Improving Safety With a Lift Chair
Often, this is as a result of mobility limiting diseases, such as arthritis.
Walking around and standing up without any help is one of the more common difficulties people have, but limited vision can also make things like driving much more difficult as well.
Falling while standing up and the inability to stand independently are some of the more common obstacles to those who are older, so often a lift chair is used in the home.
Lift chairs are a type of mobility lifting aid that is used to raise an individual safely to their feet.
These chairs have a strong lifting unit that actually raises the entire chair, occupant and all, into the air.
The chair is raised very slowly and when it has reached its peak, the occupant is left at a perfect position for exiting the chair in a standing position.
These devices are designed in a manner that makes them easy to use.
Most can be completely controlled by only two buttons that are found on an attached hand control.
They usually have a few other buttons as well that can be used to customize the chairs position.
One of the great things about an attached hand control is that you never need to worry about losing it.
It also doesn't use batteries, so there is never a concern about struggling to replace the batteries.
These mobility lifting aids are usually classified into three distinct categories that describe how far back the chair can recline.
You will commonly see them referred to as two-position, three-position, or infinite position chairs.
A two-position chair reclines the least and goes back about 45 degrees.
Three-position chairs can recline almost all of the way, to a position that is very comfortable for sleeping.
Infinite position chairs can also recline almost completely horizontally, but unlike the other two chair categories, infinite position chairs allow independent movement of the footrest and backrest.
This means the backrest can go back, without extending the footrest, which allows for almost endless combinations.
The names are a little misleading though, because a two-position chair can actually achieve more than just two positions.
The backrest can be stopped at any point up to the chairs limit, in this case about 45 degrees.
This is also true of three position and infinite position chairs.
Finding space for a lift recliner is seldom a problem, because they take up about as much space as a regular lazy-boy type recliner does.
The exact distance varies, but most need to be placed between eleven and eighteen inches from the wall to still completely recline.
For very tight quarters, wall hugger chairs are available.
These chairs can be placed much closer to the wall, while still completely reclining.
One example of a wall hugger is the Pride LL-805, which is a two position chair that can be placed only six inches from the wall and still completely recline.
There are three-position wall huggers available as well.