If getting out of your chair has become the hardest part of the day, there are more options than most people realise — and some of them cost nothing at all. The devices are worth knowing about, but so is the fact that the chair itself is often the problem.
This article works through the options in the order most people should consider them: change the chair, change the technique, then add equipment.
Start with the chair, not the aid
Before buying anything, look hard at the seat you are struggling with. Three features do most of the damage:
- It is too low. The lower the seat, the more your knees and hips have to work. Many armchairs and almost all sofas sit lower than the ideal for someone with reduced leg strength.
- It is too soft. A deep, soft cushion lets you sink, so you are effectively starting from even lower, and it gives you nothing firm to push down against.
- It has no arms, or the arms are wrong. Arms at the right height do a surprising amount of the work.
Swapping which chair you use, adding a firm board or firm cushion under a sagging seat, or raising the chair on proper raisers can change the situation entirely. We look at the mechanics in why chair height affects how easy it is to stand up.
Technique
The standard advice from physiotherapists is worth trying before you spend anything:
- Shuffle forward to the front edge of the seat.
- Bring your feet back, so they sit under or slightly behind your knees, roughly hip-width apart.
- Lean your nose forward over your toes. This is the step most people skip, and it is the one that matters most.
- Push down through your feet and your hands together, and stand.
- Pause for a moment before walking off, in case of dizziness.
If leg strength is the limiting factor, it can be improved. The NHS publishes free strength and balance exercise guidance, and a physiotherapist can give you a programme suited to your joints. Sit-to-stand practice from a higher chair is a standard exercise in itself.
Equipment, from simplest to most involved
Chair raisers
Blocks or extendable legs that raise the whole chair. Cheap, effective, and the right first purchase when the only real problem is height. They must fit the leg shape properly and sit on a level floor, because they raise the chair's centre of gravity.
A firm seat base
A plywood board or a dense foam insert under a sagging cushion stops you sinking. Unglamorous, and often the single most useful thing in an old sofa.
Chair handles and grab rails
A vertical handle gives you something to pull against, which is the missing ingredient on armless seating. Wedge-under-the-leg types rely on furniture weight to stay put; floor-to-ceiling poles and wall rails are more secure but need fitting.
Lifting cushions
A cushion that raises and tilts you forward. Manual versions use a spring compressed by your own weight; powered versions use a battery and a pump, so the lift is the same every time regardless of how much you weigh. Both are portable, which is their main advantage — one cushion serves the armchair, the sofa and the dining table, and it can go with you to someone else's house.
A powered lifting cushion such as the MOVI Cushion is aimed at people who can stand and walk but find the first part of rising too hard. It is not designed for anyone who cannot take weight through their legs or who is unsteady once standing.
Riser recliner chairs
A motorised armchair that tilts and lifts you almost to standing. The most assistance you can get without a helper, with arm support throughout — but it is furniture, it needs space and a socket, and it helps in one place only.
Standing transfer aids
Frames used with a helper to move someone who can take some weight but cannot rise unaided. These should be chosen and demonstrated by a professional.
Matching the aid to the situation
| What you notice | Usually points to |
|---|---|
| Fine in the dining chair, stuck in the sofa | Seat height and softness — raisers, a firm base, or a lifting cushion |
| Have to rock several times to build momentum | Leg strength — a lifting cushion, plus strength work if appropriate |
| Can push up but nothing to hold on to | A handle or rail |
| Struggle in every seat, all day | Assessment, and possibly a riser recliner |
| Need a hand from someone every time | Assessment before buying anything |
| Unsteady or dizzy once up | Speak to a GP first — a lift aid does not address balance |
Getting help paying for it
Equipment is not always something you have to buy. In England, your local council must carry out a needs assessment if it looks like you might need support, and smaller items of daily living equipment are often provided free following an occupational therapy assessment. Age UK explains the process, and Living Made Easy lists equipment independently of any retailer.
When to ask for advice rather than shop
Speak to a GP, physiotherapist or occupational therapist first if you have had a fall or a near miss, if you feel faint on standing, if the difficulty has come on quickly, if pain is the limiting factor, or if someone is currently pulling you up by the arms. That last one matters: being pulled up by the hands or under the arms risks injury to both people, and it usually means the situation needs assessing rather than equipping. The NHS has practical guidance on falls.
Read next
- Sit-to-stand aids explained — each device class in more depth
- Aids for getting up from a sofa — if sofas are the specific problem
- Chair lift cushions: a complete guide
- Helping a parent who struggles to get out of a chair
General information only, not medical advice.