Lift chairs for seniors: what families should know before buying

If you've watched a parent rock forward three times to build momentum, grip the armrests hard and stagger on the first step, you already understand why lift chairs for seniors exist. About one in four adults 65 and older falls each year, and falls are the leading cause of injury in that age group, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Standing up from a low, soft chair is one of the shakiest moments of an ordinary day.

A power lift recliner takes that struggle away. It looks like an ordinary recliner, but a motor tilts the seat forward and up until the person is nearly on their feet. Shopping for one means wading through two-position, three-position, infinite-position, dual motor and wall-hugger. Here is what those words mean and how to choose.

How a lift chair differs from a recliner

A recliner leans back. A lift chair leans back and then does what a recliner can't: it raises you up again. Press a button and the base tilts forward, lifting the seat so you step away instead of heaving yourself out.

For someone with arthritic knees, a weak hip, Parkinson's or general frailty, the move from sitting to standing is the hardest and riskiest part of using any chair. If a person can get up from an ordinary chair without pain or wobbling, they don't need a lift chair. If getting up is a daily battle, no amount of cushioning on a regular recliner fixes it.

Signs your parent needs one

A few signs tend to show up together. Your parent avoids certain chairs because they're too low to get out of. They stay seated longer than they want to because standing is such an effort. Someone has to brace and pull them up, which is hard on both people and a common way family caregivers hurt their backs. Or there has already been a near-fall in the wobbly second between sitting and standing.

The chair handles standing up. It doesn't steady someone on the walk to the bathroom or help them in and out of bed. Families often pair a lift chair with mobility care for safe transfers and walking, or with personal care when dressing and bathing have also become risky.

Two-position, three-position or infinite-position

This is the choice that confuses people most. It comes down to how far the chair reclines and how its motors move.

• Two-position. The simplest and most compact. It sits upright or leans back partway, good for reading, television and help standing. Usually the least expensive, and it fits smaller rooms.
• Three-position. Reclines nearly flat, so it works for naps as well as sitting. The back and footrest move together on one motor. The most popular type, because it covers resting and standing without the top price.
• Infinite-position. Two motors move the backrest and footrest separately, so you can raise the legs while sitting upright or lie back with the feet above the heart (often sold as zero gravity). The most flexible and most expensive, suited to someone who spends most of the day in the chair or needs the legs raised for swelling.

A quick rule: mostly for getting up and light lounging, choose two-position. If afternoon naps happen in the chair, choose three-position. If the person will be in it most of the day or needs precise positioning, choose infinite-position.

Getting the size right

A lift chair only works well if it fits the body in it, and this is the step online shoppers most often skip. Chairs come in petite, standard, tall and heavy-duty sizes. Two things matter most: height, which decides whether feet rest flat and the head is supported, and weight against the chair's rating.

A small person in an oversized chair slides forward instead of being held. A larger person in a standard chair feels pinched and strains the mechanism. If at all possible, have your parent sit in the same model in a showroom before you buy, and watch the lift: it should feel smooth, without tipping them forward too sharply.

Features worth paying for

• Battery backup. Easy to overlook, but it lets the chair return upright during a power outage, so no one is stuck reclined when the lights go out.
• Simple controls. A remote with large, clearly labeled buttons and a side pocket to keep it in, especially for someone with poor eyesight or arthritic hands.
• A smooth, quiet motor. A loud or jerky lift gets old fast when it happens a dozen times a day.
• Dual motors, if the person needs the legs up while sitting upright or will spend long hours in the chair.
• Wipe-clean upholstery. Performance fabric or vinyl stands up to spills and daily use.

Heat and massage feel nice, but they are comforts, not reasons to stretch the budget. Pay for fit and safety first.

What lift chairs cost

Prices run from a few hundred dollars for a basic two-position model to $2,500 or more for an infinite-position chair with dual motors and leather. You don't need the top of the line to get real help. A well-fitted three-position chair in the middle of the range serves most people for years. Money spent on the right size and a smooth lift is well spent; money spent on massage rollers that get used twice usually isn't.

What Medicare pays for

Less than most families expect. By law, Medicare Part B treats only the seat lift mechanism as durable medical equipment. It never pays for the chair, the fabric or extras. After the Part B deductible, it pays 80% of its approved amount for the mechanism, which is usually a few hundred dollars of a chair that costs much more.

The medical criteria in Medicare's seat lift coverage policy are strict. The doctor's records must show that the person has severe arthritis of the hip or knee or a severe neuromuscular disease, is completely unable to stand up from any regular chair at home (difficulty isn't enough), can walk once standing, and has already tried treatments such as medication and physical therapy. The chair must come from a Medicare-enrolled supplier. Medicare Advantage plans must cover at least what Original Medicare does, so if your parent has one, call the plan before buying.

Where the chair goes

Put the chair where your parent actually spends the day, usually the living room near the television and family. A standard chair needs a foot or more behind it to recline, and infinite-position chairs need more. In a tight room, a wall-hugger design slides forward as it reclines and can sit a few inches from the wall. Keep it near an outlet, with the cord tucked away and a clear path in front.

While you're looking at that room, look at the rest of the house the same way. Our guides to preventing falls at home and bathroom safety cover the other places where standing and balance most often go wrong.

Using it safely

Keep the remote within easy reach, and teach your parent to bring the chair fully upright before standing, never to slide off the front while it's reclined. Keep pets, cords and clutter out from under the footrest, because the mechanism has real pinch points. Let the lift finish before stepping away.

And remember what the chair doesn't do. It gets someone to their feet; it doesn't walk them across the room or catch them if a knee buckles two steps later. For someone whose balance is unreliable, the chair is one layer of safety among several, and a caregiver's steady arm is another. Our Ocean County office sends caregivers to homes across the county for exactly that kind of help.

This article is general information, not medical, financial or benefits advice. Prices, product features and Medicare rules change; confirm current details with the supplier or your plan before buying.