The Bluemans: From Kitchen to Child’s Bedroom
The Bluemans approached Stiltz Homelifts as their daughter, Jasmine, six, has complex disabilities. The family wanted both Jasmine, and anyone caring for her, to be safe when moving between floors at home.
As Jasmine moves from toddler to child, as she grows and puts on weight, it becomes harder for Mum Tara to carry her upstairs. One evening, when Dad Andy was out, Jasmine and Tara had a fall on the stairs which prompted the couple to seek an immediate solution for their daughter.
After being awarded a Disabilities Facilities Grant (DFG) the local authority put the family in touch with their approved home lifts supplier. Andy and his family thought long and hard about the best place for their domestic lift which would allow Jasmine the greatest freedom to enjoy her toys, socialising, and spending time in the garden.
The Bluemans decided the best position for a home lift would be in the kitchen with it travelling up to the little girl’s bedroom. However, the local authority’s approved domestic lifts supplier insisted it be installed in a different location. Not only that, but they failed to turn up at the family’s home.
After some frustration, Andy understood his own research and reached out to Stiltz Home Lifts. A Stiltz Trusted Assessor attended as a priority and was able to quickly advise and efficiently install a Trio+ wheelchair lift.
Most importantly, Stiltz was easily able to install Jasmine’s domestic lift in the original location that the family chose. Jasmine ‘absolutely loves’ the lift and it has given her access to all areas of the house, with the freedom to socialise and to play.
Andy’s Feedback:
“It’s amazing, it’s made a huge difference to our lives. I no longer worry about Tara and Jasmine on the stairs while I’m out at work, Jasmine can now come down from her room straight into the kitchen with easy access to the lounge, her playroom and outside. All at the push of a button on one of the remote controls. She also loves the lights inside it.”
Full story here.
The Jones: From Living Room to Main Bedroom
Over the last two decades, Judith and Tony Jones have sensitively renovated and restored their Grade II listed seaside property. The home they share together is their refuge, a safe space to rest, relax, feel like themselves, and make memories together.
What makes the property extra special for Judith and Tony was not just the outstanding architecture, which Judith jokingly describes as looking like ‘a shoebox from the front and the French Riviera from the back’ but the magnificent ocean views from the bedroom balcony.
One of their favourite times spent together is sitting on the balcony enjoying the wonderful sea views, so when Tony was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and began to struggle with mobility, retired occupational therapist Judith was determined to find a way to get them both up to the balcony to be able to continue their tradition of watching the sea from their balcony.
Through her work, Judith was very aware of the transformative power of home adaptations and after careful research she decided on a Stiltz home lift as the way forward for them both.
Stiltz home lifts are easy to operate with simple remote and in-car controls as well as integral LED lighting. This allows the lift to be at the user’s disposal whenever needed, day and night. With a small electric motor enclosed in the lid of the lift car it’s exceptionally quiet, smooth during travel and moves between floors in around 30 seconds. It was the ideal solution for Judith and Tony, and they embraced it with open arms.
Judith’s Feedback:
“Every morning Tony likes to go downstairs in the lift to feed our two cats. He will make us both coffee and bring it back upstairs so we can have it in the bedroom, looking out at the sea. The home lift gives him continued independence and it’s also a great help for me as he can, for now at least, get around safely. It has given us back a bit of our life as it used to be.”
Full story here.
The Carpenters: From Library Room to Upstairs Mezzanine
Kim Carpenter has Degenerative Disc Disease – a condition which causes stiffness, instability and discomfort which ranges from a nagging pain to one which is completely disabling. A key focus of pain management with Degenerative Disc Disease is to maintain mobility so moving around as much as possible is important.
Kim had reached the point where she was going upstairs on all fours, and this became intolerable. It made her and husband Brian start thinking about home adaptation solutions that would tackle the challenge of the stairs.
On a visit to the Ideal Home Show in London, where Stiltz was exhibiting, the Carpenters stopped to find out more. They were able to see the Stiltz domestic lift in action and were really impressed. After keeping in touch, they purchased a Stiltz Duo Classic Homelift for their home.
Installed quickly and efficiently with minimal building work, their Stiltz domestic lift travels smoothly up and down on its own dual rails. This means no supporting wall is required and the Carpenters could choose exactly where they wanted to place their lift. Once installed, the home lift plugs straight into a standard wall socket and is good to go. If the lift is on another level, a set of two handy remote controls provided as standard can be used to call the lift to the floor it’s needed on.
Several years later the Carpenters built an extension and were excited to be able to install a second Stiltz lift – this time they chose the second-generation Stiltz Duo+ Home Lift.
Having two Stiltz home lifts installed at home means Kim has complete freedom and independence to access all areas of her home safely, and independently.
Kim’s Feedback:
“We recently had some more building work carried out and decided to buy the second-generation Stiltz home lift which is a different shape and looks very smart and sophisticated. We’re really proud of the fact we are again unique in the UK as having an original Stiltz homelift alongside one of their newest models. The older one looks more like a time capsule, whereas the new one is clear on all sides making it light and airy, but I love both and I couldn’t be without them.”
Full story here.
Chris Knowles – From Downstairs Outside Extension up to Main House Landing
Chris Knowles suffers from Inclusion Body Myositis (IBM) – a slowly progressive muscle-wasting disease that mostly affects the arms and legs. Inclusion body myositis (IBM) can worsen over time and damage the muscles. The rate of this decline varies among individuals. Due to how his illness was affecting Chris, it was becoming an extremely slow and difficult process to use the stairs.
Unlike most homes, the layout of Chris’s property has two bedrooms downstairs and the kitchen, living room and bathroom upstairs, so it was important that he was able to reach all areas of his home to maintain his quality of life, and for practical reasons such as cooking and cleaning.
Friends suggested he move but his home is located in a city centre making it practical for him to run errands locally.
Having researched various home adaptation solutions, Chris knew that he did not want a stairlift and his occupational therapist had also said that a stairlift would not be suitable due to the limitations of his condition. Rather than move and leave the home he had lived in and loved for 20 years, he decided to extend and locate a domestic lift within the fantastic new extension space.
The home lift suited him down to the ground as it is smart and attractive with its clear sides mirroring the glazed extension. Being easy to operate, and comfortable to travel in, Chris can live independently without having to worry about accidents on the stairs. Most importantly, he was able to stay in the home he loved and remain near to all the infrastructure he was able to reach without calling on additional assistance.
Chris’s Feedback:
“My extension is finally finished, and the Stiltz home lift is in place. It has been truly life-changing for me. I can access the upstairs of my home now at the touch of a button. The lift has turned out to be great for carrying things like bags of food shopping up to the kitchen, whereas before I would really struggle to get both them and me up the stairs.”
Full story here.
Josh Boggi – From Living Room to Upstairs Office
After losing three limbs in a Taliban bomb blast in Afghanistan Josh Boggi, a corporal in the British Army, had to accept that, in that moment, his life had changed forever.
With continuous rehabilitation and support plus an opportunity to be fitted with life-changing prosthetic legs, Josh now lives in a cottage in Salisbury with his wife Anna who works for Help for Heroes.
Josh and Anna, who grew up as children together in Windsor, Berkshire, got back in touch when Anna learnt he had been injured. They married in 2016 and began a new life together. In order for Josh to have the necessary safety and independence at home, their cottage underwent some specific adaptations.
After researching accessible living products on the internet, Josh decided a Stiltz Home Lift was the right solution for him. He was pleased with the way it functioned but also impressed with how good it looked.
Josh chose a Stiltz Trio Wheelchair Lift which has space enough for three standing adults and can accommodate his wheelchair when needed. He’s able to move between floors with confidence and ease, completely avoiding the stairs. The lift has also proved extremely useful for carrying heavy or bulky daily items such as laundry or vacuum cleaner which would otherwise prove difficult for Josh to manoeuvre with on the stairs.
Josh’s Feedback:
“The home lift is unbelievable and has made a huge difference to my life. It means if I remove my prosthetic legs, I don’t have to climb up the stairs. I can do it if I have to, but having the lift makes life much simpler and easier. I wanted our home to look as normal as possible and not like a hospital.
My Stiltz Lift tucks into the corner and it looks really stylish. It is fully enclosed and just plugs into the wall which is also great as there are no hydraulics. I only use my wheelchair if I must, so only now and again, but the fact I can fit it in the lift is also good news for me. It’s a brilliant product and worth every penny – and you can’t put a price on quality of life.”
Full story here.
Funding for Domestic Lifts
There are many ways to fully or partially fund a home lift. These include a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG), local authority grants, Access to Work schemes, specialist charity funding and VAT relief.
Stiltz have produced a comprehensive ‘How To Fund My Home Lift’ guide which can be accessed here.