Quite often the task of getting up becomes very difficult for seniors. However, this difficulty is certainly not limited only to seniors, as others who are mobility challenged also face this complication. To make getting up easier, there are several lifting aids available for different areas of the house.

One of the most common and recognized lifting aids is the lift chair. Lift chairs are most often used in the living room and they look similar to a recliner. They are, however, very different from a regular recliner, because the base of the lift chair actually raises into the air to make it easy to transfer into or out of the lift chair. Today, lift chairs are controlled electronically, so this means not only is the lifting system electrically controlled, but also the backrest and footrest.

For the living room, the lift chair is one of the best and most versatile lifting aids available, but there are other areas of the home where a lift chair can not be used. One of the biggest problem areas is the bathroom. The bathroom has many hard surfaces, so a fall can be very damaging. When moisture is thrown into the mix, the risk of a fall can increase as well. Not only this, but it can be very hard for a senior to get into and out of the bath tub or off of the toilet. These areas are often too low to exit from safely, so there are two lifting aids available for the bathroom.

The bath lift is a lifting aid that is used to allow a senior or other mobility challenged individual to get out of the bathtub. Most use strong suction cups to attach to the floor of the bathtub, so they can be installed quickly without tools and without modifying the bathtub. Most use rechargeable batteries that are located in the moisture sealed hand control. Most provide a plastic seat, often reclining, that is raised and lowered into the bathtub. However, some use an air filled cushion instead. This has the advantage of not taking up much space when being stored, making it a good travel bath lift.

This way the bath lift can be used safely in the water, without worrying about electrical outlets or electrical cords. As an added safety feature, if it does not have enough power to lower and raise again, the bath lift will not lower. While the electric bath lift is the most common, there is also a water powered model available.

To help make using the toilet easier, toilet seat lifts are often employed. There are several popular models, some of which can be installed without modifying the toilet. Depending on the model, one or more handrails may be provided. The models that can be installed without modification to the toilet or home are often used as travel toilet seat lifts, because they can be used with most common toilet styles.