Sofa Arm-Rest
A client needed help with sitting to standing from their sofa. Raising the sofa alone was not sufficient as he needed something to press down on.
The Challenge
The client wanted to be able to get up from the sofa unaided but was unable to do so.
Watching him try to stand, it was clear that he could use the arm of the sofa on one side to help, but pushing down on the cushions in the centre of the sofa was not sufficient.
The solution
To solve the challenge, the author built an extra armrest to go between the sofa cushions. The sofa was also raised.
The new armrest was created from offcuts of CLS timber bolted with bolts and barrel nuts to a sheet of chipboard, sized to go under two of the sofa cushions, to spread the load when the client pressed down. The new arm was covered in foam and, at the client’s suggestion, a spare sofa arm loose cover was stapled in place to cover the new arm to make it match.
The benefit
The client was delighted with the extra sofa arm which allows him to move from sitting to standing unaided, which he was not able to do before, making him more independent in his own home.
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