Lift Chairs
For a while now mom has been suffering from severe arthritis in her knees and hip. She goes to the doctor and gets physical therapy once a week, but some days it gets really bad. She even has trouble walking and has to use a cane, which she hates. “I’m only 52,” she always says. “I’m not some old lady.” But sometimes she needs it. Lately mom has even been having trouble getting up when she sits down. I can tell when she needs help because she always looks a little embarrassed. My mother has always been a fiercely independent person—she had to be to raise three sons as a single mother—and she doesn’t like asking anyone for help. That’s why my bothers and I decided to take a look at a few lift chairs.
Lift chairs are chairs that are specially designed to help elderly and disabled people stand up. They have a small, silent motor underneath the chair that helps gently lift the occupant back on their feet. Lift chairs work just like any other motorized seat. You simply push a button and the chair rises up and tilts forward. From they the person on can get easily onto their feet.
My brother and I decided to pick out a chair that would match the carpet in the living room. Though we’re not too good at that stuff as single men, I think we got the right one. It was the best match out of all the lift chairs we saw. Not to mention the fact that it is a recliner so mom can put her feet up when she watches the tube.
When we carried the lift chair in from the truck and placed it in the living room, mom was still skeptical. “I’m not an old lady,” she said again. We all assured her that we understood that, but we said we’d all feel better knowing she could get back on her feet when we weren’t around. She got a little teary-eyed and hugged us.
Now mom uses her new chair just about every day—it’s the only place she’ll sit. And she goes on and on about what a thoughtful gift it was. Me and my brothers are just glad that our mother will never have to need help to get back on her feet again.
