If suddenly you find that someone in your family cannot manage the stairs without another person constantly in attendance it can be quite a problem.
Maybe the person has had a heart attack, suddenly developed arthritis [it can come on very suddenly] or maybe had an accident, for whatever reason they just cannot cope with the stairs.
What is your first thought - how am I going to cope? Many people do cope and go on coping and struggling with the stairs, helping the family member up and down and it can be such a strain, not only for the disabled person but for the helper as well.
Perhaps a lot of people would never think of a stair lift, they might be thinking that only wealthy people could afford such luxuries but that would be very negative thinking.
There are ways that would bring a stair lift into the reach of most people and this would entail looking at buying a used stair lift.
You would find that your lives would suddenly be so much easier.
You would not have the constant worry of wanting to be there 24/7 for that other person when they needed to climb the stairs.
They would suddenly find that they could be transported to the next floor level in their home without pain and stress.
Altogether a happy outcome and one that doesn't need to cost a fortune.
You do need to take a few things into consideration before you rush out and buy one of these used stair lifts.
The first thing obviously is where do you buy such a thing.
You might find advertisements in your local paper, or perhaps your medical center will carry adverts for medical type appliances.
Be careful if you decide to look at private sales.
The price has to be quite low as opposed to a new lift because you won't be getting a warranty of any sort in all probability in a private sale.
Plus you need to know the reason for the sale.
If it is just a case of no longer being needed for whatever reason and the lift is still relatively new then that sounds good.
If it is a model that the owners have had for years then you need to know if the same model is still being manufactured and that you won't run into problems getting any spare parts that might be needed.
If you are unsure about private sales then companies who supply stair lifts probably will also supply a used stair lift which might have been ex-rental.
You would need to ask, but I would think that it would definitely have been reconditioned and you would get a warranty of some description.
Not as full or as long as you would get with a new product, but nevertheless it would be worth having.
If your staircase is curved you might not be so lucky in finding a used stair lift because curved rails are made to measure for each particular order.
I am not sure how you would calculate the curve on your stair to compare it if you were lucky enough to discover a curved rail used stair lift for sale.
Whatever your needs, do your homework and discover as much as you can about stair lifts of all kinds before you make any decision.
Even a second hand model can cost you quite a bit of money so don't waste it, make sure you get just what you need and then you can relax a bit.
You will have solved the problem of the stairs for yourself and your family member who was having such trouble.