A rocking chair? Your thoughts on furniture

WorkWithWhatYaGot

Good morning.

My mom's antique furniture is not very comfortable or easy to get out of.  

I'm considering shopping. She's quite petite.

I'm considering a recliner and also a rocker. She's mid-stage and not terribly steady on her feet. 

There's a glider chair she has that seems to like, but it is getting worn out and I don't think the seat is very comfortable for her - she has no padding! 

Is the rocker a bad idea at this point?   If she weren't so petite, I wouldn't mind just using it for a short period of time, but finding furniture to fit her takes awhile.  

Also, for a recliner, any suggestions?  I've heard you can find chairs with heat and also the lift to your feet type.  I don't know what that is called.  She would be able to take this with her to AL, but I am not sure about MC.   

Thank you

May flowers

I would lean towards a lift recliner. When our LOs need to push up on the arms of a chair to get up, anything that moves might cause them to fall. We had to get rid of my FIL’s glider for that reason.

HSDaughter

A lift chair might be your best bet.  The ones that I have seen do have to be plugged into an electric outlet.  I bought one for my aunt, who was very petite as well.  I did not buy it at a furniture store, but instead at a medical supply store.  It had to be ordered.  The chairs came in a few different sizes, and I ordered the smallest one.  The medical supply store had samples on the floor, as well as literature noting the specifications.  It went with my aunt to assisted living and then to the skilled nursing facility.  One caveat:  the chair is heavy.  I was able to get the medical supply store to transport it for me to the skilled nursing facility, as the store had contracts with both her old place and the new place, and often made deliveries to both places.  The chair came with a warranty, I don't remember if it was just one year or maybe three years, for the mechanism that propels the lift.

While the mental picture of a grandmother rocking in her rocking chair remains fixed in our minds, rocking chairs can be problematic.  I inherited several antique rocking chairs, and I have gotten rid of all of them.  The rocker sticks out and is a tripping hazard for anyone, not just the elderly.  Also, a small person may not have the heft to actually make a large upholstered rocking chair actually rock, defeating the purpose paying extra for such a chair.  

loveskitties

We took folks shopping for a new recliner specifically because of size of their current furniture...we shrink with time.  Needed to be sure of fit so they had to try them out.

Found a rocking recliner that was just the right fit.  No rocker feet to stick out...looks like standard recliner to the floor...no visible feet. The one we chose has manual recliner lever on the side, but might be able to find one with remote control.

It was pricy at Lazy Boy, but managed to get a good deal as it was on sale.

Hope you have luck with your search.

Jo C.

As nice as it sounds, a rocking chair would not be the best sort of chair.  The ability to use balance and wisdom in connecting how to use the chair safely will become compromised; falls are a big risk from a "moving" chair.

There is much more to choosing a recliner or recliner/lift chair for successful use than one would think.  Here is some information that may help in making a good decision when choosing a recliner and/or lift chair along with some informative links listed below.

 

Since such chairs are pricey, it would be good to know whether you want to invest in a recliner only chair, or if you think it would be wise to get a reclining chair that is also a lift chair as needs change and evolve.   It is also important to measure the intended chair user and know the users weight so as to be successful in getting the proper chair "fit."  The more a person weighs, the more sturdy the frame, etc., will be

 .

If insurance will cover a lift chair; such as Medicare, it will cover only the chair lift mechanism; they do not cover the chair itself as the lift mechanism is considered a medical need/device and  the rest of the chair is considered "furniture." 

 

NOTE: To be covered by most insurances that  have coverage; most insurances, including Medicare have criteria that the insured must be able to stand and be able to walk, even if with a walker or cane.  A doctor's order is needed and there must be a medical condition for need for a lift chair; this must be a condition involving the ability to stand; so the knees, hips, etc. would be acceptable, back pain would usually not be.  ALSO:  If one has had a wheelchair or scooter covered by their insurance, such as Medicare, they will often NOT also cover a lift chair.  This is discussed in one of the links below.  Many stores will not work with insurance, so if this is important to you, ask ahead of time before making a choice for purchase.

   

Recliner/lift chairs can be found at both furniture stores as well as at many medical supply stores.  There is a different approach and assistance between stores and store types, so I personally would look at several of both types of stores, gain knowledge and then make my choice.  It is important to ask before purchase:  Once in the home, if the chair does not work out for the user, is there a return policy and if so, how does it work and is there a fee for returns.  

 

Whether this is a purchase for yourself or a Loved One with a disability or for a Loved One who may have dementia, I  am including some informative links below, and it is a good idea, if there are significant issues; if you can, to get PT and/or OT input so you know how to measure your loved one for a chair fit and what to look for.

One of the below links is with two Physical Therapists; it is a little slow, but there are many hints re chairs and rising from chairs and other handy hints.

The other links discuss sizes and weight for chair fit as well as criteria for insurance coverage, fabric, motors, and much more.

First, chair height from seat to floor makes a huge difference as does inside chair width from side to side as well as inside depth from front  to back and for users actual weight.  It all makes a huge difference not only in use, but also in some instances, in the life of the chair.

Oversized plush armrests as well as short armrests are counterproductive making it extremely difficult or impossible to help the user lift oneself out of the chair for pushing off when standing..  One needs to have a narrower, firm. more solid upholstered set of full length armrests.  Personally; I would not purchase a very plush chair with over-stuffed backrests, seat, etc.  All of the highly cushioned areas will compress over time and can affect the fit of the chair and ease of use. Best to stick to the simpler upholstered chair without all the deep plush extra cushioning. Plush headrests also can push the head forward and cause neck pain as well as being uncomfortable for TV watching. 

 

With some chairs, whenever one puts the foot rest up, the chair back automatically reclines.  That is not always a good dynamic as some individuals want their feet up but also want to sit upright to be able to visit with others or to watch TV.  In many cases, this can be accommodated by an electric control chair with two motors; one for the footrest and one for the backrest.  If one can operate the controls, that is great; for others such as those who have dementia, it may take the caregiver to operate the mechanism to get the correct positioning.

With some electrically operated chairs, the control can actually be programmed for automatic desired position for backrest, footrest, recline position and if a lift chair, for the lift mechanism.

 

In the side, non-electric operating mechanism, it can take a significant amount of leg strength to get the footrest down so one can stand; that can be dangerous if the user cannot make that happen and then tries to get up anyway trying to get off the chair sideways with the footrest still up and extended; this is a significant fall risk.

 

If choosing an electrically controlled chair there are of course multiple parts that can develop issues, so look carefully at warranty for the motors; that is where the most important warranty coverage is.  NOTE:   Also look to see if the chair has battery power backup; some do and this may be important if there is a power outage. With a lift capability, some chairs do that nicely, but other chairs seem to put a person in an uncomfortable feeling like they are going to fall situation.  Fit and capability is again very important.

 

Also check the warranty to see if there is a lifetime warranty for the frame as well as mechanisms; some do have this.  Just check carefully for the warranty information as these chairs will often be in daily use and are usually kept for a very long time.

 

Fabrics take on importance for this heavily used furniture.  Check the wear testing that is done for a possible fabric choice.  Is the chair user incontinent or more apt to spill drinks, etc?  If so, then choosing a fabric that can withstand accidents becomes a primary concern.  There are some fabrics, (not cloth) that can be cleaned with a disinfectant; if this is important to you, ask about it as not all non-cloth fabrics can withstand disinfectant use.

 

NOTE:  Try to buy a chair made by a well known company AND if possible, a company that will sell parts directly to the consumer.  Furniture stores and medical supply stores can go out of business and most often, stores do not carry chair parts anyway, so that can be important.   These chairs are expensive and ability to get parts can become important over time.

 

Check to see delivery fee; sometimes that can be negotiated.  When checking delivery; be sure to ask if this includes the chair being taken to its place in the house and if it includes setup; if an electrically operated chair with battery backup, find out if the delivery service will install the batteries.

Links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m5qNdrKjM8

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYb-v8Q2r_k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HsO1K2WKFU

 

Hope you find just the right chair and all works out well,

 

J.

Fairyland

They can injure pets if that is a consideration.

Heidi58

My mom is mid-stage and while she can still use the wooden rocking chair in her bedroom, she has trouble with rocker recliners - we gave ours away because she kept forgetting and trying to sit in it.

She was able to get into the chair without much trouble, but she would lean on the arms to raise herself out of the chair. Once she'd lifted her weight from the chair, it would move and throw her off balance. She never actually fell, but she gave us a few scares, so we got rid of the rocking recliner and replaced it with a lift chair.  She can get in and out of the lift chair much more easily, but the remote is difficult for her to use. We were able to find one with only 2 buttons, but even so, she has trouble with the remote control. 

ouafaex

I think you should look into Mcombo Electric Power Lift Recliner Chair for the Elderly. I found this  tv recliner when I was looking for one for my father and actually bought it from Amazon. Honestly, it's amazing. It made my dad's life so much easier. It even has cupholders, so my dad no longer drops his glass when he forgets about it. It was a challenge to get it into our small house, but it was totally worth it. Now he can sit comfortably and easily get up, and I don't have to worry about him getting stuck in a chair and being unable to move around the house.

BassetHoundAnn

My mom is very tiny and while she was staying at our house she found a kid's antique rocker in the living room and took to it immediately. It was so small she found it perfect for her size and was sitting in it all the time. It followed her to assisted living and was her favorite chair as it was small and cradling, and I think she found the rocking soothing. But at a certain point she developed balance problems and as Jo C. described had a hard time connecting to it in order to sit down. She also got in the habit of dragging it to the door to prop beneath the knob because she was certain people were breaking into her apartment at night. It was the only piece of furniture that was small enough for her to drag. When she got to MC it had to go. It was inappropriate in so many ways. So my suggestion...maybe look at kid's furniture for something petite...but avoid a rocker.

jfkoc

If you opt for a recliner get one with attached remote and one that lifts you out.