Sofas are harder to get out of than armchairs, and it is not your imagination. They are usually lower, the cushions are softer and deeper, the back is further away, and on most sofas the middle seat has no arm to push on at all.
That combination is why people who manage perfectly well at the dining table find themselves stuck in the lounge. The good news is that most of it is fixable, and the cheapest fixes are often the most effective.
Why sofas are the worst offender
- Height. Sofa seats commonly sit lower than dining or occasional chairs, which increases how far your knees have to extend.
- Softness. A deep, soft cushion lets you sink well below its nominal height, so the effective seat is lower still — and there is nothing firm underneath to push down against.
- Sagging. Older sofas develop a dip exactly where people sit, which makes it worse over time.
- Depth. A deep seat encourages sitting back, and you cannot stand from the back of a seat — you have to shuffle forward first.
- No arms where you sit. The middle cushion offers nothing to push against.
Fix the sofa before buying a device
Firm up the seat
A plywood or hardboard sheet cut to size and slid under the seat cushions stops you sinking into a sagging base. It is unglamorous and it works. A dense foam insert or a firm replacement cushion does the same job more tidily.
Raise it
Sofa raisers exist, but they need more care than chair raisers: a sofa is heavy, it has more legs, and raising a long piece of furniture unevenly is a genuine stability risk. Check the raisers are rated for the weight, that they match the leg shape, and that the sofa does not rock afterwards. On a sofa with a solid plinth base rather than legs, raisers are usually not an option.
Sit in the right place
Always use the end seat next to an arm. This single habit change solves the problem for a lot of people.
Get the technique right
Shuffle to the front edge first. Bring your feet back underneath you. Lean your nose forward over your toes. Then push through your feet and the arm together. Trying to stand from the back of a deep sofa cushion is close to impossible for anyone, at any age.
Equipment that suits sofas
Lifting cushions
A lifting cushion sits on the sofa seat and raises and tilts you forward. It solves the height problem and part of the softness problem at once, because a firm-based cushion gives you a solid platform instead of a sinking one.
The caveat is fit and stability. The cushion needs to sit flat and fully supported on the seat, and a very soft or badly sagging sofa can let it tilt. Measure the seat before ordering — the MOVI powered lifting cushion is around 53 cm square, which fits most standard sofa seats but not narrow or heavily contoured ones. We look at this specifically in can a lifting cushion be used on a sofa.
Sofa arm handles
Handles that strap or clamp to the arm of a sofa give something to pull against. They depend on the arm being solid and the fixing being secure; they are not suitable for every sofa, and a handle that shifts under load is worse than none.
Floor-to-ceiling poles and grab rails
A pole beside the sofa gives a genuinely fixed handhold, which is often the missing ingredient. Both need correct fitting — a pole needs a suitable ceiling structure, and a wall rail needs to go into something solid. This is worth having done properly rather than fitted optimistically.
Replacing the seat you use
Sometimes the honest answer is that the sofa is the wrong seat. A firm high-backed armchair with arms at the right height, placed next to the sofa, keeps the room sociable and removes the problem entirely. It is often cheaper than a riser recliner and less intrusive.
Riser recliners
If most of the day is spent on the sofa and nothing else is enough, a riser recliner gives the most assistance — but it replaces the seat rather than adapting it, and two-seat riser sofas are expensive. See chair lift cushion vs riser recliner.
What tends not to work
- Piling up ordinary cushions. It raises you, but on an unstable, shifting stack. Use one firm cushion, not several soft ones.
- Pulling on the sofa back. It pulls the furniture towards you rather than you out of it, and can tip a lightweight sofa.
- Being hauled up by the hands or under the arms. A common habit in households, and a real injury risk to shoulders — and to the back of whoever is doing the pulling. If this is happening routinely, it is a reason to get an assessment.
A sensible order to try things
- Move to the end seat next to an arm
- Correct the technique — forward first, feet back, nose over toes
- Firm up the seat base
- Add a lifting cushion, or a properly fitted handle or pole
- Change the seat, or get an assessment for a riser recliner
When to get advice
Speak to a GP, physiotherapist or occupational therapist if there have been falls, if you feel light-headed on standing, if the difficulty has appeared quickly, or if someone is pulling you up every time. In England you can request a free needs assessment from your local council, and the NHS has practical guidance on falls.
Related reading
- Mobility aids for getting out of a chair
- Why chair height affects how easy it is to stand up
- Chair lift cushions: a complete guide
General information only, not medical advice.