installing a stairlift

[jmoffat]

the first P in PSP means Progressive so my wife and i are discussing installing a chairlift for me as things will get worse. it seems that there are many companies eager to take our money to provide one eg Stannah or even the charity Age UK-- anyone else out there who has gone through this? your advice most welcome

[JA10]

My parents have a stannah from when my Dad was in the early stages of MS. My Mum was advised to NOT use it as PSP comes with a loss of safety awareness and sufferers have been known to assume they were at the bottom while still half way down, then step off and fall.

Second to that is the ability to transfer can deteriorate quickly sometimes, my Mum has to use a swivel hoist thing to swap between her wheelchair and the bed etc.

Due to my Dad's MS, they actually have a wheelchair through floor lift, but we wouldn't have got one for Mum. I guess we would have had to have had a downstairs bedroom created, I don't know.

[Kevin_1 in reply to JA10]

Yes, Our OT said the same re. safety awareness. However Liz never tried to get off half way. She would try to walk across the room untended though. With regards to the latter she would say that she was sure she must still be able to walk.

However it gave Liz more than three years of sleeping in her own bed and using the shower.

If the seat belt is used and it is under supervision everything is covered.

Just our experience though.

[Satt2015]

Don’t get involved with stannah!!

We made an enquiry with them, they then hound you!!

Personally I think if you are able to get a bed downstairs and have a bathroom downstairs it’s the best option!!

For Psp patients I don’t believe a stair lift is the way to go!!!!

Maybe speak to your neuro team

X

[raincitygirl in reply to Satt2015]

..one, two, three..yes that was four exclamation marks.. ❤

[Kevin_1]

Hi JM

First off try social Services. They lend them out and they pay for the servicing which can be about £400.00 p.a. for a service contract and you really do need one of those. A breakdown with no service contract is can be expensive and you most often have to wait a for an engineer whereas with one they will do 'same day' in an emergency.

If you are going it alone. Definitely check out brands on Which? They do a trial membership for a tenner (don't forget to cancel at the end of the month). You will recoup that tenner many times over.

Our OT mentioned that there are a lot of stairlifts around which break down all of the time.

Nest you might be able to get a second hand one. If it comes fully serviced with worn parts replaced it could save you a lot.

We had an Acorn - It was OK and the service was good. We got it second hand from Acorn. I wasn't overly impressed with it, but it wasn't that bad either. If you get the Acorn type running on batteries get them to test the batteries when they install. They relace them free on the service contract anyway.

Hope this helps a bit.

Cheers

Kevin

[jmoffat in reply to Kevin_1]

kevinh

thank you for helping break through the sales talk

had a serious wobble about installing bathroom downstairs so thats why i wanted a stairlift to postpone the evil day when my cozy den is taken to bits -i do a lot of writing about quantum physics-but jacky talked me round so it looks like the bathroom downstairs option will win

[Kevin_1 in reply to jmoffat]

Long may you write about physics!

Best to you.

[NannaB]

We were told not to get one and SS would not fund one but would install a through the ceiling lift which C didn’t want as it would have meant taking out our new fitted wardrobes. I bought a reconditioned stairlift and it gave C over two years in a bed upstairs before moving down. I always strapped him in and walked upstairs with him. I could have hired it and in hindsight would have looked into that a bit more. I paid a maintenance fee which guaranteed 24 hour service. I kept it after C moved downstairs and it came in very handy transporting laundry etc upstairs and the grandsons loved it! When it was no longer required it was going to be £150 to have it taken out. No one wanted it. There were loads advertised for sale and free to collected. My son and I dismantled it and sawed it in half putting it outside to take to the tip. Before I could put it in the car a man in a van came round and asked if he could take it for scrap.

XxxX

[jmoffat in reply to NannaB]

thanks for making me laugh :))

[Yanno]

We have a cottage in Devon and we needed a compact lift to 'climb' a very narrow stairway. Having had some experience of both Stannah and Acorn with my elderly mother, we were very cautious about those companies. Two local installers both recommended the Access BDD Flow 2 lift which costs about the same, is very compact and is slightly different in design. One of the local companies installed the lift and they were a joy to deal with unlike the heavy sales orientated approach of the national suppliers.

We have been delighted with the lift - it has enabled us to continue to use the cottage which otherwise would be impossible. Jackie has MSA (rather than PSP) and so I cannot vouch for its suitability in your case - there is a lap belt but the passenger does have to be happy travelling looking down the stairs hence the 'different design'. I've just had a look on the web and you can see one at accessbdd.com

Take care, Ian

[Kevin_1 in reply to Yanno]

Hi Ian

Good to see you again.

I hope things are going as well as can be for you both.

Best to you.

Kevin

[Yanno in reply to Kevin_1]

Hello Kevin

As you know I worked with the MSA Trust to encourage the set up of a separate MSA community on HealthUnlocked having been so impressed with your community. I still keep an eye on the PSP group however.

Jackie and I always say things are just as you say..."going as well as can be under the circumstances".

Thanks for your thoughts, best wishes to you,

Take care, Ian

[Kevin_1 in reply to Yanno]

Yes, I've seen some of you work with the MSA. Great stuff.

Strength to you.

Best to you both.

Kevin

[Brenive in reply to Yanno]

Thank you , just watched the video. Helpful

[Javan]

We have had an Acorn recon stairlift for three years. All the experts said live downstairs, but we still sleep in our bed giving constant contact and a better life because a kiss and cuddle is always there. Keep normality as long as possible and stuff the "experts" aslong as it works for both of you.

[Hidden]

I bought a brand named handicare. Have had it for 2 years and no complaints about it. Larry has PSP. Haven’t had any problems so far.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Meant to include the website:

handicare.com/site-selection/

[Tippyleaf]

We have a Handicare chairlift has been in for 18 months cost us £5000 (curved stairs so no reconditioned ones available). but worth every penny. Company have been helpful and engineers reliable and pleasant. We use the seatbelt and so far my husband has managed well ( PSP) Other than when sis in law decided my husband should exercise by walking the stairs he hasn’t fallen on stairs at all since we had it installed prior to installation stair falls were a weekly event!

They do make the staircase narrower but other than that no complaints.

Good luck

Tippy

[Julieandrog]

Hi

Difficult one, we went straight for through floor lift, had bathroom made into wet room, gave the house some sense of normality, gave rog privacy and quiet.

Bad news they base funding on income not savings!we were just over the threshold which i might add was not a fortune so had to self fund, my mantra is future proof otherwise money down the drain. Was it worth it? A resounding yes, after his shower always said thats better or a thumbs up!

I am keeping the lift, means the house is as accessable as abungalow , so i do not have to move.

Jule

[Sayer]

Shop around. Used ones are available. Don't be bullied into servicing contracts. My second hand lift was reliable for years before needing a new battery which seem to be the main problem when they do go wrong.

[FoggyBay]

Just a comment based on our experience. We did install a stair lift when R started having balance problems (pre-PSP diagnosis) and it did the trick admirably. However, what drove us downstairs was the increasing inaccessibility to our upstairs bath/shower rooms. So I would suggest that before investing in a stair lift, look at ALL the facilities upstairs that you need to use and assess whether you will be able to use them when you need to make use of stand-aids and wheelchairs and commodes. We ended up converting a downstairs room to a bedroom and large wet room. I can't imagine how we would cope now without that conversion.

[Duffers]

Hi there. I had one installed for ger and it have him and helpers a few more years of going upstairs for showers etc. Seat belts always and sometimes others using hand held controls when hands not able. Supervision as time went on and more help with standing and transferring, but glad I did it. Ours was from Acorn.

Marie

[connc]

We installed one and it is helpful for now. It isn't going to be usable for too much longer. It is becoming very difficult to transfer my husband onto and off of the lift. He also has a hard time scooting back on the seat.

[Baileyboo]

Hi

We had an occupational therapist who advised that my husband needed a stair lift. She put the wheels in motion and the Social Services took care of it all.

If you have an occupational therapist you may be able to try this route. Or, maybe your GP could help.

My husband had PSP so the stair lift was invaluable for him and he used it without a problem.

I hope you can find someone who can help and advise you.

Best wishes

Pat

PS: I apologise for not using initial capitals for the occupational therapist but I took a strong dislike to her and was never able to communicate with her. I can't fault her help for Les though.

[Dickenson2]

We had a handicare stairlift installed cost about the same as Tippys one. Could not manage without it and firm quick to respond when we had a problem. You do need to use the seat belt and always supervise. John has never tried to get off it

[Katiebow]

Ben broke his hip at the time he was still just about managing the stairs so that put paid to living upstairs. We had a wetroom installed downstairs so live as if in a bungalow. I think we would have had to go for the lift option as our stairs are such a strange shape, however our bedroom had a step going down to it so that would have been difficult. We were very fortunate that the house lent itself to Ben having his own room downstairs but could operate OK if we have people staying. It's something you never think about when you buy a house.

Love Kate xx