In your home, it is the stairs that are designed to link the different levels. However, when your age, an injury, sickness or disability impair our mobility, the stairs can become a barrier that lock off some important areas, like the bedrooms and the bathrooms. It is this sort of issue that forces many people to seriously consider the option of selling up their home of many decades prematurely.
For more than 26 years, Acorn Stairlifts has been providing an affordable alternative to the hassle of selling and moving your home by installing economical and non-intrusive stairlifts in homes all around the world.
The company’s Australia and New Zealand General Manager, Simon Hughes, says there is a perception that it is going to be a very expensive option, which leads many people to avoid considering this possibility or even a demonstration.
“But, depending on the staircase, we can have it fully installed for them from just $4500. If you compare that to what it would cost you just in stamp duty to purchase a new home, why wouldn’t you stay where the kids have been born and where the grandkids can visit? You’ve probably got 40 years plus of memories in that home, why give that up?”
Acorn’s Stairlifts can unlock a home’s upper floors by providing a safe and efficient method to get up and down the stairs. Our Stairlifts are designed to travel at a safe speed, about 45 seconds for the average straight staircase.
No structural changes to the property needed
One of the most important things when considering this option is that an Acorn Stairlift does not require any structural changes to the property, or expensive wiring or electrical upgrades, as the system simply plugs into an ordinary power socket. This also means that the stairlift is easily removed and a new buyer of a property would barely know it had once been installed when it finally comes time to sell.
Hughes says that each customer gets a made-to-measure, custom-built stairlift for their individual home and their own individual needs. The chair itself always travels upright, with the electrical engine and trickle-charged batteries on board. With all the driving parts on board, it means there is no electrification of the rail, making it safe for the passenger and others in the house, including children.
Exceeds all Australian standards
Manufactured in England, Acorn Stairlifts exceed all Australian standards and are fully covered by insurance. The chairs are equipped with an inertia-reel seat belt and swivel for ease of access while the arms, seat and footrest also fold away to minimise intrusion onto the stairs. As an optional extra, the folding footrest and swivel seat can be power operated if bending or strength is an issue.
For those who qualify for a funding package under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), the full cost of supply, installation and ongoing maintenance can usually be covered.
Ask questions when needed
“Don’t be afraid to ask Acorn for more information,” Hughes says.
“The more questions you ask of us, the better informed you are. People are concerned that if somebody comes to their home they will be pressured to sign on the dotted line, but we don’t take that approach.
“We provide advice to them on what we can offer them and leave that with them, so they have time to think about it, consult with the rest of the family, and where necessary talk to their occupational therapist”.
“There are options other than relocating, and we’re happy to have that discussion with people.”
