or in the need of elder-care, are looking to the assistance of an electric stair lift within their home.

You want to be sure that your home-and-family support system is always in place for you whenever you need it. At the same time, your used stair lift can be an affordable and handy asset to have when you are looking to get from one level of your home to the next without having to constantly ask someone to help you get there. Being physically challenged does not mean that you cannot go about your life in a manner that gives you the freedom and confidence that you deserve as a human being.

The nice thing about all of the electric stair lift models on the market today is that you can pretty much have them tailored to suit your specific needs. If you have a curved staircase, then you can look into curved stair lifts that will be custom fitted to the dimensions of your home. Whether you need straight stair lifts or even an outdoor stair lift to get from point A to point B, you are going to be surprised at just how many models and features are available for you to choose from, even when it comes to getting a significant discount by choosing a used stair lift from a reliable reseller.

You want your home-and-family to be safe at all times. There are used stair lift resellers that are in business to give you a quality, safe, reliable product to have installed within your home that you can enjoy for years to come. Because an electric stair lift or outdoor stair lift is such an important piece of equipment to have installed, it is a good idea to make sure that you research all of the different resellers as well as the many features that you are looking to have in the particular model you desire. This way you will have a much better understanding of what you are getting into as well as leave you with the ability to ask any questions should they arise as you have your used stair lift installed.

Elder-care and dealing with any sort of disability does not have to be made any more difficult that it needs to be. A used stair lift is a fabulous, affordable option to a brand new electric stair life. Your home-and family can remain running smoothly and you will have the peace of mind of knowing that you shopped around for the best deal on an outdoor stair lift, curved stair lifts or straight stair lifts that you possible could find. No longer will you have to rely on anyone else to help you move around your home with the help of you used stair lift.

Stair Lift Reviews – What Stair Lift Models to Consider?

Stair lift factors to be considered in selecting a stair lift model are as follows:

1. The cost for a stair lift for the past few years has been quite stable.  Straight stair lift prices range from about $1600 for a do-it-yourself model to about $400 for a deluxe stair lift installed.

2. Reliability – Most stair lift manufacturers will not honor the warranty unless their products are installed by an approved and certified dealer. If you are considered a self installed stair lift then you will have to make sure that the manufacturer warranty is in place for the model you are considering..

3. Years the Stair Lift Has Been on the Market – If a stair lift model has been recently launched by the manufacturer, it would be best to consider this factor and select a stair lift model that has been on the market for at least two years. It is common for new stair lift models to take about 18 months to get the kinks out. It is common for a new model to undergo numerous tweaks in the first 18 months.

4.  Drive System – There are manufacturers and dealers that are extremely negative on cable drive systems. This does not make sense for a number of reasons. The most obvious is that your common elevator in a mall, office building or institution is driven by cables. Rack and pinnon does require lubrication and can be some noise issues. Bottom line is that both systems are fine and one does not have a distinct advantage over the other. If a dealer is bad mouthing a drive system, it is usually because they have a hidden agenda.

5.  Installation – It is clearly an advantage to use a local stair lift installation company to install your stair lift. However, if you are in a rural area where there is no qualified stair lift installation company, then there is nothing wrong with considering a self installed stair lift.

Learn more about stair lift reviews.

Why is Stairlift Seat Height so Important!

About ten years ago, I remember stair lift suppliers offering only a few seat heights.  The common height of the seat off the floor was about 23″.  To put this into perspective, if you measure your kitchen chair, you will find the seat height of about 17″.

Imagine your kitchen chair being 6″ higher and trying to get on and off the chair.  If you are a short person then transferring to the chair of the stair lift will be somewhat difficult if the height of the chair is 23″.

Most stair lift manufacturers started to recognize a number of years ago the importance of a stair lift seat height that was closer to a normal chair height and started to modify their designs to accommodate this need.

The seat height factor is most evident at the bottom of the stairs.   At the top of the stairs, the lift can be stopped short of the top step so as to allow for a lower seat height.  However, stopping the stair lift short of the top of the staircase is not the best solution since this could result in the stair lift user not being able to dismount further away from the top of the stairs.

One of the best ways to make sure the stair lift seat height is not an issue is to build up your kitchen chair to the same height of the stair lift model you are considering.  Then, test transferring to and from the chair to assure safety.

Most of the self installed stair lifts have a high seat height.  This is mainly due to the fact that it is generallly less expensive to make a standard height stair lift.  Acorn, Ameriglide and Summit stair lifts current model offerings are higher seat heights.

There is a tendency for  stair lift models offered by companies that install stair lifts to have more options in seat heights.

When you are selecting a stair lift company, I would highly recommend a company that can offer you more than one manufacturer, a number of stair lift models so as to give you more choice in options that includes a variety of seat heights.

What are People Really Wanting When Searching for a Stair Lift

People looking for a stair lift are wanting a few simple things from a local representative.  First, they want fast, good information.  Second, they want to be treated with respect by a friendly, compassionate, knowledgeable company.  Third, they want a fair price for the product and service offered.

Client comments clearly focus on the total experience as being extremely important.

“The contact dave was very helpful& courtious.and i am in the process of making a purchase, thankyou! “Industry, PA

“I have received extremely informative emails, your website if great and I’ve talked with a very helpful and understanding woman.  All in all, a wonderful experience!! Missouri, USA

“My Dr. had the paperwork fax to him on time. I am very pleased with effeciecency of your company.” Federalsburg, MD

“The best company I have dealt with in a long time.”  Edmonton, Alberta

New Stair Lift Models Not Necessarily Better

I have been the stairlift industry for almost 20 years and there is one thing that I have learned the hardway.  A new stairlift model is not necessarily better.  What I mean by this is that I have found that stairlift models that have been out in the marketplace for at least two years tend to be more reliable than a new stairlift model.  It seems to take about two years for the stair lift manufacturers to iron out the kinks of a new stair lift model.

Almost without exception, I have witnessed launch of many new and improved stairlift models.  Most often, there has been a period of time where the stairlift dealer is forced to be the research and development team in the field for the stairlift manufacturer.  The stair lift user does not benefit from this process.

The more complex the stair lift, the more the need for some time in the marketplace to work out the issues.  A curved stair lift would require perhaps even more time in the field than a straight stairlift since a curved stair lift tends to be more complex.
This some thinking would apply to a curved stair lift or straight stair lift with more new options available.  New and improved is not necessarily better.

What are some of the factors that establish a stairlift as being proven and stable in the field?

1. The stair lift installation company and their installers are familiar with the service and weak points,
2. The installers have been trained in the stair lift model installation,
3. The stair lift dealer has the key parts in stock if service issues arise,
4. The stairlift manufacturer has sufficient technical staff that are familiar with the new model,
5. A period of time has passed so that new product launch issues have been addressed with design improvements.

It is highly advisable to include the length of time that a stairlift model has been out in the marketplace as one of your stairlift questions.  Give substantial weight to this factor in your decision making process of selecting the right stairlift for your specific needs.

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