Stair lifts...any advice greatly appreciated

_Whimsical_ · 15-11-2010 5:03pm #1

We are thinking of getting one of these for a relative who had serious heart surgery last year. His mobility is fine but he has major problems with the stairs and his doctor has told him that this is to be expected and suggested a stair lift.

I have been looking them up online and I have some questions :

Is there a best brand or company to go with? Does anyone recommend one?

Do they feel safe and sturdy?

Do they breakdown often ?

Is fixing them expensive ?

If it's purchased via a grant scheme will there be aid in paying for maintenance of it ?

I think my relations main worry might be that it will become a financial burden on him and his wife if it's prone to breakdowns. Any advice would be welcome.
Thank you

SerialComplaint · 15-11-2010 5:25pm

_Whimsical_ wrote: »

I think my relations main worry might be that it will become a financial burden on him and his wife if it's prone to breakdowns. Any advice would be welcome.
Thank you

They are right to be worried. Servicing and spare parts is a big problem. He should look for help from an Occupational Therapist at his hospital for professional advice.

_Whimsical_ · 17-11-2010 12:18am

SerialComplaint wrote: »

They are right to be worried. Servicing and spare parts is a big problem. He should look for help from an Occupational Therapist at his hospital for professional advice.

Well that is worrying. It's something he'd really like to have for Christmas and I think its going to be a family present so he can have it. I think they enquired about an OT and there was a wait of several months.

When you say servicing and parts is a big problem is that your experience or a particular brand ? If it is would you mind saying which brand ?

If you buy a very well known one like Stennah is spare parts etc less of a problem ?

summit182 · 09-12-2010 12:37am

Stairlifts are not usually problematic if used correctly by the user. There are some brands that you should probably avoid but most brands are of a good quality. They usually perform fine for years as long as you get them serviced regularly i.e. once a year. Parts can be expensive or not depending upon the part, obviously if a major part goes then it will cost but the quality of lifts these days is quite good, it is probably more important who you buy it from rather than the brand........hope this helps.

summit182 · 09-12-2010 12:39am

Oh and by the way, if you get a grant towards the lift, it is your responsibility to maintain it from then on as it is your property.

_Whimsical_ · 12-12-2010 12:32am

summit182 wrote: »

Stairlifts are not usually problematic if used correctly by the user. There are some brands that you should probably avoid but most brands are of a good quality. They usually perform fine for years as long as you get them serviced regularly i.e. once a year. Parts can be expensive or not depending upon the part, obviously if a major part goes then it will cost but the quality of lifts these days is quite good, it is probably more important who you buy it from rather than the brand........hope this helps.

Thank you very much summit. That was very helpful.

Do you have any ideas what brands are good or which should be avoided ?

summit182 · 12-12-2010 2:10am

_Whimsical_ wrote: »

Thank you very much summit. That was very helpful.

Do you have any ideas what brands are good or which should be avoided ?

Rather than dis some brands, the good value ones imo, not in any particular order, are for straight lifts, Acorn, Thyssen, Meditek for example....for curved lifts then brands like Freelift, Thyssen, Stannah & Minivator are good quality but prices can vary for what essentially is a functional product. All stairlifts will have pretty much the same features in terms of function, safety, performance etc but will differ in design or look and most importantly price! Shop around, there are plenty of dealers out there that provide nationwide coverage.

burkemg · 13-02-2017 3:01pm

Interested in sourcing a stairlift which would curve around the top/bottom of stairs for my elderly mother. She wouldn't be applying for a grant as she no longer has a full medical card. However, I'm wondering can this be reclaimed as a medical expense for her next year?

summit182 · 13-02-2017 8:40pm

Grants for stair lifts are not medical card dependent, they are means tested by your local council...so she still may be eligible. Have a look at the application from from your local council for a 'Mobility Aids Grant' and it should become clear if she is eligible or not. You can claim the VAT back in full (Form 61A) and yes you can also claim tax relief for the purchase of the lift if it is purchased privately without any assistance from a local authority.

Darkglasses · 13-02-2017 10:40pm

As above, you don't need a medical card to apply for the grant. You just need to get the relevant page signed by her GP.

the14thwarrior · 13-02-2017 10:45pm

you need to apply for the mobility aids or housing aids grants also known as the MAG, the HAG or the old name the DPG. it is based on need. An occupational therapist report and assessment is usually needed. often the HSE OT's don't provide these reports, or you may be at the end of a very long waiting list. the AOTI is the professional body for OT, they have a listing of private OTS.

if a curve is needed, there are only two or three types of stair lifts that usually are used, there are about 5-6 main companies in dublin and nationwide that do lifts. a curved one generally costs 5500-6500. a straight one about 2200. but if you need a curve, get a curve one. automatic swivels will set you back about another 300.00 but they are really worth the money.

the forms for the grants are readily available from your local council, and they will list the means / income guidelines. you don't need a medial card to qualify for the grants.

burkemg · 14-02-2017 9:51pm

summit182 wrote: »

Grants for stair lifts are not medical card dependent, they are means tested by your local council...so she still may be eligible. Have a look at the application from from your local council for a 'Mobility Aids Grant' and it should become clear if she is eligible or not. You can claim the VAT back in full (Form 61A) and yes you can also claim tax relief for the purchase of the lift if it is purchased privately without any assistance from a local authority.

Thanks for the advice I'll get in contact with the local authority for an application form.

burkemg · 14-02-2017 9:54pm

Darkglasses wrote: »

As above, you don't need a medical card to apply for the grant. You just need to get the relevant page signed by her GP.

Thanks for that. I'll follow up on it.

burkemg · 14-02-2017 9:59pm

the14thwarrior wrote: »

you need to apply for the mobility aids or housing aids grants also known as the MAG, the HAG or the old name the DPG. it is based on need. An occupational therapist report and assessment is usually needed. often the HSE OT's don't provide these reports, or you may be at the end of a very long waiting list. the AOTI is the professional body for OT, they have a listing of private OTS.

if a curve is needed, there are only two or three types of stair lifts that usually are used, there are about 5-6 main companies in dublin and nationwide that do lifts. a curved one generally costs 5500-6500. a straight one about 2200. but if you need a curve, get a curve one. automatic swivels will set you back about another 300.00 but they are really worth the money.

the forms for the grants are readily available from your local council, and they will list the means / income guidelines. you don't need a medial card to qualify for the grants.

Thanks for that very helpful information. I'm working on convincing her that this is the best solution. She doesn't want to have to convert a room to move downstairs.

Stair lifts...any advice greatly appreciated

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