Making a few changes around your home can keep you or a loved one safer. With more people aging in place, it’s important to know that new technology has made living independently easier. Adding a stairlift to your home helps to prevent accidents and provides people with mobile challenges more independence. Watching for these five signs lets you know when it’s time to move forward with installing a stairlift that adds a touch of brightness to the future.
1- Avoiding Going Upstairs
Delaying walking upstairs is a sign that you might be experiencing fear or pain that makes doing so uncomfortable. Sometimes, mobility issues begin slowly, and you might not fully realize that it’s become that difficult to walk upstairs. Or, you might experience periodic dizziness that impacts your confidence in using the stairs.
2- Experiencing a Fall on the Stairs
Few things are more frightening than falling down the stairs. Although staircases should always have handrails to prevent falls, it’s still possible for an accident to occur. Since fall-related injuries on a staircase could be life-threatening, it’s best to take action right away. If the fall was caused by a mobility challenge, then adding a stairlift reduces the chances that this could happen again.
3- Developing a New or Worsening Health Condition
Arthritis can make walking up and down stairs extremely painful, and stiff limbs increase the risk of an accident. Or, your loved one may struggle with vertigo which makes them need to wait before they can go up and down the stairs. When you or a loved one receives a new health diagnosis, it’s worth considering how it impacts your ability to move throughout your house safely. You can even talk to your doctor about whether using a stairlift could benefit your health condition as you experience changes in your mobility.
4- Struggling to Keep Up With Household Chores
If you find that the upstairs portion of your house is being neglected, then this could be because you find climbing the stairs to be difficult. Unfortunately, being unable to clean restrooms and bedrooms in parts of your house increases the chances of getting sick or dealing with pest infestations. Stairlifts open up access to your home so that you don’t have to wait to clean.
6- Moving an Aging Loved One Into Your Home
Many families are moving senior loved ones into their homes, and this often involves making changes to the general household setup to improve accessibility. If your loved one needs assistance with walking or using steps, then a stairlift helps to take a large amount of their needs off of your hands. Making it possible for them to move independently throughout the entire house alleviates stress for everyone.
As you consider installing a stairlift in your house, remember that it’s always best to prevent injuries before they happen. Many stairlift installations come with benefits that families never know. Preventing a broken hip or other major injury is worth every effort you make to include a stair lift addition in your home safety plan.