Serving the United States and Canada since 1992

Heart health is important for everyone, and it’s even more important for seniors. You can keep your heart healthy no matter how old you are, but it does take some effort (at any age).

First, let’s take a look at the symptoms of heart disease. They include:

• feeling faint, dizzy, or light-headed
• having a hard time catching your breath
• feeling extremely full—as if you overate
• pain or uncomfortable pressure in the chest
• unusual pain or pressure in the shoulders, back, and neck
• irregular heart flutters

If a senior you know is experiencing symptoms and is diagnosed with heart disease, consider installing a stair lift to ease the concerns about exerting themselves. A stair lift will ensure they have access to the entire house without the worry that they could feel faint or fall. Send us an email to receive a free DVD that demonstrates how our stair lifts work (inside or outside the home).

The following are 7 crucial steps to heart disease prevention:

1. Get some exercise every day of the week.
2. Stop smoking.
3. Eat a heart-healthy diet of whole grains, plenty of fruits and vegetables, reduced fatty meats.
4. Get a checkup and watch your cholesterol, fasting sugars, and blood pressure.
5. Reduce your alcohol intake. Experts now recommend 1-3 drinks per week.
6. Minimize your stress (see #1 for a little help with that).
7. Keep your weight under control.

Seniors and their families may find a stair lift (also called a chair lift) a useful solution for seniors who suffer from disabilities, mobility or balance issues, neurological problems, or simply live in fear of further health complications that could arise if the senior climbs stairs.

A stair lift helps a senior access other floors of a home by reducing the risk of injury for both, the senior and their caregivers. It works as a mechanical chair that is mounted on a rail attached to the stairs. You sit in the chair either at the top or bottom of the stairs and operate the controls to travel up or down.

It’s important to note that the chair is positioned at a one- or two-inch drop—much less than a traditional recliner, so it’s easy on the knees and convenient to get seated. And don’t worry, it does not tilt on its track (this isn’t a roller coaster!), but stays perpendicular with the floor even if the stairs it is traveling on are curved.

If you know a senior with a disability, weakness, arthritis, balance issues, joint conditions, hip or knee problems, he or she may benefit from having a stair lift installed in their home. Give us a call today for a free in-home estimate.

A member of the Stannah design team tests the arthritis suit

Using the suit while taking a ride on a Stannah stairlift

Stannah Stairlifts and Loughborough University’s Design School reveal suit to raise awareness on World Arthritis Day

In an effort to better understand the challenges our customers face we’re working with a British university to simulate the effects of arthritis on the human body.

Stannah Stairlifts purchased the state-of-the-art osteo-arthritis suit from researchers at Loughborough University so that our designers can better understand what it is like to suffer from the condition, helping them to reach out and empathize with prospective customers around the world.

The Osteoarthritis Suit simulates osteo-arthritis in the knee, hip and hands and comes with a sock that mimics a bunion.

The suit has already given us valuable insights into how we might improve product design and will be used in training and induction sessions to help staff throughout the business understand more about the challenges a large number of Stannah customers face.

Sharon Cook, Manager of the Loughborough SKInS (Sensory and Kinaesthetic Interactive Simulations) Programme which researches and develops Wearable Simulations of given health conditions said: “The aim of the Loughbrough SKInS: Wearable Simulations is to enable those without a health condition, such as osteoarthritis, to obtain some insight into how it feels and what its impacts to daily living might be.  In this way, empathy with sufferers is generated among designers, sales teams and staff trainers, thereby guiding improvements to future product and service design.

Nick Stannah, Product Marketing Director at Stannah Stairlifts, added: “The arthritis suit has helped people at Stannah better empathize with our customers who suffer from arthritis. It is through innovative techniques like this that we can ensure our products and staff continue to help our customers retain their independence in and outside of the home. Indeed, the Osteoarthritis Suit is already having a very positive impact on how Stannah designs its products and empathizes with the needs of its customers”

We had a busy time in the factory recently, celebrating our half-millionth stairlift with a royal visit. Prince Charles dropped in for a tour and spent the morning meeting the employees and extended Stannah family. Here’s a short Youtube piece.

Prince Charles visiting Stannah

The visit generated a lot of media interest. We particularly liked this article in the Daily Telegraph, which discusses Stannah’s place in the global market and mentions our operation here in North America.