Inclined stair lift

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Stairlift is the technical name for the popular names stair or staircase lift , stair lift or stair lift . These facilities are useful for people who cannot climb stairs on their own. Technically, it is a means of transport that carries a load, e.g. B. can transport a person over a staircase structure.

Inclined stair lift
Inclined stair lift system at a building entrance, platform folded up in the rest position

history

In 2009 the British historian David Starkey found indications in lists of the possessions of King Henry VIII that the first use of an early stairlift could be attributed to the British monarch. After Henry VIII was injured in a tournament match at the age of 45, he used a chair on a system of blocks and cables operated by his servants to overcome differences in height in his palaces.

The invention of the first modern inclined stair elevator in 1920 goes back to CC Crispen, a self-taught engineer and entrepreneur from Pennsylvania, USA. He built the first prototype of a chair that climbs stairs on the basis of a lift drive to help a friend with walking difficulties, and he called it the "Inclinator". By the end of the 1930s the Inclinator Company had established itself on the market and mainly supplied victims of poliomyelitis .

The first stairlift on the European market was introduced in 1962 by the Dutch company Jan Hamer & Co. in Holland. In 1977 Hiro Lift Hillenkötter + Ronsieck GmbH brought the inclined stair lift onto the German market.

Structure and drive systems

An inclined stair lift consists of a seat element or a platform, a drive unit (usually under the seat) and a support and guide rail that is mounted on the stairs or on the wall.

The supporting structure and drive devices of inclined stair lifts are very different, as are the " load handling devices ". Both the type of person receiving (standing, sitting or with a wheelchair) and the staircase structure influence the construction of the stairlift. For straight stairs, rack and pinion drives can be used, which are mounted on the stairs or on the wall. For curved stairs, specially curved support tubes and friction wheel drives are often used (single-tube or double-tube systems). These can be mounted on the wall or in place of the banister. The electromotive drive unit together with the load-bearing device (platform or seat) moves along the rack or the support tube.

As a rule, a stair lift is made to measure and can be built on most stair shapes if the appropriate variant is selected. If there is little space in front of the first step (for example at the entrance door), the rail can be folded up or down (folding rail). For this, the lift must be planned with an automatically or manually operated folding rail mechanism.

Straight stairlifts

This lift is intended for all types of stairs that are straight. The seat of the stairlift always has the same horizontal position during the journey.

Curved stair lift

This stair lift is intended for all types of stairs that are round or curved or that lead over several floors. The rail of the lift can be attached to the wall (outside) or the handrail (inside). The lift can travel different inclines and curves (90 or 180 degrees).

Load bearing device

Platform lifts

Platform lifts are primarily intended for wheelchair users. The wheelchair user drives his wheelchair onto a level platform and is secured there by folding barriers and roll-off flaps. There are platform lifts for straight and winding stairs. Depending on the type, loads can also be transported. The platform lifts can be mounted on the stairs or on the wall. Installation is possible indoors and outdoors. The platform can be folded up when the plant is idle.

Wheelchair suspension lifts

Suspended or ceiling-mounted stairlifts have a wheelchair suspension instead of the platform or seat. They are attached to the ceiling instead of the wall. They are mainly used on narrow, winding stairs. By dispensing with lateral installations, this type of construction can also be installed in apartment buildings, where otherwise narrowing the stairs is not permitted due to building regulations.

Sitting and standing lifts

These stairlifts have a fixed or foldable seat. The seat lift can be equipped with backrests and armrests, footrests and a seat belt. This type of stairlift is intended for seniors and physically handicapped people such as wheelchair users. However, wheelchair users need another wheelchair on the target floor for further movement. Seat lifts are suitable for straight, winding and narrow stairs. Because the seat can be folded up on most models when at rest, the seat lift is one of the most advantageous and space-saving stair lifts next to the standing lift. Standing lifts do not have a seat, but a small standing platform and handles . They are particularly suitable for narrow stairs.

Situation in Germany

Security requirements

For immediate personal security, support rests, seat belts, folding barriers and trolley stops should be available. So that a power failure has no serious consequences, a stairlift should either have an emergency power supply , battery operation or an emergency lowering device. In Germany, stair lifts must comply with the guidelines of the Equipment and Product Safety Act in conjunction with the Machinery Ordinance.

The standards must be observed:

  • ISO 9386-2 “Power-operated lifting platforms for people with reduced mobility - Rules for safety, dimensions and operation”, Part 2: “Power-operated stairlifts that move in an inclined plane for seated, standing and wheelchair users”; As of 2001.
  • DIN EN 81-40 "Safety rules for the construction and installation of lifts - Special lifts for the transport of people and goods", Part 40: "Inclined stair lifts and platform lifts with inclined lanes for people with disabilities"; As of 2008.

A nameplate must be affixed to every stair lift , from which the following information can be found: CE marking , name and address of the manufacturer , designation of the series or type, serial number , year of construction , permissible maximum load and a service and emergency number.

Before installing a stair lift , for example in an apartment building, you should inquire about the legality of the responsible building supervisory authority (keyword: usable staircase width).

Stair lifter in Rehadat's aid portal

The Rehadat directory of aids lists stairlifts under the following classes of DIN EN ISO 9999 :

  • 18 Furniture and aids for adapting apartments and buildings
    • 18 30 Tools for overcoming height differences
      • 18 30 10 stairlifts with seats
      • 18 30 11 stair lifts with platform
      • (18 30 12 stair climbers )

Financial aid

The costs of purchasing and installing a stair lift can range from 3,000 to 25,000 euros. In many cases, these amounts exceed the private financing options. It is therefore of particular interest whether and which rehabilitation providers can be used here.

To clarify who is responsible, it makes sense to first contact the rehabilitation provider. The service points according to the Ninth Book of the Social Code (SGB IX) help to find the responsible cost bearer (s).

In order to save costs, it is also possible to purchase a used stairlift. Before installation, all stair lift parts that come into contact with people are replaced. Another option is to rent a stairlift. However, both variants are not always possible, since z. B. a stairlift is usually only rented if the staircase has a certain shape and the lift can be used again in another house after expansion.

Statutory health insurance

In Germany, stair lifts are not among the aids that are subject to statutory health insurance .

care insurance

In Germany include seat lifts and platform lifts to the so-called living environment improvement measures and to the long-term care since the introduction of the Care Support Act be subsidized with a maximum of 4,000 euros. The person in need of care must pay an appropriate contribution. This amounts to 10% of the creditable amount, but no more than 50% of the gross monthly income of the person in need of care. The co-payment does not apply if the insured receives benefits to secure a livelihood or basic security in the event of reduced earning capacity in accordance with SGB II.

Accident and occupational diseases

If a stairlift has to be purchased as a result of an accident caused by third parties, an accident at work or an occupational disease , the liability insurance of the person who caused the accident or the responsible professional association will cover the costs.

Employment agency, pension insurance and integration office

Depending on the length of the social security contributions paid , the Federal Employment Agency or the pension insurance institution may be responsible for equipment at the workplace. According to SGB ​​IX , this includes technical work aids that are necessary for exercising the profession due to the type and severity of the disability. This can include a stair lift that can be used to reach a workplace.

The integration offices provide material assistance if a new additional job is set up for a severely disabled person. You can make grants for the “basic equipment” of a workplace.

Other payers

Other cost bearers, which under certain circumstances can assume part of the costs for an inclined stair lift, are regional funding programs, employers' liability insurance associations (if reintegration into working life can be made possible by an inclined stair lift) and the social welfare office .

Individual evidence

  1. Henry VIII. Used Stairlift says Starkey . Daily Mail website. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
  2. ^ Nils Levsen: Lead Markets in Age-Based Innovations. 2015, Springer Gabler, ISBN 978-3-658-08815-6 , pp. 54ff
  3. Information on Social Security Code IX - Rehabilitation and Participation of Disabled People . Website of the Federal Government Commissioner for the Issues of Disabled People . Retrieved May 3, 2010.
  4. Section 40, Paragraph 4 of the Social Security Code XI - Social Long-Term Care Insurance , accessed on November 15, 2012.

Web links

Commons : Stairlifts  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
Wiktionary: stairlift  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations