Move home or buy a stairlift?

Struggles with your mobility can happen for a number of reasons. While initially you may have found it challenging but manageable to get up and down stairs, there comes a time when you might find yourself asking how you can best make accommodations for your own comfort.

If your stairs are proving too difficult to manage, then you’ve probably considered installing a stairlift, or perhaps even moving to a property without stairs. Here, we take a look at the pros and cons of each to help you decide what’s right for you.

The cost of adapting a property

When you consider putting a stairlift into your current property, many things can factor into the overall cost of this, and whether it’s possible at all. Stairlifts don’t suit all kinds of stairs easily and cheaply. For example, a straight stairlift is the most affordable option, but a stairlift to suit a curved stairway will be more expensive. If you don’t require the stairlift in the future it mightn’t be a cost-effective solution, so this could be a serious downside for some.

Living alone vs with family

If you are currently living alone, then the decision rests on your shoulders and what you want for yourself, now and later on down the line. Friends and family can make suggestions, but the final choice is yours. This is more complex if you live with family, such as a partner or children. Putting in a stairlift will be minimally disruptive to family life, whereas moving home could be a contentious topic. If you have others to consider, then make sure to discuss the pros and cons of each choice fully, making sure everyone has a voice.


Health implications now and later

For some, putting in a stairlift is as much adaptation as you’re likely to need. If, however, your health is likely to deteriorate or change in the future, this is worth taking into consideration. As well as the stairlift, will you need to make other adaptations that will be challenging and expensive – such as installing a downstairs bathroom in an older home, or turning a family bathroom into a wet room? These costs can add up and it may be easier to simply move to a more suitable bungalow or apartment.

The property market in your area

Unless you’re planning to move to a new area, you’ll probably wish to move to a new home around where you are currently living. If you’re seriously considering this choice over a stairlift, it might prove to be the more expensive option overall, but it’s worth investigating if it feels right to you. Take your time when looking into both the range of properties available in the area and how much your home is likely to sell for. If you’ll make a significant loss or there are few properties that match your needs in your preferred area, then it may be more suitable to add a stairlift – especially as community is incredibly important, whether that is friends, family, or healthcare services.

Your future plans

As well as thinking about your future health, take your own future plans into account. Are you a parent with older children who’ll be moving out soon? Or are you retired and no longer in need of such a large space to keep up with? Perhaps you adored your current home and have been planning renovations for some time in order to make it feel exactly the way you want. Whatever your future plans are, think about how your home factors into them. Installing a stairlift only to sell your home in a couple of years can feel like a sunk cost – and not all stairlifts can be reinstalled into all homes. If moving now is a little pain for a long-term gain, then it might be worth taking the plunge.

How it feels to you

There are so many practical and financial reasons that might lead you to choose to install a stairlift over and above moving to a new home and vice versa. However, the most important question to ask yourself is how each decision feels to you. Don’t be ruled by your emotions, but if one choice will make you far happier than another and provide you with a better lifestyle and more freedom, then listen to that as much as other, more concrete factors.

No matter what you decide, it is vital to enjoy the fullest quality of life. Mobility issues don’t have to restrict you, as long as you can make the best accommodations to your space.

If you do decide to invest in a stairlift, here at Fish Insurance, we can provide specially designed insurance cover for stairlifts helping to give you reassurance in the event of your stairlift being damaged or vandalised. Click here to learn more.