[Closed] Homelift for Ageing Parents - Recommendations?

A bungalow?

If they're at a point where "a fall" is just something that happens, do you / they really want to be dealing with stairs at all?

@Cougar +1

I spent 15 years in this business as a fitter. For me , Stannah are the best engineered product , though pricey. They can be bought cheaper through independent suppliers , and Stannah make sure they use good people to supply.
Wessex were the best ‘through floor’ lift, also pricey, and .. spacey if you get me.
If it was my parents , I’d be looking at bungalows.

Will be keeping an eye on this thread, my elderly parents are coming round to looking into one, even more so after dad had a fall a couple of weeks ago.

They have made it absolutely clear that they have no intention of moving unless it is absolutely necessary and as such a bungalow is an total non starter, they have already earmarked semi sheltered housing come the day.

Another relative used https://www.companionstairlifts.co.uk/ when they had to get one, but the office they used and were happy with are based in Guiseley near Leeds so may not be helpful to the OP.

They have made it absolutely clear that they have no intention of moving unless it is absolutely necessary and as such a bungalow is an total non starter, they have already earmarked semi sheltered housing come the day.

Then 'persuade' them to move now while they've the choice etc, and not when it's 'forced' on them - like we're going through with my MIL right now.

FWIW we installed a Stannah for my Dad a fair few years ago, enabled him to be mobile for his last couple of years AND more importantly took the pressure off my Mum having to to watch/monitor etc. Not cheap, but are quality and totally customisable.

My Mum and Dad had a Stannah fitted. The salesperson wasn’t pushy and service and operation has been faultless even though the stairs are quite complicated. We did contact another firm and they were very, very pushy. Speaking to a friend sometime later it was confirmed that we’d made the right choice - she was in charge of sourcing for a major local authority. Good luck with your parents, it’s quite a journey.

If you are looking for a homelift, then Stannah have just launched a new fully enclosed homelift that’s really good, and looks quite slick (as homelifts go, realise they aren’t normally an ‘aspirational product’)

Full disclosure though, I do work for stannah. Not in your parents area, but the local service branch that covers that area are a cracking bunch of engineers and managers.

Stannah are the go=to for a reason and they are very good at protecting their position in the market. I had one of their reps round at my parent's house a few months ago and they were great with talking through the options, stairlift and homelift, with no pressure whatsoever to order. The construction of their house means a homelift is the best option (lime skinned lathe and plaster walls) but it's now the issue of persuading my dad it's going to benefit him.

They have made it absolutely clear that they have no intention of moving unless it is absolutely necessary and as such a bungalow is an total non starter, they have already earmarked semi sheltered housing come the day.

Dad refuses to even move down a floor (currently his room is on the second floor) where mum is on the first. She's keen to move to somewhere more suitable if/when dad goes but until then they're determined to stay as they are. Not the best when the house is over 5 floors with variable staircases.

Thanks for the input guys, much appreciated. I agree with Cougar that the most sensible solution would be a move to a more appropriate property. In fact, if you designed a house to be inappropriate for elderly people of increasingly challenged mobility, this would be it. From the uneven cobbled courtyard that it fronts onto, to the ludicrously steep tiered garden that saw my dad break his back in 5 places last year when he Mrs Doyled it off a terrace, via the multi level ground floor and the spiral staircase, the place is ludicrous. However it's also amazing and they love it as much now as the moment they first set foot in it 25 years ago.

So despite the urgings of me and my sisters, they're not going anywhere soon.

Looks like Stannah may well be worth considering. I'll have a look at this other company and any other thoughts please share.

For the sake of clarity I should confirm that we're looking at a homelift here, not a stairlift, as the spiral staircase rules that out from the start

However it’s also amazing and they love it as much now as the moment they first set foot in it 25 years ago.

My folks also didn't want to move.

So we sold up down south and moved in with them. They then rented a cottage 50m from us which meant they'd still the garden (nearly an acre) and were still 'here'. We installed the Stannah there after a couple of years and then renovated one of our buildings into a 'bungalow' which my Mum now lives in. We also performed major works on the house, to make it more what we wanted.

If that is too much for you, have you thought about live-in carers?

Slight thread highjack, but as there are some Stannah folk here what is the ballpark cost of a Stannah stairlift up a straightforward stair?

For my dad's house we went with a local company and I was surprised at the reasonable price - £1,000 fitted and a couple of years later they bought it back for £400.

As for the OP have you also considered changing the bath to a walk-in shower, with a chair in the shower and some of those suction handrails on the wall? We also found that those three wheeled mobility aids were good.

So we sold up down south and moved in with them. They then rented a cottage 50m from us which meant they’d still the garden (nearly an acre) and were still ‘here’. We installed the Stannah there after a couple of years and then renovated one of our buildings into a ‘bungalow’ which my Mum now lives in. We also performed major works on the house, to make it more what we wanted.

If that is too much for you, have you thought about live-in carers?

Fortunately my sister lives in Shrewsbury, so she is the primary point of contact/support (she also benefitted from free childcare/support for best part of 15 years so she is sanguine about that).

However, my other sister and I are comparatively close and are both actively involved. In truth,  moving would be out of the question right now with multiple kids in schools. My parents would be horrified at the potential negative impact on their grandkids and wouldn't want me clogging up the place anyway. Took long enough to get rid of me first time round!

In truth we're (fingers crossed) a few years yet from requiring additional support of that type. My dad recognises that his gardening days are pretty much over. The lift is because the spiral staircase is a pain and will become more so over the years.

However it does seem like the Stannah option is the one, unless anyone else seeing this thread has any other ideas?

Thanks again all!

Worth checking with your local authority to establish if they have any entitlement to grant funding for this. In housing adaptations grant is available for many. in most cases the client then signs ownership of the lift over to local authority. LA then takes responsibility for servicing and repairs and retains ownership of the lift when it is no longer needed. Its a good model.

Well I have a 2009 Stannah stair lift and a 2014 Terry through floor lift going for nothing.
The stair lift is ready to go but the through floor lift will need taking out and the floor making good.
Stair lift was £1400
Through floor lift was £8000

Wow! Thats an amazing offer. Whereabouts are you based?

That said, anyone know of the viability getting someone to extract said lift and then re-fit? Will lift companies do this? I'm assuming not, but then where do you find a self-employed fitter? Possibly issues around ceiling heights too?

On a separate note, can anyone give me thoughts/advice on the merits (or otherwise) of hydraulic v electric?

Cheers

I'm near Chester, I know Terry lifts sell reconditioned lifts so they must take them out & make good.
Send me a DM if you want any more info