Lift Chair Recliners for Elderly

Recliner Lift Chair is one of the most useful assistant tools for elderly who have difficulties sitting down into their chair or getting up from their favorite living room chair. These problems usually come from the chairs or couches being placed too low on the ground, which causes elderly to exert much more strength to sit down or sit up from them.

Recliners for elderly have built-in tools that can help users to set the chair in the precise position which allows them to have maximum comfort not only during sitting down and getting up but also during prolonged sitting sessions. They are regarded to be one of the best furniture purchases by the elderly who are experiencing problems with their old chairs.

Getting in and out of a chair is much easier with the help of recliner lift chair that can be set at perfect height and angle when sitting or getting up

Introduction and Benefits

Recliner chair is a recliner that has integrated motors (one or several) for handling lifting and reclining operations of the chair.

While the early models of recliner lift chair had manual controls for lifting them up to the correct height and preferred angle of sitting, modern versions come with built-in electric motors and remote control interface that allows elderly to easily get comfortable while sitting. With just a few pushes of the button, elderly can not only control the recline features but also get the chair in the best possible position for easy getting in and out of the chair.

More advanced models come with several other benefits, such as built-in massage, heaters and mounting points for trays and tables.

There are two types of motor that can be found in recliner lift chairs:

Lift motor - Electric motors that can elevate chair to the required position so that elderly could more easily stand up or sit down into the chair. Upon that, the motor slowly brings down the chair to the normal “seating” position. The lowering of the chair can be activated manually, or by pressure sensors that detect the weight of the user.

Recliner motor - When the user wants to sit in the chair, the recliner motor inclines the chair forward, and then recline backward when the user is seated. This allows elderly users to more easily sit, stand up and enjoy sitting in the chair. The movement of recliner motor is always slow and steady, which helps elderly to hold their balance inside the seating position easily.

Recliner lift chairs come in several types - 2 Position, 3 Position, Infinite Position and Bariatric

Who Should Use Recliner Lift Chair

Recliner lift chairs are an excellent choice for anyone who has difficulty sitting down or getting up from their chairs or couches. This includes both the elderly, disabled and persons recovering from recent surgeries. The most often causes for difficulties with chairs come from leg pain, back pain decreased balance, endurance or strength.

While many other types of elderly assistant devices are only suited for use by elderly, recliner lift chairs can be used by anyone - friends, family or anyone else. Many will probably not even notice that they have set in a motorized chair.

Recliner for elderly can also be very useful to the elderly who cannot sleep well on flat surfaces. By sitting in recliner lift chair, they can stretch out into position when they are lying down, but their knees are held a bit higher than their hips. Many elderly with this sleeping condition prefer to sleep in comfortable recliner lift chairs.

Who Should Not Use Recliner Lift Chair

Elderly or disabled who still have good balance, endurance and strength should avoid using recliner lift chairs so that they could maintain their levels of movement for a longer period. If they start using this furniture type, they elevate the chance of becoming weaker.

Some elderly also start preferring sleeping in recliner chairs instead of beds, which can be a bad thing for them. While sleeping in the chair, their body is effectively forced to remain in one fixed position, which means that their muscles receive less exercise that comes from the regular movement during sleep. Prolonged sitting in the same position can cause various skin issues, such as bed sores and muscle pain.

Loss of mobility due to reduced movement can severely affect elderly.

Types of Lift Chairs

2 Position - This chair type can move up and down, recline forward when user wants to sit in the chair and recline back in a partial recline. When the chair is lowered down, it can optionally deploy two additional things - reclining of the backrest and raising of the footrest that will elevate their feet and place them in level with their hips.
3 Position - While this chair type can also help users to stand and sit, it can also help elderly to recline fully. Their control mechanism is the same, but instead of just partial recline, this model can enable user not only to achieve the fully horizontal position but also to raise their knees above the level of hips. This position is useful for users who have trouble sleeping in flat beds
Infinite Position - Infinite position recliner lift chairs use their two motors to achieve any position that users demands. It can recline in any position between a normal sitting chair and perfectly flat bed, with users also having an option to set the height of the chair. Backrest and footrest can be operated independently. More expensive versions have the ability to place a mattress or fitted sheet on them.
Bariatric recliner lift chairs - They are designed to support very heavy users who weigh between 300 and 700 lbs. They are usually wider, taller and can have either more motors or fewer but stronger motors for managing the height of the seat and position of the footrest and backrest.

Recommended and Optional Lift Chair Features

When looking to purchase the best recliner for elderly, you should take notice of the following recommended features:

Easy to use - Make sure that elderly user can, in fact, operate the functions of the motorized chair, or help them to create a basic movement template for future use
The backup battery - Recliner lift chair should be equipped with batteries so that it can function during times when electricity is out.
Sturdy - Make sure that chair is well balanced and can endure taking weight from all sides.
Good fit - Chair user should sit in the chair and test if it provides a good fit.
Size - You should measure door frames in the home of the elderly, and see if the desired model of Recliner lift chair can physically be carried through doors.
Weight - If the elderly’s home is located on upper floors that are accessible only via stairs, take notice of the number of people that will be needed to carry that chair (either assembled or in its packaging) up the stairs.

Lift Chair Accessories

Dual motor - This enables footrest and backrest to be adjusted separately.
Heating pads - Usually built in footrest and backrest.
Massage pads - Usually built only into the backrest.
Small Tables - Often hidden in the armrest, with expandable holding arms.
Larger tables - Used for meals, laptop and more.
Small storage compartments - Often located in the armrest.
Chargers - Electric plugs for laptops, phones, and tablets.
Extra pillows - For added comfort.
Extra fabric - For covering parts of the chair with extra protection (usually backrest and footrest).
Sleeping mattress - A removable mattress that can be placed on the chair when it is transformed into horizontal sleeping position.

How to Fit

Three main measurements that will help you decide which model of recliner lift chair you should buy are:

Knee to floor distance - which will help you determine the approximate seat height.
Thigh length - which will help you determine the approximate seat depth.
Hip width - which will help you determine the approximate seat width.

You can measure the required space that senior needs by placing them in the ordinary kitchen chair in their slippers (or indoor shoes) and then:

Measure from back of knee to floor
Measure from lower back to the back of knee
Measure the widest part of hip

These measurements will help you to more easily decide which recliner lift chair will be a good fit for a senior.

How to Use

Seniors should practice how to sit and stand up from recliner lift chair safely. The chair should be put in higher position so that elderly do not fall into it. They should back up to the chair until seat touches the back of the knee, reach with both arms to armrests and slowly sit down. When standing up from it, the chair should be elevated so that elderly can more easily shift their balance to their feet. The chair should not be elevated too much, or too low.

The control mechanism of recliner lift chairs are usually not fixed and are placed on the end of a short cable. These controls are best to be fastened to the armrests, where they could be both easily accessible and moved to be out of reach. The easiest way for them to be fastened is with velcro.

How Much Do They Cost?

Recliners for seniors are premium products that often cost more than $500. Most popular models cost between $700 and $1500, depending on the manufacturer, build quality and build material.