Two main options are available for making separate floors of a home more accessible for people with mobility concerns: stair lifts and home elevators. Choosing carefully which type you put in your home can save you some grief later on. Here’s why we at Home Elevators of BC think home elevators are better than stair lifts.
They get less in the way of others parts of the home
A stairlift can only be installed in one place in your home: on the staircase. Even if you have a spacious home, a stair lift will take up valuable space around the stairs, which other members of the household may need. Stairs lifts make the steps awkward and potentially unsafe to use, especially if someone is in a rush or carrying a heavy load of laundry. With a home elevator, you can pick a free closet-sized space in your home to put it in that will not disrupt other people’s regular routines of getting around.
They’re easier to use and safer
Stairlifts are safe, of course, or else they wouldn’t be sold at all. But they do require their users to do more to keep themselves secure. You have to get yourself into a comfortable position and buckle yourself in—something that isn’t easy for everyone to do and which can end up getting neglected. You want to be able to get from one floor to the other without having to depend on anyone else to help you out, and a stair lift can be tricky if you’re already unsteady on your feet. With a home elevator, however, you can just press a button to open the door, walk in or roll in on your wheelchair, then press another button to get to the other floor.
They’re convenient for multiple purposes
You can use a home elevator to bring laundry downstairs or carry your meal upstairs. And on top of that, you don’t have to worry about yours getting left on the opposite floor of what you need—whereas with a stair lift, if you leave it upstairs after deciding to walk down the steps you could end up stranded.
