Easier everyday life with a stair climbing aid. Tommy Jørstad found the stairs a major obstacle to his daily life. His balance was poor and his knees were in danger of giving out. But with the bedroom and bathroom on the 2nd floor, the stairs have to be negotiated several times a day. "I was simply afraid to use the stairs," Tommy Jørstad tells us in his living room. (This is a translation based on an article by Anne-Lise Aakervik, originally published in Ergoterapeuten 2nd edition 2017).
Next to him is his walking frame, which is a great help with the housework. But it's no help on the stairs.
The former master carpenter in the municipality of Malvik in Sør-Trøndelag in Norway suffers from Menière's disease, which causes severe dizziness. He also has osteoarthritis in both knees and in his hip. Climbing the stairs to get to the bedroom or bathroom eventually became a struggle.
"I have to plan trips in terms of climbing stairs," he says. "It's especially bad when my foot has to take the first step down the stairs. If my knee gives out or I get dizzy, it's easy for me to fall."
For Tommy, this means a daily routine characterized by thoroughly planned drinking breaks and other tasks, as he can't walk the stairs that often during the day. But the possibility of getting outside help didn't occur to him. It was his doctor who suggested that he visit the local care transition service.
The Malvik community care transition team is an interdisciplinary team that works closely with patients. They help with home adaptations. When they visited Tommy, the team quickly realized that the stairs were a challenge and that they might have a solution.
"We saw straight away that Tommy's method of going up and down the stairs wasn't very good. His body became stiff, which made him even more unsteady on the stairs," says Martin Tjugen, occupational therapist in the care transition team.
"If you have to use the stairs in the morning to go to the bathroom, any uncertainty can negatively affect your activity level because you hesitate to go up the stairs and that stops you from doing things," explains occupational therapist at Malvik municipality Oda Helen Græsli.
"For this reason, we were very pleased when we found a solution that we thought would work," says Martin Tjugen.
The solution that Martin Tjugen had in mind was a stair climbing aid that supports the person concerned when climbing stairs, but does not do all the work.
"I heard about the TOPRO Step stair climber as a student and realized early on that it could be a good alternative to stair lifts. We took Tommy to the Ladesletta Velferdssenter in Trondheim, where the stair climber can be tested," says Tjugen.
"I immediately realized that the stair climbing aid was clever and that I could make good use of it. Going down the stairs is particularly difficult. With the support of the stair climber, I can lean against the handle when I'm unsteady and that gives me good support," says Tommy.
The TOPRO Step stair climber can be a good alternative to stair lifts or home conversions.
"Ultimately, you could say it gives people the opportunity to continue living at home," says Solrun Matberg.
"In any case, it's about giving people the opportunity to walk on their own stairs, which is both good for their health and gives the user a sense of achievement," says co-founder and CTO Ingrid Lonar.
In addition to the two who oversee the installation at Fredrik Okkenhaug, the company has two other employees. Eirik Gjelsvik Medbø is co-founder and head of marketing. They also have a sales manager in Sweden called Jörg Radtke.
He gets up and goes to the stairs. Two rails have been installed along the wall. He unfolds a handrail and grabs it with both hands before starting to push. Then he goes step by step. The ascent is quick. He stops on the top landing and turns around.
"This part was the worst for me," he says, taking the first step while holding on to the handle.
"Now I feel safe. If my legs give out, I can hold on to the handle of the stairclimber with all my weight without falling forward. It feels safe and I no longer hesitate so much when I go down the stairs. I don't need it every time, but it's a good help that enables me to live in my own home," he says with a smile.
"By the way, it's very good that young people are interested in this kind of thing and are smart enough to develop something so functional," he adds.
Care transition has given many patients the opportunity to stay at home and care for themselves for longer. Well-defined needs and clear goals make it possible to systematize training and improve quality of life. This is how the care transition team in the municipality of Malvik in Sør-Trøndelag works every day.
In Malvik, the team focuses on important activities for the individual.
"We understand the patient's entirety, needs and environment. Sometimes it is enough to rethink, and in some cases, offering aids is a smart thing to do. With the TOPRO Step stair climbing aid, we can now offer an aid that both contributes to daily living and allows the patient to live at home. The TOPRO Step stair climbing aid can also be used for stair training for those who need it."
TOPRO Step information video
To carry out an on-site inspection and receive a quote, make an appointment with us. Once you have accepted the quote, we will carry out the installation, which usually only takes a few hours. .
TOPRO Step is TÜV-tested and certified and meets all functional and safety requirements.
TOPRO Step is designed so that it can be easily adapted to your staircase. It can be installed on straight stairs, curved stairs and stairs with a landing.
Ask your health insurance company about the possibility of cost coverage or possible subsidies. Please note that these options are country-specific and individual.
TOPRO Step means TOPRO quality. When you buy a TOPRO Step, you receive a guarantee of up to 5 years.
We measure success by satisfied customers, which is our top priority. We already have over 4,000 satisfied users throughout Europe.
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TOPRO Step Expert
+47 902 931 00
Monday - Friday
08:00 - 16:00 o'clock.
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TOPRO Step
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The stair climbing aid has now been installed at the Lamarktunet rehabilitation and retirement center for a one-year trial period. Torstein Lien is 91 years old and now somewhat unsteady on his feet. But now he has the opportunity to practise climbing stairs independently. (This is a translation based on an article by Trond K. Johansen, originally published in Bladet Vesterålen on July 11, 2018)
People who have difficulty climbing stairs at home can find many solutions to this problem. The purchase of a stairlift has been one of the most common solutions to date. In this article, we will therefore look at why a stairlift is not always the best solution. And what you need to consider when buying a suitable stairlift.
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