Stair lifts are really a blessing for the aged and the handicapped people. Handicap stair lifts help people with accessibility problems, to maintain an active lifestyle. Special care should be taken to purchase the right handicap stair lifts. Selecting a wrong stair lift can be uncomfortable and dangerous for the person using it.
Handicap stair lifts are available in different models - straight stair lifts and curved stair lifts - to suit straight, spiral and curved staircases. The stair lift uses a rail attached to the stairs to carry the person between floors. These lifts make use of ON and OFF buttons to move up and down the stairs. Curved stair lifts are more expensive than straight stair lifts. The handicap stair lifts come with a number of safety features such as safety sensors, seat belts with locking facility and safety breaking system.
There are some important points to be considered while buying a handicap stair lift. If you are buying a used stair lift, ensure that it has safety belt. When purchasing a handicap stair lift, the most important thing is to select a model, suiting the extent of the person’s disability. You should make sure that the persons using the lift can get themselves in or out of the seat on the lift easily. With these safety features, even aged persons can use the lift comfortably without much effort. From the different models of stair lifts available, you can choose a model fitting your budget and meeting your specific requirements.
Most models are equipped with battery backups to take on unexpected power breakdowns, thus providing reliability and safety for the person using the lift. Stair lifts come with seats that can be folded up when not in use. These lifts, if used properly following the instructions, can provide long years of safe and durable service. While buying a stair lift, take care to choose a model having a weight capacity 20 or 30 pounds more than the weight of the individual using the lift. These stair lifts are suitable only for handicapped people having some control over the upper body. Otherwise they cannot sit on the chair safely and there are greater chances of slipping or sliding from the lift as it moves.
While purchasing stair lifts, ensure that the dealer is an authorized one. One should check that the product received is fully functioning and has passed all factory tests. In order to install a stair lift, the correct measurements of the stair have to be taken. It would be better to get the service of a professional lift installer rather than installing it yourself.
Choosing the Right Handicap Stair Lifts
Everything You Need to Know About Stair Railings
Are you thinking of decorating your home but you do not want to do a lot to it? Are you looking for something which will add a lot of character to your home without having to do a lot of work? If so then stair railings may just be for you.
Stair Railings and Their Many Uses
Stair railings come in extremely handy and they can be used both indoors and outdoors. Outdoors the railings can be used as a safety barrier between the stairs and the floor. It is easy to fall when going up and down stairs so by providing outdoors railings you are protecting both yourself and any visitor which comes to your home.
Indoors stair railings also add a safety feature but they can also look really decorative as well. The only real difference about indoor and outdoor railings is that with indoor ones you can use whichever material you like for them. When they are outside they are exposed to all weathers and that can wear them down or damage them if you have the wrong type of material. Usually the best choice of material for outdoor railings is iron and indoors wooden ones are the most popular.
Wooden indoor railings can create a modern, warm look which are inviting. They can also give the home a slight country feel and you can feel instantly relaxed because of that. Iron and other metal railings can be a little too imposing, especially inside so it is generally better to select wooden ones for in the home.
One of the main things which you need to remember is that no matter which type of railings you are fitting, they need to be measured and fitted properly. If they are measured incorrectly they may not hold a persons weight and they could be potentially dangerous. Obviously this is a big problem so it is vital that you measure the area where they are going and if you are unsure about fitting them yourself, hire a professional to do it for you.
Stair railings can look good both indoors and outdoors and you can purchase them in a number of different materials. Each material has a different look to it and that will affect the overall look of the home when they are used. Always ensure that you purchase ones which match the theme of the home for example do not get modern wooden railings if your home look old fashioned!
Overall choose carefully when looking for stair railings and remember that you can choose whichever material you like indoors but generally iron is better for outdoor use. All railings have the potential to improve the look of your home and though they can also stand out and look odd if you purchase the wrong ones.
Andrew Caxton is a journalist who has written more articles and newsletters on this subject for http://www.home-decorating-reviews.com . You can find more information and resources on stair railings at his website.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Caxton
RSS Feed (xml)
