Why the average age of a stairlift user is changing
It is understandable that for so many years stairlifts have been assumed to be for frail, elderly people who have no choice but to have a mobility aid fitted to their staircase in the later years of life – for this is the image we have always seen in the adverts, on television, across all media in fact.
Kudos Stairlifts were keen to provide some research-based data showing that this assumption is outdated; it was disappointing to find that there is very little factual information regarding stairlift users. Rather than see this as an impossible obstacle, we have decided to overcome the hurdle ourselves using the information we have gathered in our 20+ years in the mobility industry – meaning we can not only confirm that the average age of stairlift users has lowered over the years, but assess why this may be.
OUR FINDINGS
- Our database shows the average ages of a new stairlift user over the last 15 years as follows: 15 years ago – 87 years old; 10 years ago – 81 years old; 5 years ago – 77 years old; within last 12 months – 74 years old.
- This means that the average age of a new stairlift user has dropped by 15% in 15 years – that’s 1% lower every year.
- Kudos Stairlifts have always kept an open conversation among all staff members – from administrators to installers, surveyors to engineers – as to the changes we see in the needs of our customer base over time, allowing us to extensively explore the rationale for these changes.
OUR REASONS
- Life expectancy has hugely increased over recent decades, as has the ‘active age’ of the population – indicating that we no longer see age as a limiting factor to our physical activity, therefore wanting to protect our mobility for as long as possible.
- Society as a whole also holds a much stronger desire to remain in the home we have created for as long as possible, not being forced to leave it because we cannot move around it any more. Alongside this, the shortage of homes suitable for those with mobility issues – such as bungalows – and the costs involved in moving or modifying your property mean a stairlift makes complete sense, both practically and financially.
- Choosing to see how a stairlift improves the quality of life of the user and their loved ones, rather than just seeing a stairlift as a mobility aid, seems to be a huge contributing factor across our customer base – click here to read our blog post explaining this further.
WHAT THIS MEANS
Seeing a drop of 1% every year in the average age of a new stairlift user means that we could be seeing the average age drop to 64 by the year 2033. This societal acceptance of age not being the main factor for using a stairlift is only a good thing, especially given that the Trauma Audit and Research Network (TARN) found that falls (usually linked to reduced and/or worsening mobility) are the most common cause of death for people over the age of 65 in the UK.
Future-proofing your home sooner rather than later will keep your home as yours and protect your ability to be physically active in other areas of your life.
Kudos Stairlifts are proud to be supporting a wide range of stairlift users, whatever their age or reason for their needs. We hope to be part of the beginning of ensuring factually accurate data is available to people regarding stairlift use, and to continue to be a part of shifting the stigma around stairlift use throughout society.
Contact our Client Focus Team today to discuss how a stairlift can improve and protect the quality of life for you and your family.
Call us now on 0800 1522400 to arrange your free, no obligation survey and quote, or to ask any questions you may have.
