Common Misconceptions About Lift Recliners

One of the most common uses for a lift chair is to make it easier and safer to stand. Lift chairs are like recliners in some regards, offering a footrest and reclining backrest, although they are also designed to provide a safe way for its user to stand and sit independently.

In a lift chair, an electrical motor is responsible for controlling the backrest and footrest. This makes it incredibly simple to find a comfortable position, by simply pushing a button on the lift chairs hand control. However, this is not the only job of the electrical motor, as it is also responsible for raising the chairs frame and the person sitting in it safely to their feet. When it is time to sit again, the lift chair can subsequently be used to allow the person to sit in a controlled manner as well.

Understanding Lift Chair Misconceptions

One of the misconceptions about lift chairs is that they could potentially cause someone to fall out of the chair if it is accidentally raised, but this is simply not the case.

For one, modern lift chairs use a constant pressure switch, which means the lift chair will only rise while someone is pushing the button. If the button is accidentally pushed, the lift chair will not automatically raise.

Further, even when the lift chair is fully raised, it is possible to remain seated in the chair. The angle of the seat is such that there is not a fear of being dumped from the lift chair. In fact, it would be possible to remain in a fully raised lift chair, without standing up for an indefinite period of time.

How These Misconceptions Developed

Some of these misconceptions are as a result of the first lift chairs used, over twenty years ago, which used a spring lifting system, instead of the modern electrical lifting system. The spring lift chairs were notoriously unsafe, because they did not offer the protections described above. While almost no one still makes spring lift chairs, and certainly no reputable medical companies do, there are a few companies that still offer spring lift chairs. One indication is the price, if the price is exceptionally low compared to other lift chairs, then it could be a spring system. It is imperative to avoid these lift chairs and any merchants that still sell them.

Fortunately, no reputable medical company will sell a spring lift chair, so it is seldom an issue, but it is something that you should be aware of.