I tried everything to avoid having that stair-lift! I investigated bungalows in the vicinity, to discover that anything with a similar square footage to our home would cost at least £100K more. Then I researched a proper lift for our home, to discover that it could only be built onto the outside and in the process would block the main access into our garden. The lift was quoted at about £17K and with building costs it was just not feasible. Then I investigated a through-ceiling lift, to discover that it was around £9K and I would lose some of my lounge and – shock horror – my dressing table in the bedroom, with nowhere else for it to fit! No way!!
So I reluctantly started researching stair-lifts. Only to find that in 2007 there was only one brand that could deal with the 2 bends in my stairs. The company was ThyssenKrupp, a Dutch company which at the time sold their Flow 2 range through Acorn. Curved stair-lifts cost more, have to be individually manufactured and have to be more engineered than a straight lift. The cost was £7,500. Gulp. There was a small range of colours but since I was having to redecorate anyway I tried to make the chair look an integral part of the hall stairs and landing. No easy feat!
The chair, which has a safety belt, swivels round 70° to negotiate narrow, steep and bendy stairways and rides on a tube which is securely anchored by 7 metal stanchions along the length of the staircase. As you can see from the photos, it intrudes into the stairs to allow the chair itself to go up and down without touching the walls.
The seat itself is powered by a battery which is automatically recharged when docked at the bottom station. The seat armrest controls take 2 LR14 batteries. Since it is powered by batteries, the stair-lift can be used during a power cut. If the batteries fail, the emergency cord can be pulled out and the chair can descend so you don’t get stuck. There are additionally 2 wireless “call and park” remote control handsets which each take 2 LR14 batteries.
How has it been? I have had the stair-lift for seven and a half years now so it has cost about £1K per annum so far. I expect it to last another 10 years or so with servicing at around £100 each time. It has stopped working 4 times. Twice because I hadn’t noticed the replaceable arm batteries were needing to be replaced, once for a mystery stoppage which the engineer fixed the next day (it happened late at night), and once because the main battery needed replacing (I was informed by Acorn that the whole main power unit had to be replaced at a £2K cost which was completely incorrect when I checked with ThyssenKrupp. Once I complained the matter was sorted out satisfactorily, but if I hadn’t investigated……)
The installation and call engineers need special training so on call out it is important to specify the need for a Flow2 specialist.
There are silly things that I find annoying. It is difficult to open the arm rest cover to replace the batteries, the footrest mechanism is weak (hubby has had to tie it up with a hidden plastic tag), the thing is a bit slow and it does take up a bit
of space at the top of the stairs.
But overall it does get me up and down stairs. I can carry things on it and it enables me to continue living in our home with its easy access, lovely garden and its short distance to the village with its independent shops, restaurants, cafes, pubs and a supermarket. A necessary evil!!
If you are ready for a stair-lift please speak to Sue Walker at the NMC, your OT or an Independent Living Centre before doing anything. It is a lot cheaper if you have straight stairs and you may be eligible for free support. (I was over the monetary threshold). Although I had no advice when I got my lift, the world has changed a lot since 2007!
No comments:
Post a Comment