If you have an elderly loved one who is beginning to have trouble getting around and you’re worried about their safety, then you may be wondering whether stair lifts are a good investment. Of course, when it comes to senior home safety, if you have the financial resources, any investment you make that can help ensure safety is a good one. But for the rest of us who have limited resources (whether you’re paying for quality home health care services, prescription medications, and any other necessities that are required), then you may question whether something is actually necessary.
For example, grab bars for the shower or tub is a simple and cost effective solution to help keep your loved one safe while they get in and out of the shower. Now, as for stair lifts, this can be a significant investment and one that you may not be able to afford without some careful planning and budgeting, so you want to make sure that they are needed.
Ask yourself a few basic questions first. Are the stairs in the home a necessity? What this means is that would your loved one be able to live and function for the most part without having to ascend to another level? The master bedroom may be on the second floor while all of the other rooms are on the main level. If this is the case, then moving down into another bedroom may be a safer and more cost effective option, if they are willing to make that move.
Second, what kind of stairs are in the home? Are they spiral stairs that are narrow and hard to manage? Are they steep and have a ninety degree turn? Are they hardwood? Hardwood stairs can potentially be slippery and this can lead to falls, especially if the senior is wearing certain slippers or socks. This can lead to hard falls and very serious injuries.
If this is the case, then you may want to seriously consider investing in stair lifts. In some cases, insurance and even Medicare may reimburse some of the cost for these lifts, which would help offset the cost of them. If you feel that the only way to assure senior home safety for your loved one would be to include stair lifts in their home, then you should begin by determining whether they can be incorporated into the stairwell, how much different models will cost, and how much, if anything, insurance will cover.
