Stairlifts of the Past, Present and Future

The ability to move without assistance is one of the primary concerns of today’s families with elderly or handicapped residents. With the innovations that we have had over the past decades, going up or down a flight of stairs has never been more accessible. The most difficult environmental barriers for users of wheeled mobility devices have been observed to be stairwells entering buildings. Stair climbing has also been recognized as the exercise that requires the most assistance by elders. The importance of this issue should never be overlooked, and it has not been because modern stair chair lifts are more commonplace nowadays. It hasn’t always been like this less than a century ago, and years after that, it was only available for well-off families and commercial use.

Stairlifts have come a long way, here we see the innovations that it has gone through: 

King Henry VIII’s Stairthrone

King Henry the VIII, was the first recorded user of stairlifts in the mid-1500s. According to historians, Henry ordered a “stairthrone” to help him ascend and descend the stairs at Whitehall Castle. It’s thought that the stairlift was manually operated by humans.

His attendants devised a block and tackle method (borrowed from one of the king’s ships) to carry the king up and down the 20-foot stairway after he sustained a jousting injury at the age of 44, and because of his apparent obesity.

C.C. Crispen’s Inclinator

C.C. Crispen, a Pennsylvania entrepreneur and a self-taught engineer, invented the first inclining chair prototype as a means for his ill buddy to go from floor to floor in the 1920s. Crispen’s concept was to create a stair-climbing seat. It was a folding chair that used rollers and tracks to move up and down, and same as the stairlifts today, a footrest was there to keep his friend safe.

Stairlifts in Modern Homes

With innovations on stairlifts come its popularity and accessibility, they’ve even had their fair share of fame in movies and series like Gremlins, Up, Seinfeld, Two and a Half Men, and more. Households who have handicapped, and elderly residents have an array of choices no matter what kind of stairway they have. With this comes customizations made especially for the condition of the user, and the ease of access for other residents as well. It is vital to get a professional to do this to ensure the utmost safety of the rider, and how the stairlift would accommodate their condition. 

 

From King Henry’s VIII’s Stairthrone, to Crispen’s Inclinator, to modern brands we have today like IMEM Lifts, Aussie Lifts, Handicare, SELE, and more, it will just keep on getting better and better in the future as we discover new technology, formulate more design concepts, and know more about the level of comfort a user needs. These brands have trusted Coastal Lifts to install their units with the utmost safety and precision to aid your elders and handicapped family members. Get a free quote now, and have ease of access and peace of mind at the soonest possible time!