Lift Chairs for Seniors: Everything You Need to Know
Getting out of a recliner can be hard on your whole body. It takes knee strength, upper body strength, and core strength working in tandem to move from a seated, reclined position to standing. And as you struggle to get your hips above your knees, you increase your risk of falling.
Lift chairs are a mobility device to help you move from sitting to standing. They can also help you transition from standing to sitting without dropping into the chair. Learn more about why we recommend lift chairs for elderly and how to choose the right one for your lifestyle.
What Are Lift Chairs?
Lift chairs, or lift recliners, are specially-designed motorized chairs. When you’re seated, they feel like any other comfortable recliner chair. But when it’s time to stand up, you can press a button and the chair will raise up—slowly and safely—to help you stand.
Who Can Benefit from Lift Chairs?
Anyone who struggles with mobility issues may appreciate a lift chai. Whether you have osteoporosis, arthritis, muscle weakness, or something else, lift chairs can give you the boost you need. Using lift chairs puts minimal stress on your joints. They’ll help you move from sitting to standing, or even from fully reclined to standing.
Why Invest in Lift Chairs for Elderly?
There are many important reasons to consider lift chairs for seniors. The chairs support independence, increase safety, and provide lumbar support.
Support Independence
Investing in power lift chairs for elderly people is investing in their independence. If seniors can’t get out of their chairs comfortably, they may need to ask for help from family, friends, or caretakers. In fact, ⅔ of older adults need some level of assistance in their day-to-day lives.
A power lift chair empowers seniors to control their movements in and around their homes. Using tools like lift chairs helps seniors maintain as much independence as possible. It allows them to live in their homes or in minimal-assistance facilities for as long as possible—a process known as “Aging in Place.”
Aging in Place has serious health benefits. It reduces rates of depression and chronic illnesses in seniors.
Reduce Fall Risks
Getting in and out of chairs is one of the times senior citizens are at high risk for taking a fall. Lift recliners reduce that fall risk significantly. By supporting you as you move from sitting to standing, they allow you to get your feet properly beneath your body. This way, you don't have to rely on your arms to push yourself upright, and you don't risk falling if your arm muscles give out.
This is important, because according to the CDC, 1 in 4 adults over 65 has fallen in the past year. While younger people can usually recover from a fall, elderly people have a higher risk of breaking bones or having lasting damage. Many never fully recover from the consequences of a bad fall.
The more tools in place to prevent these falls, the more likely you are to continue leading a long, happy, and healthy life.
Keep Family Members Safe
Without a lift chair, seniors often ask family members to help them get up when they’re struggling. Unfortunately, few family members are trained in the proper techniques to help their elderly loved ones out of chairs.
As a result, you could be putting strain on your family members’ backs and knees.
Having a lift chair do this work puts less pressure on your loved ones to do it. This means they can stay stronger and healthier for a longer period of time as well.
Other Potential Benefits
Some lift chairs offer other benefits as well. For example, the Viva Lift Chair offers lumbar support and a power headrest. These types of features make it easy for seniors to find the most comfortable, supportive position for their bodies.
What Are Some Signs That You May Need a Lift Chair?
Not sure if you’re ready to invest in a lift chair? These signs indicate that it might be time to make the leap and give a power lift chair a try.
You Avoid Getting Up Once You’ve Sat
Think about how your normal evening looks. Are you willing to vacate your chair to use the restroom or grab a snack from the kitchen? Or do you ask your spouse to grab you the things or you avoid using the toilet as long as you can?
Sure, we’ve all had moments where we’ve just sat down after a long day and don’t feel like getting up again. But if you regularly avoid getting out of your chair after you’ve sat down, it may be time to make leaving your chair a little easier on your body. Standing shouldn’t be a strain you try to avoid.
Worse, there are risks to being too sedentary. For example, you could develop edemas or bed sores. If having a lift chair means you’ll move around more often, it’s a good investment in your overall health.
Your Balances Isn’t as Good as It Used to Be
If you’ve fallen in the past year, or you’re not as steady on your feet as you used to be, a lift chair can help keep you safe. The last thing you want is to be one of the 800,000 people hospitalized each year for having a bad fall.
Some signs that your balance isn’t as good as it once was include:
- You’ve fallen recently
- You’ve been getting dizzy or feel like the floor is tipping
- You get a feeling of headrush when you stand up
- You’ve been tripping more often than you used to
Your Body Hurts
Standing puts a lot of pressure on your joints, especially your knees. If your knees get weak, your body may try to compensate by using muscles in your arms or back instead. This can put your body out of alignment and cause long-term pain.
If you’ve been noticing that any of these places in your body have begun to hurt, it may be a sign that you’re straining your joints or muscles. Lift chairs can reduce this strain and help you reduce chronic pain.
How Do You Choose the Best Lift Chair?
Choosing the best recliners for seniors depends on their personal needs. Of course, you should always read reviews to narrow your selection. But there are other factors to consider when choosing the absolute best lift chair for your home.
Weight Limitations
Lift chairs have to be able to lift you from sitting to standing. So one of the first considerations you’ll want to make is how much weight you need your chair to be able to lift at one time.
Many of our lift chairs have the capacity to lift up to 375 pounds. But if you need to be able to lift more than that, you may need to ask about our heavy duty lift chairs.
Portability
For many, the point of getting a lift chair is to have one comfortable recliner in your home that you can count on. But some seniors need to be lifted out of every chair.
If you need help out of your dining room chair, your car, or the bleachers at your grandchild’s football game, a lift recliner won't solve all your problems. A seat chair lift is an affordable solution. You can either buy this as your only lift chair, or buy it in addition to a lift recliner.
Extra Features
Once you’ve figured out whether you need a heavy duty chair, a light chair, or something else, it’s time to consider what other features you might need. Things like lumbar support or neck support devices can keep you comfortable, especially if you spend a lot of time in your chair. Our Viva Lift Chair, for example, has the most features of any chair in our inventory.
You’ll also want to consider the look and style of your chair. One of the best parts of lift chairs is that they look like regular recliners. You’ll want to pick a chair that compliments the rest of your living room. Classic brown lift chairs look good in a lot of spaces. But it’s important to consider your space and what style you like best so you can truly love your new chair.
What Should You Do Next?
The best lift chair for your home is just around the corner. Our team of experts is on standby, ready to help you decide which lift chair will best support your lifestyle. Because at the end of the day, the best power lift chair for you is whichever one helps empower you to be more independent and live your best life!
- Caitlin Carter
