It's ironic that the very things that are supposed to provide access to the (0) UPPER (UP) floors of buildings - stairs - often, in fact, make them 1ACCESS For many elderly people and others with limited 2MOBILE, getting upstairs can be a daily problem to be 3COME However, stairlifts have been helping people solve that problem since they first appeared in the US in the 1930s. Designs have 4GO many changes over the years and stairlifts have become 5PROGRESS safer and easier to use. Most consist of a seat which moves along rails that run along the wall. The user controls how 6RAPID the seat moves along the rails as it travels from the bottom of the stairs to the 7LAND at the top. In today's models, the 8MOVE is controlled by computers to give a smooth ride and the components are designed to withstand constant use. Many people have been given a new lease of life by the stairlift.