Managing Stairs: The Stair Lift

Managing Stairs: The Stair Lift

By Susan Luxenberg, President, HomeSmart LLC

There are many different types of stair lifts: straight rail stair lifts, curved rail stair lifts, indoor as well as outdoor stair lifts.  They can be purchased new or used. [If you have experience with a lift, please tell us about it in our comments section below.]

Straight stair lift

Rented Stair LiftCurved Stair LiftOutdoor stair liftOutdoor stair lift

Many can benefit from a stair lift

You do not need to have aging infirmities or be a wheelchair user to be faced with a challenge when negotiating stairs.  Leg or back injuries can also make stair climbing painful if not impossible.  One of the best options for handling the stairways found both inside your home and out is a stair lift.

Stair lifts are chairs that ride on a rail up and down a staircase.  While stair lifts are usually not practical for wheelchair users, they are ideal for those with strength, balance, respiratory or cardiac problems.  The user approaches the chair, sits down, presses the button and off they go.

There are many models of stair lifts but they all have basically the same features and operate the same way.  A standard installation involves bolting a rail to the stair treads (not the wall), attaching a chair to the rail, and mounting call/send switches at both the top and bottom of the staircase.

Stair lifts can be built for staircases with outside or inside curves and can also be set up to handle flat landings with turns.  Most stair lifts have a seat belt, locking swivel seats and safety switches which will stop the unit’s travel if the stair lift comes in contact with obstacles, pets or people. Some manufacturers have folding hinged tracks that allow the track to fold out of the way when the stair lift is not being used.  The illustration below shows various workable configurations for stair lift equipment.  Basically they can be set up to work with any staircase.

Stair Lift Configurations

Stair lifts are no longer bulky pieces of equipment but rather have been redesigned to be as unobtrusive as possible and to fit in with your decor. You can now choose seat styles ranging from traditional to modern and select between upholstery fabrics and colors.

Designer stair lift

The costs of stair lifts vary and can range from about $1,500.00 to $3,000.00 for straight units and $5,000.00 to $20,000.00 for curved units.Stair lifts can also be rented for those whose physical condition is likely to deteriorate in the foreseeable future to the point where accessing the seat becomes impossible, or if you only need a short term solution. To be able to use a stair lift the user needs to be able to stand at least well enough to do a standing transfer on and off the seat at the top and bottom of the stairs.

Stair lift cost

Do your research first to determine those features you’d like – it’s easy enough to get manufacturer’s information and general pricing online.  Once you’ve found a company that installs the product you like, you can ask for their assistance in determining the appropriate configuration for your specific situation.

Stair lift

Stair lift

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7 Comments

  1. Thank you for the article Susan, a lot of useful information. I have been in my home for 28 years it containsa lot of memories, but it’s a two storey and health meant it was harder to climb stairs, and I did not want to move out. I got a straight stairlift installed and now I dont have to. Your article also shows there are stairlifts for all kinds of stairs.

  2. Robert Chase says:


    Protection was my main concern when I bought a stair lift for my father. Thanks for sharing.

  3. Michael Lee says:

    *My parents are getting to the age where stairs are getting tricky for them to handle. Us kids have been thinking about getting them an in-home stair lift so that they have more freedom. The cost of the stair lift is also interesting because you can rent stair lifts. https://www.elevatorsandstairlifts.com/stair-lifts

  4. Paul The "Stairlift" Guy says:

    The graphic showing all the types of stair configurations is really helpful. There are many types that need different types of stairlifts, whether it be a curved stairlift or a straight stairlift

  5. It is such a wonderful post. Stair lifts are great for any home and also it resolves the mobility and moving problems without any difficulty.

  6. MAP DISINGH STAIR LIFT

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