Reclining Armchairs

[bainbrig]

Recliners - the sort where you have to push your body back to make them recline, and then sit forward to unrecline. Are they awkward to operate for the less strong elderly?

Ta

BB

[spathiphyllum]

Yes.
I mean, fundamentally it comes down to the individual ones, but i find they take some jolty movement and effort.

[mallyh]

we have the gravity, ones took a few tries to get it back but I love them now x

[mallyh]

zero gravity ^^^^

[chanel5]

I bought one some months ago. It seemed like a good idea at the time. It is not difficult to recline it, but if you move forward at all (eg to reach for the remote control or a cup of tea), the chairback springs upright again, and you are constantly bracing yourself to shove it down again. It gets wearing after a while.

[woofgang]

yes, if you want one get a powered one.

[spathiphyllum]

Powered ones are so heavy. I helped a client recently get one into her living room.. Gosh i was thankful she had french doors!!

[TonyV]

Bainbrig you had lots of good advice last time you asked?

[TonyV]

Spath I sent link for lifting equipment to move heavy furniture.

[bainbrig]

Tony.
“Bainbrig you had lots of good advice last time you asked?”

Different question pal.

Powered one sounds good (relating to THIS question).

B

[mallyh]

oh i'm sorry I thought you were talking about garden recliners .

[bainbrig]

We want to be able to move them, sure, but there’s no point in buying the cheap ‘lean back’ Ikea version just for its weight!

[ummmm]

Yes. My gramps had one for years and then had to invest in an electric one. Not cheap though.

[237SJ]

I`ve got a powered one. I did try the manual ones when I bought mine and I found that you do have to push back quite hard with your legs to get the footrest part of it back. Getting it out was easy as you just lean back but the reverse needed a bit of strength (and I`m not elderly).

[bainbrig]

It is so complicated!

Heavy is bad (so even with Tony’s lifting gear might be a problem). I have one leg, big strong arms.

I think we’re looking now at lever-operated ones, and will have to pay £500 a chair. Oh, plus (as vegetarians!) we don’t want leather...

It was supposed to get easier.

B

[bednobs]

blimey youre not eating the chairs are you? :)
I think it wa what i was trying to hint at in your previous question - it takes a lot of power in your legs to even make the lever ones work.
if you want to spend (signifiantly) more, i can recommend stressless chairs which even puny wobbly me can recline https://shop.stressless.com/en-gb/recliners/stressless-magic/p/000000000000078010?pid=11443150941511
however, as all makes are different, id really recommend trying out whichever one you opt for

[Tilly2]

I think it was Gness who posted a Youtube video of a lady in a recliner, which was absolutely hilarious. I can't find, it so maybe whoever it was will, if it wasn't Gness, will post it again.

[pixie374]

We have clients with just about each type- all fairly frail and in their 80s or 90s. It does depend what type you get, I'm sure. Try them out yourself, but the ones where you push your body back, do seem fine even without much strength.

[Buenchico]

Gness's video is on this thread:
https://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Home-and-Garden/Question1600648.html

[bainbrig]

Thanks Tilly/Gness/Chris for the video - tells me all I need to know about ‘push-back’ chairs.

The Stressless looks nice, although in our very small flat those extra footstools might be one more thing to fall over!

You’re right, of course, in that I should go and try chairs. Currently difficult due to crippling stump ulcer, hence doing what I can at a distance first.

My old pal Ted used to say “Don’t get old, Bill...”

BB

[bainbrig]

Blimey. That Ikea one I asked about originally ('push-back' type) weighed in at 40kg, which we thought heavy. But it's not, really. A more expensive (Celebrity) chair is 45kg, 50+ for the electric version... but at least it's on casters.

We're going to find a way of getting out to a local showroom and trying them out, and I'll report back.

Thank you for your advice - invaluable...

BB