Hello,

Figured some of you folks would have opinions on this.
Sr. Citizen kinda question.

Regarding those powered stair climbing lifts/seats to help
an individual go from one level to another:

I see Acorn continually advertises.

Are they the "best" ? Are they a Franchise ?
Better quality available ? Who ?

What brands to stay away from ?

What features, etc. should I be looking for ?

Thanks,
Bob

On 10/6/2015 7:53 AM, Bob wrote:

Regarding those powered stair climbing lifts/seats to help
an individual go from one level to another:

I see Acorn continually advertises.

Are they the "best" ? Are they a Franchise ?
Better quality available ? Who ?

What brands to stay away from ?

What features, etc. should I be looking for ?

I've only known one person to go that route. And, she died
shortly after having it installed (ALS).

While it may sound over-the-top, have you considered the
alternative: moving to a place that doesn't require you
to ascend/descend stairs?

If moving is out of the question, consider rearranging
your living space so the folks least capable of making
these ascents can live largely/entirely on a single level?

I.e., at that point, you may also be needing other changes
to your environment (walk in tub, etc.) that complicate
staying in your current digs. Or, other assisted living
sorts of services (meal prep, on-site medical care, etc.)

On 10/6/15 10:53 AM, Bob wrote:
Hello,

Figured some of you folks would have opinions on this.
Sr. Citizen kinda question.

Regarding those powered stair climbing lifts/seats to help
an individual go from one level to another:

I see Acorn continually advertises.

Are they the "best" ? Are they a Franchise ?
Better quality available ? Who ?

What brands to stay away from ?

What features, etc. should I be looking for ?

Thanks,
Bob

You may also want to consider a home elevator.

Here are a couple links:
http://www.stiltzlifts.com/residential-elevator.html
https://www.residentialelevators.com/
https://savaria.com/products/home-elevators
http://www.inclinator.com/elevette-home-elevators/

Per Bob:

What features, etc. should I be looking for ?

I was looking into stair lifts for awhile and came away thinking that
their slowness would be so irritating that I would revert to using the
stairs.

Is the concern ability to ascent/descend or fear of falling ?
--
Pete Cresswell

Bob wrote in :

Subject: Step Climbing Powered Lifts For Help In Going From One Level
To Another ? From: Bob
Newsgroups: alt.home.repair

Hello,

Figured some of you folks would have opinions on this.
Sr. Citizen kinda question.

Regarding those powered stair climbing lifts/seats to help
an individual go from one level to another:

Oh, this is going to be great! With all the old crips in this NG, I'm
guessing this is going to be a BIG thread. Yo! Uncle Jerk Monster! What say
you? Didn't you used to install these? You did everything else.

acorn has a flakey reputation quality wise.

save big bucks BUY USED!

lots of people get one, and then no longer need one

they get better, move, die etc etc.

so lots of nearly brand new units are available

if power failures are common in your area get a UPS for safe operation during power failures

On Tue, 6 Oct 2015 13:51:01 -0400, Retired wrote:

On 10/6/15 10:53 AM, Bob wrote:
Hello,

Figured some of you folks would have opinions on this.
Sr. Citizen kinda question.

Regarding those powered stair climbing lifts/seats to help
an individual go from one level to another:

I see Acorn continually advertises.

Are they the "best" ? Are they a Franchise ?
Better quality available ? Who ?

What brands to stay away from ?

What features, etc. should I be looking for ?

Thanks,
Bob

You may also want to consider a home elevator.

Here are a couple links:
http://www.stiltzlifts.com/residential-elevator.html
https://www.residentialelevators.com/
https://savaria.com/products/home-elevators
http://www.inclinator.com/elevette-home-elevators/
The problem is a home elevator requires extensive modifications to
the home - and in many smaller homes there is no acceptable way to
install one without taking up an unacceptable amount od space..

Chair lifts will fit into virtually ANY house. They are also simple
to remove when no longer needed. If one member of the family has
trouble with stairs there is no reason to move to "accrssible"
housing, at great additional cost.

On Tue, 6 Oct 2015 13:48:18 -0700 (PDT), bob haller
wrote:

acorn has a flakey reputation quality wise.

save big bucks BUY USED!

lots of people get one, and then no longer need one

they get better, move, die etc etc.

so lots of nearly brand new units are available

if power failures are common in your area get a UPS for safe operation during power failures
The vast majority today are "self powered" with an onboard battery
like a power wheelchair -some with automatic charging at one end only.
No ups required - just make sure the battery is replaced when it gets
weak.

In alt.home.repair, on Tue, 6 Oct 2015 10:53:27 -0400, Bob
wrote:

Hello,

Figured some of you folks would have opinions on this.
Sr. Citizen kinda question.

Regarding those powered stair climbing lifts/seats to help
an individual go from one level to another:

I see Acorn continually advertises.

Are they the "best" ? Are they a Franchise ?
Better quality available ? Who ?

What brands to stay away from ?

What features, etc. should I be looking for ?

One of the advertisements talks about how important installation is, and
that's probably true, but no one brand has the best installers
everywhere. Maybe you could loiter around senior centers in your area
and find out what they've used, who they've hired, and how happy they
are with what they got.

And if you're overweight, lose it. Nothing makes going upstairs harder
than extra weight. DAMHIKT.

I have a friend, married, about 68, who bought another house about 5
years ago and put in a chair lift, but she only has to use it for the TV
room which she doesn't watch that often. Well I think it was after I
saw a wheelchair on their porch that I risked getting in trouble and I
called her to talk about how heavy both of us were and how it makes
walking harder. She mentioned shooting pains down her leg, which might
have nothing to do with weight and might be the reason for the wheel
chair. But she also said she thought she was 20 pounds overweight and a
friend figured out that she was only 10 pounds. She's crazy. I think
she's 40 or 50 pounds overweight and she's deluded herself. But even
though that's why I called, to tell her she was fat, I coudln't bring
myself to argue with her after she said that. She doesn't wear
tight clothes or even remotely form-fitting, so it's hard to tell, but
I've had 20 years to watch her change, and I can see her face.

Story not very relevant to you: When my mother was looking for assisted
living, we went one place that had been a mansion. IIRC, it had the
dining room and lounge on the first floor but all the bedrooms were
upstairs. There was a chair lift, not very fast in the first place
probably, but when it got to the landing, it had to go maybe 25 feet to
the other end of the landing. I told you it was a mansion. I thought
there should be a way to transfer to the A train.

She didn't move there and for some reason I don't know, it closed and a
mosque bought it. But they never moved in, and it's vacant now.

Thanks,
Bob

In alt.home.repair, on Tue, 06 Oct 2015 10:23:00 -0700, Don Y
wrote:


While it may sound over-the-top, have you considered the
alternative: moving to a place that doesn't require you
to ascend/descend stairs?

I have other friends who just sold their co-op on East 57th St. in NYC.
It was so big that it was split in two a few decades ago, but he bought
the other half and put it back together again.

Now he moved to the south where they're amazed at how cheap housing is.
I told them to move to a one-story house --- he's about 64 and he
bicycles all the time, and she's almost that old and not fat at all, but
he doesn't seem to listen. He cares more about architecture. Some day
they will be old, and it could be any minute if one has some illness,
God forbid.

On Tuesday, October 6, 2015 at 2:16:04 PM UTC-5, Zak W wrote:
Bob wrote in :

Subject: Step Climbing Powered Lifts For Help In Going From One Level
To Another ? From: Bob
Newsgroups: alt.home.repair

Hello,

Figured some of you folks would have opinions on this.
Sr. Citizen kinda question.

Regarding those powered stair climbing lifts/seats to help
an individual go from one level to another:

Oh, this is going to be great! With all the old crips in this NG, I'm
guessing this is going to be a BIG thread. Yo! Uncle Jerk Monster! What say
you? Didn't you used to install these? You did everything else.

Well Wacky Zaky, me and my brother installed one for a friend's mother 10 years ago. I believe it was an Acorn brand manufactured in England. It is battery powered by an SLA battery and connects to the charger whenever it stops at either end. I was actually easy to install. I do pity you Wacky Zaky because of your limited skillset but you're young enough that you may be able to learn how to do something useful in your lifetime and earn enough money to move out of your mom's basement. Instead of being so envious and resentful of those who have abilities beyond your comprehension, why don't you try to learn how to do those things? Instead of expending so much of you energy being ugly and nasty to people, why don't you redirect that energy in another direction and do something constructive before the opportunity escapes you. You poor thing. o_O

[8~{} Uncle Skilled Monster

On 10/07/2015 03:03 AM, micky wrote:
And if you're overweight, lose it. Nothing makes going upstairs harder
than extra weight. DAMHIKT.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307474259

On Wed, 7 Oct 2015 03:54:22 -0400, Ed wrote in


On 10/07/2015 03:03 AM, micky wrote:
And if you're overweight, lose it. Nothing makes going upstairs harder
than extra weight. DAMHIKT.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307474259

Why We Get Fat:

Eat too much food.

And What to Do About It

Eat less food and exercise.

There, I saved you $9.19.
--
Web based forums are like subscribing to 10 different newspapers
and having to visit 10 different news stands to pickup each one.
Email list-server groups and USENET are like having all of those
newspapers delivered to your door every morning.

Per micky:
he's about 64 and he
bicycles all the time, and she's almost that old and not fat at all, but
he doesn't seem to listen. He cares more about architecture. Some day
they will be old, and it could be any minute if one has some illness,

Been there, done that.... But you have performed due diligence...

--
Pete Cresswell

Per micky:
I have a friend, married, about 68, who bought another house about 5
years ago and put in a chair lift, but she only has to use it for the TV
room which she doesn't watch that often. Well I think it was after I
saw a wheelchair on their porch that I risked getting in trouble and I
called her to talk about how heavy both of us were and how it makes
walking harder. She mentioned shooting pains down her leg, which might
have nothing to do with weight and might be the reason for the wheel
chair. But she also said she thought she was 20 pounds overweight and a
friend figured out that she was only 10 pounds. She's crazy. I think
she's 40 or 50 pounds overweight and she's deluded herself. But even
though that's why I called, to tell her she was fat, I coudln't bring
myself to argue with her after she said that. She doesn't wear
tight clothes or even remotely form-fitting, so it's hard to tell, but
I've had 20 years to watch her change, and I can see her face.

One of my #2 daughter's friends was borderline-morbidly obese.

I told her to imagine carrying a cinder block around all day.

Somehow she recalled it as carrying around an automobile tire - which is
actually a better analog IMHO.... both weigh 35-40 pounds, but it's
easier to imagine a tire around one's waist than carrying a cinder block
under an arm....

Anyhow, to cut to the chase, she went on some sort of diet, lost over 40
pounds, and reported back that my analogy was right on the money. How
she knew that, escapes me - unless she had a job moving automobile tires
around.... but it does point to the reality of how much work it is to
carry that extra weight, no matter how conveniently it is distributed
across one's body.
--
Pete Cresswell

On Wednesday, October 7, 2015 at 2:40:28 AM UTC-5, Uncle Monster wrote:
On Tuesday, October 6, 2015 at 2:16:04 PM UTC-5, Zak W wrote:

Oh, this is going to be great! With all the old crips in this NG, I'm
guessing this is going to be a BIG thread. Yo! Uncle Jerk Monster! What say
you? Didn't you used to install these? You did everything else.

Well Wacky Zaky, my brother and I installed one for a friend's mother 10 years ago. I believe it was an Acorn brand manufactured in England. It is battery powered by an SLA battery and connects to the charger whenever it stops at either end. It was actually easy to install. I do pity you Wacky Zaky because of your limited skill-set but you're young enough that you may be able to learn how to do something useful in your lifetime and earn enough money to move out of your mom's basement. Instead of being so envious and resentful of those who have abilities beyond your comprehension, why don't you try to learn how to do those things? Instead of expending so much of your energy being ugly and nasty to people, why don't you redirect that energy in another direction and do something constructive before the opportunity escapes you. (very good, up to this point) You poor thing. o_O

[8~{} Uncle Skilled Monster

ZW does make a good point though!

Why We Get Fat:

Eat too much food.

And What to Do About It

Eat less food and exercise.

There, I saved you $9.19.


That's certainly got to be part of it, but the whole
picture may not be quite so simple.

Read "Fat Chance" by Robert Lustig.

The basic premise is that the body's tendency to quickly convert raw
sugar to fat is a major player in the obesity epidemic that is sweeping
the world.

Lustig is no lightweight: he's a professor and pediatric endocrinologist
at the University of California, San Francisco.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Lustig
--
Pete Cresswell

On 10/6/2015 7:53 AM, Bob wrote:
Hello,

Figured some of you folks would have opinions on this.
Sr. Citizen kinda question.

Regarding those powered stair climbing lifts/seats to help
an individual go from one level to another:

I see Acorn continually advertises.

Are they the "best" ? Are they a Franchise ?
Better quality available ? Who ?

What brands to stay away from ?

What features, etc. should I be looking for ?

Thanks,
Bob

Acorn is the worst.
I hope you buy from them.

On 10/7/2015 12:40 AM, Uncle Monster wrote:
On Tuesday, October 6, 2015 at 2:16:04 PM UTC-5, Zak W wrote:
Bob wrote in :

Subject: Step Climbing Powered Lifts For Help In Going From One Level
To Another ? From: Bob
Newsgroups: alt.home.repair

Hello,

Figured some of you folks would have opinions on this.
Sr. Citizen kinda question.

Regarding those powered stair climbing lifts/seats to help
an individual go from one level to another:

Oh, this is going to be great! With all the old crips in this NG, I'm
guessing this is going to be a BIG thread. Yo! Uncle Jerk Monster! What say
you? Didn't you used to install these? You did everything else.

Well Wacky Zaky, me and my brother installed one for a friend's mother 10 years ago. I believe it was an Acorn brand manufactured in England. It is battery powered by an SLA battery and connects to the charger whenever it stops at either end. I was actually easy to install. I do pity you Wacky Zaky because of your limited skillset but you're young enough that you may be able to learn how to do something useful in your lifetime and earn enough money to move out of your mom's basement. Instead of being so envious and resentful of those who have abilities beyond your comprehension, why don't you try to learn how to do those things? Instead of expending so much of you energy being ugly and nasty to people, why don't you redirect that energy in another direction and do something constructive before the opportunity escapes you. You poor thing. o_O

[8~{} Uncle Skilled Monster


LOL + BURN on the Taco Bender.

On 10/7/2015 12:08 AM, micky wrote:
In alt.home.repair, on Tue, 06 Oct 2015 10:23:00 -0700, Don Y
wrote:


While it may sound over-the-top, have you considered the
alternative: moving to a place that doesn't require you
to ascend/descend stairs?

I have other friends who just sold their co-op on East 57th St. in NYC.
It was so big that it was split in two a few decades ago, but he bought
the other half and put it back together again.

Now he moved to the south where they're amazed at how cheap housing is.
I told them to move to a one-story house --- he's about 64 and he
bicycles all the time, and she's almost that old and not fat at all, but
he doesn't seem to listen. He cares more about architecture. Some day
they will be old, and it could be any minute if one has some illness,
God forbid.

There seems to be a REALLY strong resistance to changing lifestyle to
acknowledge current and EXPECTED future changes in abilities. I don;t
know if this is simply "denial" or some fear that accepting the change
"before necessary" will result in some "lost opportunity"?

In alt.home.repair, on Wed, 07 Oct 2015 08:50:22 -0700, Don Y
wrote:

On 10/7/2015 12:08 AM, micky wrote:
In alt.home.repair, on Tue, 06 Oct 2015 10:23:00 -0700, Don Y
wrote:


While it may sound over-the-top, have you considered the
alternative: moving to a place that doesn't require you
to ascend/descend stairs?

I have other friends who just sold their co-op on East 57th St. in NYC.
It was so big that it was split in two a few decades ago, but he bought
the other half and put it back together again.

Now he moved to the south where they're amazed at how cheap housing is.
I told them to move to a one-story house --- he's about 64 and he
bicycles all the time, and she's almost that old and not fat at all, but
he doesn't seem to listen. He cares more about architecture. Some day
they will be old, and it could be any minute if one has some illness,
God forbid.

There seems to be a REALLY strong resistance to changing lifestyle to
acknowledge current and EXPECTED future changes in abilities.

That might be it . She's from NYC and he's from Brooklyn, and they've
both lived in 1-story apartments all their lives, even if the story was
on the 8th floor or so. So they've never had to go upstairs.

Except they're renting now, something so small they have boxes in the
way everywhere. I don't remember if's a house or how many floors. I
should have started from there as an argument.

I don;t
know if this is simply "denial" or some fear that accepting the change
"before necessary" will result in some "lost opportunity"?

I talked to him, but not her, because he's my friend and she's just
someone he married 20 years ago. Should I email her, or is that just
causing trouble?

In alt.home.repair, on Wed, 07 Oct 2015 14:53:39 -0400, micky
wrote:


I talked to him, but not her, because he's my friend and she's just
someone he married 20 years ago. Should I email her, or is that just
causing trouble?

On the theory that the thought of having to move when one is old if
inferior to more likely living in the same home even when old and weak,
amd that that choice has never even occurred to her.

On 10/7/2015 11:53 AM, micky wrote:
I don;t
know if this is simply "denial" or some fear that accepting the change
"before necessary" will result in some "lost opportunity"?

I talked to him, but not her, because he's my friend and she's just
someone he married 20 years ago. Should I email her, or is that just
causing trouble?

IMO, it's *their* decision -- "none of your business".

If you want to casually discuss YOUR OPINIONS on the subject
WITH YOUR FRIEND (not including his wife so he's not "on the spot"
between you and her) that's possible. He may have "a plan".
Or, he may also be in denial -- or simply not want to deal
with The Inevitable.

I don't expect to be dying any time soon (who does? : )
but have already become concerned about ridding the house
of surplus "stuff" simply to make it easier when/if we
want to make that decision.

Per Don Y:
There seems to be a REALLY strong resistance to changing lifestyle to
acknowledge current and EXPECTED future changes in abilities. I don;t
know if this is simply "denial" or some fear that accepting the change
"before necessary" will result in some "lost opportunity"?

Based on my own recent experiences and the observations of my #2
daughter who works in a retirement home, I think it's human nature.

The popular vision of aging seems to be a graph that goes downward from
left to right - a straight line with a steady slope.

My own experience has been that the slope gets interrupted with periodic
vertical drops followed by vertical rises as one recovers from whatever
caused the drop - but the line never quite rises to where it was.

For me, the epiphany was realizing that I'm not going to "Get over this
and get back into shape".... In fact, I will probably get over the
critical part of something and hopefully will get back into some
semblance of shape.... but the fact is that I'm never going to be where
I was before it happened and next year is going to be worse and the year
after that.....

Once somebody accepts that they're on the way down and they are never,
ever coming all the way back up, they become free to do more realistic
planning and coping.

I am still hanging on the notion of dying in this house even if I become
"That crazy old guy who hasn't cut the lawn in two weeks" .... but that
is because I have a thing about institutions and giving up control of my
life to people I don't think much of. If I die five years earlier
living here than I would have in an institution I'll take that.
--
Pete Cresswell

In alt.home.repair, on Wed, 07 Oct 2015 19:16:04 -0400,
"(PeteCresswell)" wrote:


Once somebody accepts that they're on the way down and they are never,
ever coming all the way back up, they become free to do more realistic
planning and coping.

That may apply to somebody, but not to me!

I am still hanging on the notion of dying in this house even if I become
"That crazy old guy who hasn't cut the lawn in two weeks" .... but that

I've got that down already. I don't fertilize and I don't water, and at
least with the amount of rain we've been having, it only needs mowing 3
or 4 times during the summer.

is because I have a thing about institutions and giving up control of my
life to people I don't think much of. If I die five years earlier
living here than I would have in an institution I'll take that.

Me, too. But I don't see it as 5 years. Maybe 3 weeks.

Assuming I'm still healthy when I die.

I know people who have lived up to these standards too, One man was 94
lived at home till he died. His wife wore high heels into her 90's, two
inch heels but still, and she drove into her 90's too. She got sick
when she was 98 and spent some time in the hospital and a nursing home,
but then went to live with her son and daughter in law when she was 99.
They built a new wing to the house for her. But then the two women
fought over the kitchen** and one had to lose. **Or maybe they didn't
fight but the older woman didn't like not having her own. She died at
99 and 8 months.

I don't expect 99, but 90 would be nice.
--
Pete Cresswell

On 10/7/2015 4:16 PM, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
Per Don Y:
There seems to be a REALLY strong resistance to changing lifestyle to
acknowledge current and EXPECTED future changes in abilities. I don;t
know if this is simply "denial" or some fear that accepting the change
"before necessary" will result in some "lost opportunity"?

Based on my own recent experiences and the observations of my #2
daughter who works in a retirement home, I think it's human nature.

The popular vision of aging seems to be a graph that goes downward from
left to right - a straight line with a steady slope.

My own experience has been that the slope gets interrupted with periodic
vertical drops followed by vertical rises as one recovers from whatever
caused the drop - but the line never quite rises to where it was.

And, the effort required to "elevate" that line increases with age.
It's harder to recover "as much" as you age.

For me, the epiphany was realizing that I'm not going to "Get over this
and get back into shape".... In fact, I will probably get over the
critical part of something and hopefully will get back into some
semblance of shape.... but the fact is that I'm never going to be where
I was before it happened and next year is going to be worse and the year
after that.....

We lost a friend to ALS recently. This as painfully obvious to her:
"Today is the BEST day of the rest of my life" I.e., tomorrow WILL
be worse -- and tha twill be true for EVERY tomorrow! (and, in a very
*big* way... not just "little aches and pains", etc.)

Once somebody accepts that they're on the way down and they are never,
ever coming all the way back up, they become free to do more realistic
planning and coping.

I think people still want to think it won't be as bad or will progress
much more slowly than it inevitably does. This was even true of our ALS
friend -- even after she'd lost the ability to walk, stand, eat, etc.

I had a friend succumb to esophageal Ca a few years back. He was
amazingly frank with himself and others regarding his future outlook
(another "not pretty" way to go). Yet, I'm sure he hoped it would be
a bit better or a bit longer than he KNEW it was likely to be.

I am still hanging on the notion of dying in this house even if I become
"That crazy old guy who hasn't cut the lawn in two weeks" .... but that
is because I have a thing about institutions and giving up control of my
life to people I don't think much of. If I die five years earlier
living here than I would have in an institution I'll take that.

I don't think the timespan is the issue (at least, not with me).
Rather, it's the quality of life that I'm more concerned with.
I am fond of asking "why do I get out of bed each morning"
(or, pondering why *others* bother to get out of bed -- if their
lives are as "miserable" as they suggest). I fear the day that
my answer is "force of habit" -- and nothing else!

On Wednesday, October 7, 2015 at 8:48:51 AM UTC-5, bob_villa wrote:
On Wednesday, October 7, 2015 at 2:40:28 AM UTC-5, Uncle Monster wrote:
On Tuesday, October 6, 2015 at 2:16:04 PM UTC-5, Zak W wrote:

Oh, this is going to be great! With all the old crips in this NG, I'm
guessing this is going to be a BIG thread. Yo! Uncle Jerk Monster! What say
you? Didn't you used to install these? You did everything else.

Well Wacky Zaky, my brother and I installed one for a friend's mother 10 years ago. I believe it was an Acorn brand manufactured in England. It is battery powered by an SLA battery and connects to the charger whenever it stops at either end. It was actually easy to install. I do pity you Wacky Zaky because of your limited skill-set but you're young enough that you may be able to learn how to do something useful in your lifetime and earn enough money to move out of your mom's basement. Instead of being so envious and resentful of those who have abilities beyond your comprehension, why don't you try to learn how to do those things? Instead of expending so much of your energy being ugly and nasty to people, why don't you redirect that energy in another direction and do something constructive before the opportunity escapes you. (very good, up to this point) You poor thing. o_O

[8~{} Uncle Skilled Monster

ZW does make a good point though!

And what point is that Bobby Villain? Perhaps you and Zaky Waky are cut from the same filthy cloth? ^_^

[8~{} Uncle Superior Monster

realtors tell home owners to remove assisted living devices that arent in use.

when buyers see a home with say a handicap ramp in front of home it instantly turns them off, no matter how convenient it can be