Choosing a Safe Standing Aid

As a person grows older, there are some parts of the body that begin to change and there is also an increased risk of developing a number of diseases, such as arthritis, which accounts for why so many seniors have difficulty getting around. One of the most common tasks to become more difficult is standing up and sitting down, in part because this can be one of the most highly repeated tasks for a senior throughout the day.

This can present a number of problems and often leads to people relying on a spouse or other caretaker to help them stand. One of the main problems with this approach is that often the person helping the senior stand is themselves a senior, so both people are at an increased risk of a fall. The other major drawback is that if you must rely on someone else to help you stand, it is very difficult to live an independent lifestyle, as you must be careful to only sit or stand when you know someone will be able to help you get up later.

Since not sitting down throughout the day is usually not an option and because of the risks of relying upon a family member to help with standing, a much more effective and safe alternative is offered by the lift chair recliner.

What is a Lift Chair Recliner?

A lift chair recliner is a chair that is specially designed to not only provide a comfortable place to sit down, but to also allow its user to stand up on their own, unassisted. In design, a lift chair closely resembles a typical easy-chair, with a footrest and a backrest that can be reclined. However, a powerful lifting system is concealed in the base of the lift chair, which, when activated, causes the chair and its occupant to be slowly raised upwards. After the lift chair has finished rising, the user can exit the chair on their feet.

How to Use a Lift Chair

Most lift chairs are controlled using a hand control that is wired directly to the chair. This means you don’t have to worry about loosing it or replacing any batteries, like you do with a television remote, and that the lift chair hand control is always within an arms reach of the person sitting in the chair. The hand control is designed to be very simple and usually only has a few buttons, with some lift chairs only having an “up” and a “down” button. This makes the lift chair very easy to use, even by those with limited vision or those with dementia.

Popular Lift Chair Brands

There are quite a few different styles of lift chairs and several popular lift recliner manufacturers, but Pride Mobility and Golden Technologies are the two most well known brands of lift chairs. Both Golden Lift Chairs and Pride Lift Chairs offer several different lines of lift recliners, which are usually comparable in style, quality, and price. Pride Lift Chairs and Golden Lift Chairs are not only the most popular, but they are also the oldest existing manufacturers of these lifting aids, both with more than 20 years of experience manufacturing lift chairs.