Lift Chair Remote Controls for Shaky Hands

My mother’s hands shake, and the first lift chair remote we brought home was a poor match. The buttons sat close together and looked nearly identical, so she pressed the wrong one more often than the right one. We swapped it out within a week.

What helped was paying attention to the remote itself, not just the chair. Here is what I look at now.

Button size matters most. I want buttons I can find with a thumb without looking, wide enough that a tremor still lands on the right one. If two buttons sit a quarter inch apart, a shaky hand will hit both.

Simple layouts beat busy ones. A hand control with four big buttons is easier than one with ten small ones plus a light and a timer. Before buying, I ask whether the chair can be ordered with the plainer control, and I read the description of the handset carefully.

A few small fixes made a real difference for us:

• Clip the remote into a holder on the armrest so it never slides to the floor.
• Label each button with masking tape and a bold marker, or a sticker with a raised edge she can feel.
• Practice the up and down buttons together while seated, before she uses it alone.
• Keep the remote on the side she reaches with her stronger hand.

Labeling was the change she liked best. She stopped reading the remote and started feeling it.

If a replacement handset is needed, prices vary by model, so it is worth asking the seller what a spare costs — say a plan costs $150 for a new control, that is worth knowing up front. Check the provider’s own current terms for parts and returns, since those change.

When we were sorting out the controls, I found the plain-language explanations at Lift Chair for Elderly useful for understanding how the handsets are usually set up.

Patience with practice matters more than any single feature. Two short sessions a day for a week did more than any gadget.

— Linda Hayes