Member Article

Donated stairlift sees “life changing” results for Edinburgh patient

A 72-year-old woman no longer has to face desperately crawling up the stairs on all-fours thanks to the donation of a “life-changing” stairlift.

Leading UK manufacturer, Acorn Stairlifts, installs up to 60 stairlifts per year free of charge across the country as part of its ongoing partnership with Marie Curie, giving long term mobility reduced patients the chance to return home.

Edinburgh resident Emily Binks, who was devastated when diagnosed with secondary breast cancer in 2002, has suffered immense difficulty going up and down the stairs following an unsuccessful knee replacement. Lack of mobility made everyday life a challenge, as Emily struggled to access the bathroom and bedroom and would only use the stairs as a necessity with help from her husband, Michael.

The team at the Marie Curie Hospice, Edinburgh offered Emily exercises and massages to help the pain. However, in order to ease the agonising task of crawling up the stairs, Marie Curie suggested a stairlift which Emily agreed would help recover her independence.

“Before the stairlift was fitted, I had to face unendurable pain to climb the stairs on all fours and then take one step at a time to get down.” Emily said, continuing “My worried husband would have the exhausting task of helping me up the stairs before he left the house – meaning we always had to plan and think ahead. It was so restricting and took away much of our freedom.”

Acorn immediately understood Emily and Michael’s punishing situation and to Emily’s elation had a stairlift fitted after just two weeks of initial contact.

Emily, whose life has been transformed by the stairlift, said: “I have no fear going up the stairs now. It’s completely changed our lives; any worries of falling have been lifted and I have no restrictions on when I can go upstairs.”

Hannah Harding, senior corporate account manager at Marie Curie, said: “We’re thrilled to see what a difference our partnership with Acorn Stairlifts has made for people like Emily. It is so rewarding to see the relief stairlifts provide for their loved ones too and we’re passionate about changing more lives as the partnership with Acorn Stairlifts continues.”

Nick Wilson, operations director for Acorn Stairlifts, added: “Stories like Emily’s are the exact reason we partnered with Marie Curie. We aim to change lives by installing 60 stairlifts a year for Marie Curie patients, which are to be installed before they return from hospital. We’re so pleased to be supporting the transformative work already undertaken by Marie Curie through our pioneering partnership.”

Yorkshire-based Acorn Stairlifts, which has been manufacturing and installing stairlifts for more than 25 years and employs more than 800 people in the UK, has been partnered with Marie Curie for over two years.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Approach PR .