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An email support group posting from Marlene
See photos of Marlene's Stair Glide
here
My mom is in a 2-story house with the laundry downstairs and most
bedrooms downstairs. Her stairs are like an L--changing directions part
way down.
Some things I have noticed on my trips up there:
- The stairs were not wide enough to keep the handrails up when the
Stair Glide was put in. Maybe this won't be a problem if the chair
faces down hill or up hill - but Mom's chair faces the other stair
wall. You will probably need to remove the handrail on the side the
chair is closest to.
- A swivel chair is nice - it swings so you can get into it, and
then swings to the proper position to ride. That way you can get into
it at the bottom of top of the steps without getting onto a step.
- Having the armrest lift up helps in getting in and out sometimes,
and would definitely help in "transfers" if you were in a w/c.
- You might need to get creative in carrying a laundry basket while
seated in the chair - how do you pick it up?? A pillow case works
better for me than the laundry baskets they have.
- My knees bother me if my feet are too far under the seat, and some
models have most of the foot rest under the seat. Sometimes if I am
stiff I have a harder time bending the knees and need the foot rest to
stick out farther. Toes that go beyond the footrest sometimes hang
down. This is a problem in Mom's, because when the chair turns there
is not much clearance from the steps and I must lift my feet/leg up.
- How often do you need to get the belt/gears oiled? Is that part of
it enclosed or open to dirt, cat hairs, etc?
- Having a control on the wall both at the bottom and top of the
stairs, as well as on the chair is very helpful. With 3 of us in the
house at one time, sometimes one would have gone upstairs while
another was downstairs. The chair arms had to be down, and the chair
had to be swiveled back to the riding position before the wall
controls would work.
- Find out how much the Stair Glide weighs. Mom had to have the
reinforcements placed under the steps to bear the weight of the unit
and passenger!
- Some units have a battery back-up power. I think that would be a
good idea, but never needed it. Mom's unit has had an electrical short
in it of some kind a couple of times, and had to get a switch replaced
once. It needs to be installed by someone who knows how to do it....
Hubby's comments: Do you have someone who know how to install the
thing if trying to buy it used? One size does not fit all--they are cut
to fit. Price new ones out before buying a used one. Pricing new ones
also lets you know what options are out there. Do you have anyone in the
area that can fix it if you don't buy from them? Does the used one have
an owner's manual and phone numbers to the company?
Hubby used the stairs without handrails, but he doesn't have HSP. If you
have room, please keep one set of handrails in place.
Having the Stair Glide has really helped Mom stay in the house. It does
not last forever--Mom's is now about 20 years old and acts up more now.
The person who sold and installed it says she probably needs a new one,
but Lynn doesn't like the house and Mom will be 80 this year, so they
don't want to get a new one.
Hope you are able to find what you need at a price you want to pay.
"Never give a crip a break" seems to be the slogan for much of this
stuff...
Marilyn
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