Hi
I wonder if I can ask what experience members have of getting a stairlift installed? For example, are some brands more or less reliable or better supported than others? Is it worthwhile to get multiple quotes? Who should be specifying the stairlift - manufacturer, installler, health authority, local council???
Glad to hear your experiences.
Evening Andy
You need to make contact with your LA who will usually send out. An O/T to make an assessment of needs. A G.P, can also make a referral to the LA.
Thanks for the tip!
When my Mum needed a stairlift we managed to get one through the local council. Mum did not have much money so was eligible. They asked me to get 3 quotes and then they said which one we could have and arranged for it to be installed. She used it for many years until she had to go into care.
The council paid for it but we had to pay for servicing etc. Mum also had a habit of leaving clothes on the banister which would occasionally fall down into the workings of the stairlift and she didn’t notice so would get them all churned up in the lift. That used to cost about £100 every time we called them out to remove the items.
Thanks for the reply. Do you remember what make it was?
Sorry Andy, I can’t remember but it was one of the well known makes. Mum used it for about 10 years and it was a great help to her. It was immaculate when she went into care and we sold it privately for £100 with the buyer dismantling it himself. We were told that if you no longer need it within about 5 years you have to inform the council but after that they write it off.
We recently looked at stair lifts with a view to my dad coming to live with us. We have a very complicated stair case in a Victorian house and we didn’t even know if it was possible to install one at all. By chance we had Acorn come out first as they were the first available. The rail they have for curved stairs / corners is much thinner than other brands I’ve seen and we were really impressed.
The other thing I liked was that they take it out for you if it’s no longer needed and sell it on your behalf. They can also temporarily take it out if your cared for person goes into hospital or you need to decorate etc. Obviously if you’re intending to get help with the cost then this might steer you towards certain organisations anyway.
We have an Acorn stairlift too and it has made a world of difference for mum. Their service has been first class, they even sent someone out on a Sunday when we did something daft and froze it. We’re so glad we decided to have it and, as all the adverts say, wish we’d done it long ago!
I had a stairlift installed for my wife.
But when she died 3 years ago I decided to keep it.
Murphy’s law being what it is I knew that although I don’t need it,
that if I had it removed, the next day I would need it ! 