Chair Lift - What Alternatives Are There?

Difficulties climbing stairs

There are usually some key factors affecting your ability to climb stairs in your own home. This could be due to natural aging processes or diseases / injuries that limit your mobility level and balance.

Traditionally there have been three alternatives to solve the "stair problem":

1. Chair lift, which transports the user up and down the staircase
2. Rebuilding your home to one-floor living
3. Moving away from your home

Research shows however that two important factors affect our quality of life and life expectancy:

1. You activity level is one of the most important predictors of your life expectancy
2. The majority of us wants to continue living in our own home our whole life

Chair lifts are usually priced around $2,995 - $4,500 for a straight stair and $9,900 - $15,000 for curved stairs. The final price depends on many factors, such as how many turns you need, the length of the stairs, extra features you may need and extended warranty.

Surveys done by which.co.uk show that you should expect annual costs for repairs after the typical 1 year manufacturer warranty has finished. Stair lift dealers and manufacturers are known to make a lot of money in the after market, since chair lifts usually require service every 6 - 12 months.

AssiStep is a stair assistant developed by industrial designers in Norway. It was launched in 2015 and has expanded to most European countries in the period 2017 - 2020. There are today thousands of people that use AssiStep on a daily basis, and it has many benefits compared to traditional chair lifts.

The AssiStep is developed for people who still have a certain walking ability and gait functioning, but for different reasons need more support and safety while climbing stairs.

• People affected by stroke
• Amputees
• MS-patients
• Parkinson-patients
• People with muscle diseases
• People with hip fractures
• COPD-patients
• Children with Cerebral Palsy or similar diseases that reduce walking ability

The AssiStep is a stair climbing aid that requires the user to have a certain walking ability, and is especially useful when there isn't expected a quick decline in the mobility of the individual. For many people, the AssiStep can enable the person to maintain or even improve their gait function and thereby staying independent from the help of others.

• AssiStep is the only stair aid that has won the prestigious award for "Best solution" by the SilverEco Ageing Well Award.
• The AssiStep is 100% modular, which allows for very quick delivery and installation.
• No recurring costs in most cases, since you usually don't need to apply for building permits, periodic lift control, service or repairs.
• Environmentally friendly production and assembly since it's based on hydro power.
• Superior reliability since it's a pure mechanical product that usually don't require service