Motorised chair raiser

A man living alone could walk with sticks but found it impossible to go from sitting to standing, or vice versa, without assistance and spent most of the day standing. He needed an aid to lift him from a sitting position or lower him from a standing position – no commercial aids were available that could provide the necessary travel.

A battery-backed, electric motor incorporating suitable reduction gearing powered a scissor mechanism made up to enable the seat of his armchair to rise from 180mm to 500mm. It needed to be robust and powerful in order to lift a heavy armchair and a big man. It was installed within the confines of the chair such that when the chair was in the ‘down’ position it was no higher than before the riser was incorporated. The mechanism was operated by a remote control.

He can now get up from or into his armchair without assistance.