What a difference a stair lift makes!

Every so often, Neil goes away for a few days. Preparing for this can be a bit like a military operation. He does as much shopping, cooking and washing as possible to leave me with as little as possible to do for myself. Even so, by the time he gets back, I have generally been exhausted and in pain.

One of the 'little' things that Neil does without either of us probably realising how often, is going upstairs to get things for me (or downstairs, if I am upstairs). This is where the last couple of trips away have been better. Since the stair lift was fitted, I can get up and down the stairs, without my knees and back hurting. It also removes the stress of trying to remember everything I might need between morning and evening, to avoid unnecessary journeys up and down the stairs.

The seat folds away - you can see the fold line - so that it isn't in the way when not in use. The footrest also folds away. You can get automatic ones that fold themselves up but I decided I didn't need that.

In the picture above, you can see three light blue things. The top one is the seat belt. Okay, let's be honest, I wore it for the demo and will probably never wear it again. The blue thing that looks like a beak coming out of the armrest is the control. You push it in the direction you want to travel. I have discovered that pushing it more firmly does NOT increase the speed. The lever by the seat is to swivel the chair round. When you get to the top, you press that (there is one on each side) and turn the seat round to get off.

To save money, we bought a reconditioned lift but as you can see, it looks like new. When you buy reconditioned, it is the motor and the rail that are used. They put new upholstery on it. So far, I have been more than happy with it. It is great for Neil to be able to go away for a few days, without worrying that he'll return to find me in pain and tired out!