Standing stairlift or perch stair lift

A perch stair lift is an alternative stair lift option for someone who has difficulty bending their knees or sitting down. These stair lifts suit individuals with medical conditions that relate to ankle, knee, hip or leg muscle problems. If standing up or sitting down are physically demanding or painful activities, then a perch lift of this type may be an option worth considering.

A narrow staircase solution - Alternatively, a perch or "standing stair lift" can be a viable installation solution when a staircase is very narrow and would not ordinarily be able to accommodate a regular stairlift. Stand-up lifts do not have wide chairs and consequently they can fit into and operate within narrow staircase openings, i.e. less than 3 feet (600mm).

How a perch lift works

The basic functionality of a perch style stairlift is the same as a standard seat based stairlift. The big difference is that instead of sitting down whilst being transported from one floor level to another, the passenger remains in an upright standing position.

This kind of lift does not have a standard seat. Instead the passenger stands on a small platform, often with a narrow "perch like" seat and backrest that they can lean against. These perch lifts often have arm rests or grab handles to hold on to and their smooth controlled motion ensures that anyone using them feels safe and secure.

The seating component of these perch lifts has a limited depth and it acts more as a bolster on which to balance and rest the bottom. Most perch lifts will have a height adjustable mini seat so that the ideal perch level can be found for any passenger.

Most passengers using one of these standing stair lifts will have a travelling posture that sees them standing upright, but with their knees slightly bent and their bottom and back resting again the backrest and mini seat, both of which will usually be padded. Armrests or grab handles allow the passenger to stabilise their upper body during travel.

Armrests or handles

In the case of many lifts, projecting horizontal arm rests (usually padded and similar to a standard stairlift) provide a resting platform for the underside of the forearms. Additionally, they also hold the remote control pad for the stairlifts various operations. A tubular safety barrier that can act as a grab rail may be part of, or connected to, the arm rest on the stairlift’s descending side.

On some chairs this rail may be an optional extra, or it may be positioned at a higher level and be adjustable or fold away.

Combination stairlifts

Some stair lifts have a folding seat that allows them to function as a regular seat-based stairlift when the seat is in its horizontal position. However, when the seat is folded flat (in its vertical position) they can be used as standing or stand-up stairlifts.

This kind of stairlift will work adequately as a perch lift, however it will have been designed primarily for seated travel and it may not have the same depth of backrest or height adjustability that a perch style stairlift would offer.

Perch style stairlifts run on the same kind of track as standard stair lifts and they can be straight or curved. The only difference between the two is the carriage element that transports the passenger.

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