Making Standing Easier With a Lift Chair

Being a senior can mean a lot of great things. From getting to spend more time with your children and grandchildren, to getting in half price at the movie, there are many aspects of life that can be great when you are a senior. However, some things, like day to day tasks, can become more difficult, fortunately, there are several popular types of home medical equipment available to solve these difficulties.

One of the most common tasks that becomes more difficult with age is standing and sitting. It is sometimes the result of injuries or arthritis that results in difficulty standing or sitting, however, no matter what the reason is, those who are unable to stand on their own, can easily feel very dependent. To solve this problem, lift chairs are used.

Lift chairs are devices that look like regular recliners, but instead of only providing a comfortable place to sit, lift chairs also make standing up and sitting down easier. A strong lifting system raises the chair and its single occupant to an upright position. This makes standing possible without help for most people and also ensures that sitting can be done in a controlled manner. There are many lift chairs available, but you will want to ensure it fits the body of its occupant and that it uses an electrical lifting and control system.

Getting up out of a regular chair is not the only task that can be difficult for seniors, with bathing and getting onto and off of the toilet also being routinely more difficult for seniors. There are several lifting aids available to help in these situations as well.

For the toilet, toilet seat lifts are available, which aid in standing and sitting on the toilet. A toilet seat lift can usually be installed onto a toilet without requiring any modification to the toilet. Depending on the model, some can support over 500 pounds, but most support around 300.

Bath Lifts

Bath lifts are also available to provide a safe and reliable way of getting into and out of the bathtub. The traditional bath lift provides a plastic chair that is placed in the bathtub and can be raised and lowered.

At its peak, the bath lift is flush with the top of the bathtub, so it is possible to transfer into or out of the bathtub safely and easily. These kinds of bath lifts use strong suction cups to securely hold the lift in place, while not requiring permanent modification to the bathtub. Usually rechargeable batteries are used in this type of bath lift, but there are water powered models available as well.

While most people opt to go with the traditional plastic chair type of bath lift, inflatable air powered bath lifts are also available. These use a air filled chair, which uses a fabric similar to that of a inflatable mattress. These units are a good choice for traveling, because they are lightweight and do not take up much space when they are deflated.

Often seniors find that standing and sitting becomes more difficult in all areas of the home. For this reason, lifting aids, like stair lifts, bath lifts, and toilet seat lifts, are most if not all trouble areas of the home.