Lift chairs provide older adults with a means to maintain their physical independence and activity levels despite having a limited range of mobility. The right choice of chair can help improve an elder’s quality of life significantly.
Today’s elders value their individual agency and prefer to do many of the things they’ve done over the years by themselves. Their grown children should respect these decisions to a reasonable extent and support their parents in their desire to stay independent in their golden years while discussing matters of safety with them.
In Orem and other places in Utah, more and more families agree to the wishes of capable older adults to maintain their independence. Among the ways that families can strike a balance is by investing in devices and household implements to assist older adults in safely accomplishing everyday tasks with minimal assistance. Several such tools are readily available for sale; some, such as lift chairs can provide older adults with a means of maintaining the ability to stand and sit on their own.
Staying mobile
Staying in motion is part of everyday health, and nowhere is this more important that during the aging process. Encouraging older adults to remain as active as they can be can help them maintain good health and hasten recovery from injuries. However, injuries and conditions such as arthritis can impede an older adult’s range of motion and make standing up and sitting down difficult.
To avoid the complete loss of mobility, older adults can use tools to assist and support them in important motions. These tools can help restore an older adult’s ability to stand up and function without assistance, freeing them to engage in physical activities without overexerting themselves.
How lift chairs work
Lift chairs are not your ordinary recliners. They are medical appliances made to provide comfort and mobility for people with physical difficulties and limited mobility, including older adults and patients with disabilities.
These chairs can provide older adults not only with a comfortable spot to spend a leisurely afternoon but also empowerment and agency. By giving them the means to stand up and sit down on their own, they gain the needed agency to accomplish a basic task without needing assistance from a caregiver.
Unlike your typical living room recliner, a lift chair has a powerful mechanism that allows it to accommodate people with difficulty standing and sitting down. A lift chair can tilt far enough to assist a person in standing up and sitting down with minimum effort and risk of injury. Rather than a lever in the side like regular recliners, lift chairs are operated through remote control, eliminating the need for people to reach out and sit them.
Selecting the right chair
Lift chairs are a considerable investment for the older adult and loved ones. The chair they choose must meet the needs and wants of the elders that would use it.
Besides comfort considerations, chairs selected should also match the lifestyles of the senior citizens who use them. Elders who live more sedentary lives, for instance, may want a chair that’s comfortable for long-term sitting. More active older adults Some older adults may end up doing most of their activities—eating, drinking, and the occasional afternoon nap—on their favorite chair and may want a personal one that’s both comfortable and easy to clean.
By encouraging further physical activity, lift chairs and other assistive appliances can help improve the quality of life for older adults.
