Stair lifts and people with advanced Alzheimer's

[Geb]

Hi there

I'm new to here. I am primary carer for my dear Mum, who has advanced Alzheimer's disease. Her mobility has taken a significant turn for the worse in the last six or seven months, and we live in a first floor flat; so I am very concerned about her becoming housebound, and also firmly believe that it remains in her best interests to stay living in her home where she's been for 42 years.

Does anyone have experience of using a stair lift for a person with advanced dementia? Any insight gratefully received.

Geb

 

[Rosettastone57]

Hi there

I'm new to here. I am primary carer for my dear Mum, who has advanced Alzheimer's disease. Her mobility has taken a significant turn for the worse in the last six or seven months, and we live in a first floor flat; so I am very concerned about her becoming housebound, and also firmly believe that it remains in her best interests to stay living in her home where she's been for 42 years.

Does anyone have experience of using a stair lift for a person with advanced dementia? Any insight gratefully received.

Geb

My husband used to work for a stairlift company and the company were very reluctant to install a stair lift in a home where a person with dementia would use it. I have to say that these protocols are only applied as far as I'm aware to this particular company which is a national well-known company. There may be other companies who will do something different but essentially, this particular stairlift company were reluctant to install a lift unless the person with dementia was completely supervised going up and down the stairs.

In your case it would seem that this would be the arrangements. The reason for this was that they had had a circumstance where a person with dementia had tried to get off the lift halfway up the stairs ,due to spatial awareness difficulties and had fallen and injured themselves. This incident had occurred with poor supervision at the bottom of the stair lift with the controls.

Also you say you are in a first floor flat? Do you mean that a stair lift should be installed in a communal area?

 

[Geb]

My husband used to work for a stairlift company and the company were very reluctant to install a stair lift in a home where a person with dementia would use it. I have to say that these protocols are only applied as far as I'm aware to this particular company which is a national well-known company. There may be other companies who will do something different but essentially, this particular stairlift company were reluctant to install a lift unless the person with dementia was completely supervised going up and down the stairs.

In your case it would seem that this would be the arrangements. The reason for this was that they had had a circumstance where a person with dementia had tried to get off the lift halfway up the stairs ,due to spatial awareness difficulties and had fallen and injured themselves. This incident had occurred with poor supervision at the bottom of the stair lift with the controls.

Also you say you are in a first floor flat? Do you mean that a stair lift should be installed in a communal area?

Yes, It would need to go in the communal hallway, not in our flat. And she would be supervised at all times.

 

[Rosettastone57]

Yes, It would need to go in the communal hallway, not in our flat. And she would be supervised at all times.

I think it would depend on the freeholder giving permission and the stairlift would have to be isolated off so unauthorised persons can't use it and potentially damage it.

 

[LadyA]

As it would be in a communal area, I guess you could lock it at the top/bottom of the stairs as necessary, to prevent others using it. We had one installed for mum in the Autumn, after a fall. She doesn't have dementia though (although she is getting forgetful!), and lives alone. It took a while and several supervised runs before she was confident using it herself (and before we were confident about her using it). But it has meant she could remain at home.