It should be no secret that people want to stay in their homes as long as they can. At least 90% of people over the age of 65 report wanting this, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures and the AARP. One problem that many seniors have staying in their home is that many suffer from falls. More than two million seniors in the United States suffer from a fall that sends them to the emergency room. That translates to an older adult being seen every 11 seconds for such accidents. About half of these falls happen at home. More and more people are installing dependable stairlifts in their home to help people maintain their independence. If you are considering electric wheelchair lifts or a stairlift solution, there are some things you can do to get the right one for your situation.

1. Start with your insurance carrier. Before you start to look at different dependable stairlifts, you should talk to the company who carries your plan to see what your options are in terms of what they will and will not cover. They may have companies that they prefer you work with and that they have arrangements with. You should check to see if they have any policy for getting a new vs. a refurbished model of stairlift. You need to know what your coverage is before you look at stairlifts.
2. Talk to your friends and family. There are about 53 million people in the United States who have a disability. Those that impact a person’s mobility are the most common and about 6.8 million people use devices to help them get around. Given the number of people who use these kinds of devices, the chances are good that you know someone who has a dependable stairlift. Ask around to see how they got theirs and what company they used.
3. Find the right company to install it. You need a decent and dependable company to do the installation for the stairlift you select. You need to find a company that will come to your home, for no charge, to look over your house and give you a realistic estimate for putting in a dependable stairlift at your home. No one can give you a realistic estimate without looking at your home. The company you hire should also be able to help with repairs, servicing, and other services you will need after the stairlift has been installed.
4. Look at your stairs. Do you have curved staircases? Do you have straight stair cases? Do you have both? There are homes that have both kinds in them. If that describes your home, you will probably want to have the stairlift put on the straight stairs. It will be cheaper and will take a lot less time to get those installed than when you want to put them on curved stairways.
5. How long will you need the dependable stairlift? If this is something you are going to have in place for a very long time, you may want to buy one. If you expect to only have to use one for a limited amount of time, renting may be a better option. Whether you own or rent your home is also a factor that you need to consider as does now long you plan to be in the home. If you know how long you are going to be there, you can calculate how much it would cost to rent and you can see which makes more sense economically.
6. Decide if you want an electric or battery powered stairlift. If you live in a place that suffers from power outages a lot, you are probably want to go with a model that is powered by a battery. If you live in a place that does not have these issue or if you have a generator, a stairlift powered by electricity from your home may be a better bet. The last thing you need is to be stranded halfway up or down the stairs.

Dependable stairlifts can make it possible for many people to stay in their home longer. That is a really great thing.