Tuesday 27 March 2012

Stairlifts: a facelift to your building

With an increase in demand for comfortable housing, it is a common sight to see new and taller skyscrapers being built in every nook and corner of a city. This leads to the problem for most people to climb higher up to reach their residences. And since necessity is the mother of invention, stairlifts come as a boon to many in such cases.  This is basically a seating arrangement that moves alongside a staircase within a building. Mostly these facilities work using electricity, but with the advancement in technology we have advanced versions that run on battery power. This ensures that the stairlifts are running even in the event of a possible power cut, which one often has to face in towns and cities.

Now this technology is not just used in buildings, rather its popularity is catching up within multi-storied houses too where the family rooms are situated on the higher levels and there are aged people in the family. This is seen to be especially beneficial to those who suffer from physical ailments and who would have had to otherwise look for a change of residence due to their inability to climb stairs.

There are two types of such lifts found in the market – the straight and the curved. As the name suggests, the straight version is useful for places where there are no turns or landings in the stairs whereas the curved model is fitted in structures that have staircases with corners and which have landings at different levels.

The lift can also be moved using a hand held controller or through touch. This ensures safety of the user as he can navigate by himself thereby making it safe enough for him to use. Another model of stairlifts is the swivel chair which moves in such a way that the person seated in it always faces away from the wall. When the individual climbs into or gets off, it turns ninety degrees away from the wall and locks up, thereby making it easy for him to avoid banging into the wall.

Further research has come up with additional features incorporated to cater to the various needs of the users. These days we find equipment with built-in sensors to not just manage the speed, but also to identify blocks coming in its way and forewarning so that no damage occurs to it. There are also certain models that come equipped with a seatbelt. This works in the same way as the seatbelt one has in a vehicle.

When there are children in the family, like any other electronic gadget, this too should be maintained such a way so that it does not pose any threat to the children. Keeping this in mind, the makers of these lifts have also added a feature called a lockout switch that does not allow children to operate it. It works like the child lock you put on television.

Hence, depending on your need, you should choose the stairlift that would benefit you and all those who need to use it.

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