Couple install lift in 17th Century home

Maurice Allen was having to crawl upstairs every night to reach his bedroom after a spinal condition, he had been suffering from for the last decade, became progressively worst.

The 81-year-old has a prolapsed disc which causes lower back pain and muscle weakness in the lower body. He uses crutches to move around and also an electric wheelchair.

But his condition became so painful that he could only crawl up the stairs when he wanted to go to bed each night.

“I suffered a prolapsed disc about 10 years ago,” said Maurice. “I ended up having to use crutches to move around the house and an electric wheelchair for longer journeys outside of our home.

“My condition got worse and worse and it was getting to the stage where I was crawling up the stairs like a kid when I was wanted to go to sleep every night. I just had to take one step at a time or just shuffle up and down in a sitting down position and it was just taking me ages to get up to the main bedroom each night, never mind being a bit undignified.”

Maurice's wife Christine, 72, was concerned that Maurice’s condition would only deteriorate further so the couple decided to try and find a solution that would make his life easier.

The Allens have been living in the two-bedroom Grade II listed cottage they share together in the town since 1989 and the property is more than 300 years old.

The property had a very narrow and turning staircase where an ordinary stairlift would not fit so they decided to invest in a Stiltz Home Lift.

Maurice said: “Our staircase was only around three feet wide and also turned in places so a stairlift wouldn’t have fitted. We decided we wanted to get a Stiltz lift so we got a building company in and they carefully removed the stairs before it was installed. It only took a day, and was so quick and simple. It is situated in a downstairs space near our the kitchen and travels up to our main bedroom.

“Having the lift has improved my quality of life inmeasurably and has enabled me to get my independence back. I can now move between floors whenever I wish and in the same amount of time, it would usually take an able-bodied person to walk up the stairs. I’m just glad it was possible to get the lift installed in such a small space.”