A Look At the Lift Chair and Why it is Popular Among the Elderly

There are many things that can change in a persons life as they grow older, many of which are a wonderful and natural part of growing older. However, while many of the changes occur as part of the normal aging process, there are also a significant number of diseases and conditions that commonly afflict the elderly. Among them, arthritis is probably one of the most recognized, but there are many other diseases and conditions that affect seniors.

For seniors who has arthritis, which is not actually a single disease, but refers to more than a hundred different types of arthritis, it is common for standing and sitting to be difficult. This is one of the reasons that lift chairs are such a popular type of home medical equipment.

The lift chair, or, as it is aptly nicknamed, the lift recliner, is a powerful safety tool designed to make the living room safer and easier to use for the elderly. The chair itself is designed to resemble a recliner, with a backrest and footrest that can be adjusted to help improve comfort.

However, unlike traditional Lazy-Boy Recliners, which are quite comfortable, but very difficult to get out of for seniors, lift recliners have a built in motor that causes the chair to rise upwards when activated. The electric lifting motor, which also allows the backrest and footrest to be controlled, is used to raise the frame of the chair upwards at an angle that makes it easy to exit the lift chair in a standing position.

Lift recliners use a a simple hand control, which on some lift chair models only has two buttons that can control the entire lift chair, including the footrest and backrest. On most lift chairs, the hand control is attached to the side of the chair by a wire that insures that the hand control is always within arms-reach of the person using the mobility aid, while also ensuring that the senior does not need to worry about replacing batteries. However, there are some models that have the lift chairs controls built directly into the armrest.

The lift recliners hand control is not only easy to use, but it also includes a built in safety switch, which will only move the chair while the button is being pressed. This is called a constant pressure switch and is seen in many other types of home medical equipment, such as bath lifts. This important safety feature ensures that the lift recliner will only raise, or for that matter recline, while the hand control is being used. If the button is simply pushed once by accident, such as if the user drops it or falls asleep on it, the lift recliner will not move.

Once activated the lift chair rises upwards, leaving the user in a position that is close to standing. As a result, the user can exit the lift recliner on their feet, with minimum difficulty. These devices greatly improve safety at home and are incredibly easy to use.