Lift and Transfer Specialists, Inc. | Stairlift Project for Diabetic Amputee

Custom Curved Stairlift Project
Diabetic Amputee · San Francisco, CA

Challenge

Jerry McCuiston is in his sixties and lives in San Francisco in a 100-year old Victorian duplex home. He is 5’10”, 235 lbs, and has a lower extremity amputation. He is confined to a wheelchair and does not use a prosthetic leg. His duplex has 36 stairs that are an immense hindrance to Jerry. The only way he was able to get up the stairs was to have either his roommates or landlord help him hop up one step to another while trying to hold onto the banister. The risk of fall was ever present.

Planning

His duplex is a one-story unit, but this being San Francisco, it’s built on a hillside and requires 36 steps to reach the door. The first set of stairs has 18 steps. Then there is the first landing where he has to walk a few feet to get to the next set of 8 stairs. Once he goes up these 8 stairs, there is another landing, where he must turn left twice to then go up another 10 steps to get to the top. There also was an unusual situation at the second landing – there was an old style hand crank that was used to open the front door. We had to address this as a Bruno Stair Lift could not be placed in a way that would obstruct this being used to open the front door.

The stairlift is great! I have 36 steps and I am an amputee. Jim Fischer from Lift and Transfer Specialists Inc. explained everything and the Stair Lift to me and my landlord. The chair lift was installed in one day and has made my life so much easier.

Jerry McCuistionSan Francisco, CA

Solution

It was decided that the Bruno Custom Curved Elite Stair Rail, because of its low profile, durability, smooth ride and long warranty, was the best choice. Jim Fischer, the Stairlift Expert from LTS, took careful photographic measurements of this stairway and one long curved Stair Chair was installed from the bottom of the stairs, along past the two landing positions, to get to the top step. The stair lift did not block the special, old-style door opener at the mid landing.

Conclusion

Jerry is very excited and so are his roommates and his landlord! They no longer have a fear of him (or them) falling down a precarious set of stairs. Jerrry is now able to get around his neighborhood in San Francisco more often, enjoying the city as much as he wants.