Age is a multifaceted experience; we grow older, wiser, and more appreciative of life, but the physical body isn’t always able to keep pace. Osteoarthritis, pain, and neurodegeneration disorders often hold patients back, causing immense chronic pain and struggles with mobility. These issues make it very difficult to enjoy freedom throughout seniorhood and may even keep some patients bedbound altogether.
No matter where you are on the spectrum of age or disability, if you struggle with mobility issues, the first step should always be to seek a diagnosis and medical treatment. However, modifying your home is important, too; it’s the best way to ensure safety and support throughout daily living tasks.
One of the most common issues older patients experience is pain or weakness when trying to stand and/or sit. They may experience intense dizziness when rising too fast or may lack the physical strength to rise from a seat without additional support. If you can relate, you will benefit from power lift chairs.
What is a Power Lift Chair?
Power lift chairs — not to be confused with power wheelchairs — are simply chairs with an electrically-powered rising seat installed in the cushion.
These furniture pieces aid mobility by ensuring that your seat rises with your bottom for extra support when going from a seated to standing position. The seat usually remains elevated until you sit down again, softening the speed at which you sit to protect your body. The chair’s internal mechanisms auto-adjust to provide the same level of support, no matter how quickly or at what angle you sit.
Why Power Lift Chairs?
Despite the fact that advanced power lift chairs can be every bit as luxurious and comfortable as a Lazyboy recliner, they’re classed as mobility devices. The chair cushions and slows your descent and also provides excellent support as you rise. If you become dizzy or experience pain that causes you to fall backward, or if you experience a sudden episode of weakness, the riser seat will catch you and lessen the overall impact of the fall.
If you have a cardiovascular disease, power lift chairs reduce the workload on your heart, lungs, veins, and arteries, potentially preventing heart attacks or strokes spurred on by exertion.
Arthritis and chronic pain patients benefit most from the power lift chair’s ability to reduce friction and weight and on the joints — exactly how the chair reduces pain.
In patients with neurological diseases, cancer, or post-stroke recovery phases, lift chairs again reduce the amount of energy and stability required to stand.
Overall, using a power lift chair is very much like using a cane, walker, or wheelchair. It isn’t a replacement for activity; it’s a way to support yourself to live a freer, more active life within your home with less pain and frustration.
Power Lift Versus Manual Lift
Although manual lift chairs do exist, they require more physical strength and stability to use. This isn’t ideal for patients seeking the utmost in support or comfort. Furthermore, older-style lift chairs typically use springs to provide support, and that may be risky or dangerous because the rise occurs quickly and all at once.
Power lift chairs offer slow, gradual rise and increased stability throughout the entire sitting or standing process. You rise at a pace designated by you using a control panel on the arm or a portable remote control. Thus, if you become dizzy or disoriented, you can halt the rising motion and wait for your central nervous system to “catch up.”
Choosing Your Power Lift Chair
Which power lift chair is right for you? There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. Your medical care team can help you determine which level of support works best for you (including your pharmacist!). However, there are certain guidelines all patients should follow to ensure they’re matched with the right chair.
Measuring for Your New Power Lift Chair
Patient height and weight play an intimate role in power lift chair decisions. Weight-wise, these mobility devices come in two main sizes: above and below 350 lbs. If you’re close to that number, it’s best to choose the more robust version instead. Using a chair rated higher than your weight is fine, but if you use a chair rated lower than your current weight, you could experience mechanical failures over time.
Height-wise, most brands fall into one of these five categories:
- Less than 5’
- Between 5’ and 5’3”
- Between 5’3” and 5’7”
- Between 5’7” and 5’10”
- At least 5’10” or taller
- Big and Tall (over 6’4”)
Not every brand will provide chairs in every height category; as long as you fall within their height ranges (give or take 1 inch), your chair should fit comfortably.
Note that for most brands, the height of the seat closely matches your chosen height category. Although each brand differs, chairs for people under 5’ tall typically sit at between 18 inches. Chairs for people between 5’ and 5’5” should sit somewhere between 19” and 20” high, while chairs for people between 5’5” and 5’10 should sit at around 21” to 22” high. If you’re very tall, you should seek a custom fitting at your local medical supply pharmacy to be sure.
It is very important for patients to seek the right lift chair height every time. Even an incorrect evaluation of 2” or 3” can create enough of a gap between your bottom and the seat to cause pain or dangerous injuries in the event of a fall.
Chair Style/Function
Patients should also evaluate their needs when choosing power lift chairs based on style and/or function. Features like available chair positions can significantly impact how useful your chair is during everyday life.
Choose from these power lift chair categories:
- Zero-gravity: Infinite position with additional range options
- Two-position: Fully upright or a gentle, 45-degree recline
- Three-position: Fully upright, almost flat, or partially reclined
- Infinite-position: Full range of motion from fully flat to fully upright
Two-position power lift chairs offer simplicity and affordability, while three position chairs provide a “step up” in range. Infinite-position chairs work best for patients who need extra support at every level (from lying down to standing).
The zero-gravity power lift chair is the most advanced. Rather than simply reclining or sitting, patients can raise the legs above the head, which helps with:
- alleviating edema
- stretching the muscles
- relieving back pain
It’s also preferable for the permanently bedridden as continuous micro-adjustments prevent bedsores.
Although patients often use power lift chairs to alleviate the symptoms associated with specific conditions, you don’t have to be diagnosed to benefit. Anyone who experiences lower back pain, sore muscles, or even just exhaustion after a long day at work can benefit, too. No matter what your reason for seeking a mobility device, getting the right fit is important. Talk to your pharmacist about whether power lift chairs are right for your wellness story.
