When a father spends most of his day in one chair, the chair becomes the center of the house. A lift chair can make standing up easier for some people, but only if it fits the room, the outlet, and the way he actually gets out of it. Most lift chair problems come from measuring the chair on the showroom floor and forgetting the wall behind it.

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Measure the room when the chair is reclined

A recliner needs room behind it to tilt back, and a lift chair needs more than a recliner does. Measure the distance from the wall to the front of the chair when it is fully reclined and again when it is in the raised position. Check that a person can get past the chair on each side and that a walker or cane has a clear path to the seat.

Find the outlet before you buy

Ask where the power comes from. The outlet should be grounded and close enough that the cord does not run under the chair, across a walkway, or through a surge strip. Do not plan on an extension cord. If the outlet is behind the chair, plan that move before the chair arrives.

Test the seat height against his standing height

Sit him in a chair of similar height at home and watch him stand. Note whether he needs to push off the arms, whether his feet stay flat, and whether the front edge of the seat presses behind the knees. Ask the seller for the seat height and the lift angle and compare them to what you saw.

Ask what happens when the power goes out

Ask whether the chair can be lowered by hand, how the manual lowering works, and whether it has a battery backup. Have the seller show you the manual release on the floor model. Write down the steps and keep them with the owner's papers.

Check the weight rating against his weight

Ask the seller for the weight rating in writing and confirm the chair is rated for his weight with a margin. Do not guess from the frame or the brochure.

Run the first week with you in the room

Have him use the chair ten times while you are in the room, watching the tilt, the stop, the lift, and how he gets back in and out. Keep the chair placed where the first week's routine says it goes, not where the delivery crew leaves it.

Next move tonight: measure the wall distance with the chair reclined, mark the outlet location on a sketch of the room, and check whether the cord path is clear before you look at any chair.