Often as you get older or due to medical conditions, it can become harder to navigate staircases. This can greatly hinder your ability to fully enjoy and utilize your home. When it has become impossible or just unsafe to travel up and down the stairs it is no longer necessary to think about buying a new home or just not using part of your home.  Stair lifts can help you to regain your freedom and independence.

There are many different types of stairlifts. For most people the seated stair lift offers the best way to regain their freedom. A seated stair lift offers a 180 degree swivel seat with liftable armrests that allow the user to easily enter and exit the stair lift. A quality stair lift will also have a seat belt for added safety.

The installation of these products is generally simple and can be done in a few hours with common household tools. However, in instances where your staircase is unusually narrow or if you have a spiral staircase you should consider having the stair lift professionally installed. For heavy duty stairlifts intended for commercial use some states, like WA and CT, now have local code requirements when installing these devices.

A look at health news headlines from around the world:

-Research from the University of Texas found large waist measurements, relative to hip size, were linked to early signs of heart disease.  This confirms other research that waist size, rather than overall body weight, is a key indicator of heart disease. The study of 2,744 people suggests that a waist size of 32ins (81cm) for a woman and 37ins (94cm) for a man represents a “significant” raised risk.  Time for me to cut back on the beer.

-The Department of Health (DoH) advises people not to drink more than five single espressos - roughly seven instant coffees - a day, although individuals vary in their sensitivity and reactions.  The highest natural caffeine content is found in filter coffee, a mug of which contains about 120mg of caffeine. Instant coffee contains roughly 75mg and espresso 107mg.

-Carrying too much weight while pregnant increases the risk of complications for mother and baby, including birth defects, labor and delivery problems, fetal death and delivery of large babies, according to the March of Dimes. A revision is long overdue, said Dr. Raul Artal of the Saint Louis University School of Medicine. “The reality is for too long we are telling pregnant women to take it easy during pregnancy, be confined and to eat for two,” he said. “This has been one factor in causing the epidemic of overweight and obesity that we see in our country.”