Outdoor Stair Lift

It is one thing to consider indoor stairs but what about stairs outside. Maybe you have stairs up to your front door which are quite an obstacle to someone in a wheelchair.

There are times when a ramp is a better option than a lift, but there is the question of room. To install a ramp at the correct angle for safe ascent and descent needs a certain amount of room. If your stairs led directly to the street this would create quite an obstacle to providing a ramp. This would definitely be a case where a stair lift would be the best option.

Most outdoor stair lifts are quite weatherproof, you could possibly have a plastic cover to keep off the worst of the weather. Others need to be under cover.

Either installation, a ramp or a lift can make all the difference to a disabled person’s quality of lifestyle. It means they can come and go as they please without always having to bother someone else to be there. That can make a world of difference to a person’s morale, that feeling of independence in spite of their disability.

Apart from the physical aspect of being able or unable to move around, the mental state of the wheelchair user is vastly important. Being disabled is one thing to deal with but also being dependent upon others is just an extra miserable burden to cope with.

There are outdoor models which can accomodate staircases which are up to 25′ long. This would be perfect for stairs up to your front door/porch or decking out in your backyard for instance.

You can find outdoor stair lifts using a cable method of transporting the wheelchair. This cable is usually aircraft cable and has usually thousands of pounds of breaking strength. This method will always give you a smooth ride and of course a safe one too. This propulsion method can be a lot faster too, with speeds of around 20′ per minute.

Some outdoor lifts feature the chair that swivels 90 degrees at the top and bottom of the lift making it a lot easier to mount or dismount the lift.

It has the usual obstruction feature which warns of an obstruction in its path also the call/send stations at both ends of the track.

It is perfectly possible for the householder to install this unit himself, it is not a long job at all.

If you choose to install an outdoor stair lift I don’t think for one minute you would regret it, it will be such a labour saving device and a means of the disabled user being able to enjoy being outdoors whenever they want.