Beactive Mobility On-line Advice Brochures

Rise & Recline Chairs

Are you finding it difficult to get out of your chair?

As we get older and our joints become weaker or give pain, normally caused by arthritis, getting up out of an armchair becomes more difficult. It can become a five minute job, which is embarrassing, frustrating, time-consuming and is painful for you.

A Quick Useful Look at Various Solutions

Having your own chair raised on special blocks or raisers can help as it is easier to stand up and sit down if the chair is higher.

However the most extra height you can achieve by this method is approximately 4” and then your feet may not touch the floor when sitting back in the chair. This means all the pressure from sitting is put on to the back of your legs. It also means, when you want to stand up, you must first wiggle forwards to the edge of the seat to get your feet firmly on the floor ready to stand up.

But you don’t have to put up with this anymore, today there are some wonderful, comfortable and luxurious, rise and recline armchairs that will stand you up with ease.

Introducing the best chairs available today that will help you sit down and relax.

In fact, these chairs are specifically made to help people who are finding it difficult to sit or stand from an armchair that’s too low.

The best designs today are far more comfortable than standard furniture, so not only do you end up with a more comfortable seat to sit back and relax on the pillow style “waterfall” back, but you can also raise your legs gently with the powered leg raiser with no effort.

The best of the chairs today mean you will no longer need a separate footstool which you have to reach down to get into position, putting cushion after cushion on top of it to try and get the correct height and comfort to either ease pain or swelling.

Doctors advise to raise legs to reduce swelling, but a foot stool doesn’t always raise them high enough.

Chair facts today

Here are the facts about the best of these useful chairs and the various aspects of the different types that you should know about, before you make a buying decision.

Here’s a quick look at the 4 different types of electric rise and recline armchair

1. The single motor type, standard recliner style

Single motor chairs have just that- a single motor! When a single motor chair reclines, the leg rest and the back rest move together.

On most single motor chairs, the leg rest raises up before the back rest reclines. As the leg rest then reaches a level-with-the-seat position, if the hand set button continues to be depressed, the back rest continues in tandem with the foot rest to full recline. This is not a lay flat position, but more about this later.

This type of chair needs approx 16” to 18” of space behind the chair, to enable the chair to recline without hitting the wall.

This is very important as the motors are very powerful, and if the back of the chair were to catch on the wall, or perhaps under a window sill this would cause the frame of the chair to bend, resulting in a very expensive repair.

So, something to think about is the position of the chair in the room.
Another point to consider, if you’ll pardon the pun, is a power point where the chair transformer can be plugged in permanently.

Advice: This is the type of chair to have if your sitting balance is normal, but you need to raise your legs to help reduce swelling, and need to stand with ease.

2 Single motor Tilt in Space

These chairs keep the back rest and the seat at the same “sitting” angle. When you recline in this style of chair, your body and leg angle remains the same, approx 110 degrees.

Advice: If you have problems with your lower back or have difficulty holding yourself in position, this is the chair we advise you to have. It reduces strain on the lower back and prevents any possibility of sliding forwards, off the chair. You just cannot slide down this style of chair when you are reclined.

This is called a no-skin shear motion.
The leg rest also lifts your legs up higher than your body on this style, which is good for oedema of lower limbs or low blood pressure

Once again this style of chair needs 16” to 18” of space behind the chair.

3 Single motor wall huggers

This style of rise and recliner only needs to have 4” to 6” of space behind the chair to enable the chair to reline without hitting the wall.

The mechanism of this chair is very clever and moves through itself to over come any problems due to space.
Advice: This is ideal if you have limited space or the layout of your room furniture dictates where you can place a chair.

Advice: The action of this style is the same as the standard style recliner, so if your sitting balance is good, but you need to raise your legs to help reduce swelling and to make it easier to stand, but you have limited room or the chair needs to be by a wall, this is the type of chair to have.

4 Dual Motor

Dual motor chairs have two motors, one to control the back rest, and one to control the foot rest and lifting action.

This gives the ultimate in flexibility to place the back and leg rest where ever you would like them.

Advice: Dual motors also tend to recline fully (nearly Flat) so this is the ideal chair to have if you may need to sleep in your chair occasionally.
If you don’t need to lie flat you may not need a dual motor so go for a single motor and save yourself money.

You will need up to 24” behind this style of chair if it’s going to be reclined fully into the flat position.

The control handset on a dual motor will have four or more buttons (up and down for each motor) this can take time to learn at the beginning but you will soon get used to it.

Advice: As a word of warning, if the chair is being considered for someone with dementia, it may be better to go for a single motor chair as these only have two buttons, up and down.
Some hand controls also come with a key which can be removed to stop unauthorised use by children or the occupant if they are not able to safely do this themselves.

Here’s a look at the three different types of back rest styles and advice about which type of chair is best for your condition

1 Waterfall back

This is typically made up of three pillows. This is the type most favoured by Occupational Therapists, as it gives head support, mid-back support and lower back support. Each pillow has a zip which allows access to the pillow inside for adjustment of the filling if required

This is by far the most popular style and the most comfortable to lay on when reclined

2 Flat back

This style is shaped to the contours of your back and provides firm support. A small, movable head pillow is a popular option as when you recline the top portion of the back rest curves away.

3 Button back

This is a very traditional looking style with various styles as regard button placement and will provides medium- to -firm support.

Advice about which chair will be most beneficial

Out of twelve manufacturers in the U.K, we have narrowed the choice down to three. These three supply quality assured, well made bespoke chairs.

They all have a hardwood frame, not MDF or pallet wood as on cheap budget chairs where the screws pull out.

These manufacturers also build their chairs with a full chaise leg rest. This means there is a continuous cushion from the seat to the leg rest, so there are no ugly gaps between the two where a skirt, a dress or dressing gown could get caught.

Now here are the three brands we supply:


1 Primacare

Made in Wales. This is the Tilt in Space style, on ultra fast two day delivery with five fabric choices. If you wish to choose from a larger range of fabrics, or special gel cushion inserts if sitting in the chair for long periods, these take five to seven days for delivery. Very well made, even has adjustable and removable back pillows for comfort and easy access to the pillows.

2 Rise & Recline Ltd.

This the Wall Hugger style, upholstered in Nottingham, made to measure within certain parameters, very large range of stylish fabrics and very well built with thoughtful attention to detail, piped stitching, there is a battery back-up unit as standard in case of a power cut and you are reclined, there’s enough power to give you one lift back to a sitting position.
Delivery from this manufacturer is normally 10 to 14 days.

You can chose from a large range of fabrics to match or compliment your existing furniture, everything from waterproof to Dralon to Chenille to luxurious Leather.
This manufacturer also produces matching 2 and 3 seater settee’s.

Here’s our choice, the one we award five stars to;-

3 A.J.Way Furniture Ltd

The prestigious top of the range manufacturer in the U.K., featuring standard style action, Tilt in Space and dual motor recliner chairs.

In the forefront for innovative ideas, fabulous build quality, sumptuous cushions, piped stitching, elasticated side pockets.

If the Queen needed a rise and recline armchair, this should be the one she should choose!

Made to measure to fit you with unique specialist cushion systems, sumptuous pillow backs, whisper quiet motors.

If money is not a problem and comfort is important, I would advise you to get this one, but if you can’t quite stretch to my 5 star choice, then the next best for you is Rise and Recline Ltd.

Odds and ends section:

All chairs come with a side pocket, some have two! Handy for keeping the TV guide in!

Wooden knuckles are available as an option to the end of the armrest to give you an easier place to grip if required; this can help when standing up out of the raised chair.

We have a range of these chairs in stock showing the different types of action, with everything from two day to 6 weeks delivery depending on sizes, fabric choice and the brand you chose.

Select and order your chair today….. get out of your chair simply and easily every day, every time.

Stop suffering, suddenly you’ll have ease, it enables you to almost spring in and out of your chair like you did when you were a teenager!

It’s a beautiful piece of furniture that will compliment your room.

Simply choose one of the following easy ways to place your order;-

1. Call us direct between 9 & 5pm on our free phone number 0800 211 8810

2. Call into the store to see the range in the next 7 to 10 days.

3. Email dave@beactivemobility.co.uk to place an order request.

There you are, four easy ways to contact us. Your life is about to be made more comfortable with this rise and recline armchair.

Do let me know if there are any other questions I may not have answered.

You are always more than welcome to call me or any of my knowledgeable staff and we’d be happy to explain anything you need to know.

All my very best




David Smith regBHTA
Managing Director

P.S. When you order your choice of chair within the next 21 days, you can deduct 25% off the price of a special table on castors designed to fit round the chair so you can eat your meals, do a jigsaw or read, all without leaving the comfort of your chair. When you need to get out of the chair simply push the bottom cross bar with your feet and the free rolling castors will move the table easily out of the way.

The in store price of this wooden topped table is £125, but if you order a table at the same time as a chair, deduct 25% from the table, leaving a low price of just £94.50

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