Lift Recliners and Chair Positions

As the body begins to age, there are many natural changes that occur. For example, it is normal for it to take a little bit longer to process information, which is not a sign of what is often described as senility, but is actually a normal part of growing older. However, while there are many natural changes, there is also an increased risk for the development of certain diseases and conditions. Some of these diseases can be prevented, such as by ensuring that a healthy diet is followed, but this is not always the case.

Among seniors, arthritis is one of the more common disorders, which also can have the biggest impact on someones life. Arthritis refers to not one disease, but actually over 100 diseases, which can cause joint problems, making it difficult to walk and get around. While arthritis can be found in people of any age, it most commonly affects seniors, causing problems with walking and using the hands. Often, arthritis leads to difficulties standing and sitting as well, which is most often seen in the living room.

To address this issue of difficulty standing, a number of approaches are used, but consistently, the lift recliner offers the easiest and most effective way of ensuring a senior is able to stand on their own. The lift recliner, or lift chair, is not exactly a new device, with the first model developed around 25 years ago, but in regards to other types of medical equipment, like wheelchairs, this is rather new.

How Lift Recliners are Classified

There are many types of lift chairs, with a number of models and different manufacturers, such as Pride Mobility and Golden Technologies, but most lift chairs fall into three categories; Two-Position, Three-Position, or Infinite-Position lift recliners. These lift recliner categories are used to describe how far the backrest of the lift chair recliners.

A Two-Position lift recliner is usually the least expensive option, but it is also the least configurable. A two-position chair can be reclined to about 45 degrees, which will work well for watching television, but might not be as good of a choice for sleeping or napping. This position is also sometimes called the TV Recline position.

The Three-Position Lift chair offers a better solution for those who would like to sleep or nap, as the backrest reclines almost completely horizontally. The cost is a little more than 2-position chairs, with 3-position chairs falling in the middle of the price range.

Infinite position lift chairs are the most expensive option, but are also the most configurable. The backrest reclines further than a 3-position chair and the footrest can be operated independently of the backrest. This is not possible with the other kinds of lift recliners and means that the backrest can be reclined without extending the footrest and the footrest can be extended without having to extend the backrest.

One thing that is important to remember is that none of these chairs are limited to only two or three different positions, but instead they are reclined electronically and are only limited by how far the lift recliner can recline. So, a three-position chair can actually be reclined to many more than just three positions and is only really limited by how far back the chair can go.