Wheelchair Stair Lift

If you are taking care of someone who is disabled, you know it can be difficult to carry them up and down the stairs. If you are the one that is disabled, you will definitely not enjoy having to depend on someone else to help you move around the home. The good news is that a good wheelchair stair lift can help. This way people in wheelchairs can easily be carried up or down the stairs by just pushing a button.

Using a wheelchair stair lift is easy. It is a motorized way that people can get up and down the stairs within the home. The great thing is that the person merely has to stay seated and the ramp or track will lift the chair right up the stairs for them. The great thing is that you can still use the stairs, you won’t have to reconstruct your home to put one in, and it is fairly easy to install these lifts as well. Another bonus is that purchasing and installing one of these lifts is fairly easy for you to afford.

Various Types
There are a variety of different types of lifts available. Here is a look at some of the lifts that are available to you if you are considering the purchase of a wheelchair stair lift:

- Cable Hauled - This lift has cables on it that works to actually haul the wheelchair up the stairs and then down again. This is a very quiet system, but it is known for being quite jerky, which can lead to more accidents.

- Running Chains - Running chains drive these types of lifts. The button on the chair will activate the chains, which then bring the wheelchair down or take it up. This lift is the noisiest one of the bunch.

- Rack-Pinion - This type of a stair lift is very popular. There is little noise and it is light duty. Many hospitals actually use this type of a wheelchair stair lift because it is so easy to use and so quiet.

- Mains Powered - These lifts are not very popular these days. Other technologies are outshining them. They are not as safe or reliable as other types of lifts.

- Screw Driven - These lifts are driven by special screws. However, if you are looking for a lift for home use, it is not the most popular option.

Paying for the Lift
In most cases a good wheelchair stair lift is fairly affordable, depending on the one that you choose. For a straight track rack-pinion lift, you can pay about $5000 for it. Of course there are other lifts that can be as much as $25,000. Of course they are still cheaper than a cage lift or having to put in an elevator. The reason they are fairly cost effective is because they don’t require that your structure is broken down or reconstructed.