- Daily care need first; diagnosis or product category second.
- Fit is checked before quote or final configuration.
- Sollevita does not replace medical or professional assessment.
Why standing up can be the hardest moment of the day
Rising from a chair asks the body to do several things at once: shift weight forward, take the load through the knees and hips, and set off the movement in one go. With Parkinson’s, getting that first push started can be the part that stalls. The reasons differ from person to person, so the care team is the right place to understand any individual case. What you can change at home is the starting point — and a higher, firmer seat makes the whole task smaller.
Start higher, so the knees and hips do less
The lower the seat, the further the body has to travel and the more the legs have to lift. A raised starting height shortens that journey. A motorised Hi-Lo seat lets you set the height that suits the person for standing, then lower it again for comfortable sitting — the same helpful position every time, rather than a guess. It is practical positioning, nothing more, but it can turn a fraught moment into a manageable one.
Firm beats soft when you’re trying to rise
A deep, squashy chair feels welcoming until it is time to get up, when it lets the hips sink below the knees and swallows any forward momentum. A firmer seat base and a supportive backrest give something to push against. If the person tends to slide forward or settle too far back, ask an occupational therapist about cushioning and depth — small adjustments here make the stand-up far less of a fight.
If they get stuck halfway up
This happens, and calm is the most useful thing in the room. Do not pull them upward by the arms — it can unbalance both of you. Instead, help them sit safely back down, pause for a moment, and try again from a settled position. A physiotherapist can teach cueing and technique — a spoken count, a rocking rhythm, a clear place to look — that helps get the movement going. The chair’s job is simply to offer a stable, higher base to work from.
Armrests and stable positioning for the transfer
Firm, well-placed armrests give the hands somewhere reliable to push from and something to steady on once upright. Make sure the floor around the chair is clear and the person has room to plant their feet before rising. Where turning or moving on to a frame or wheelchair is part of the routine, the care team can advise on the safest sequence for that particular transfer.
When a simpler chair is enough
Not everyone needs every feature. If height is the main obstacle, a Hi-Lo seat alone may do the job, and a full Zero Gravity recline or a Push Head rest can wait. Honest fit matters more than the longest options list. A La Castellana chair can be specified to match how demanding the daily routine really is — and no more than that.
Get the fit checked before you commit
Because standing difficulty is so individual, the best next step is a free fit check with Sollevita before any quote. We look at height, depth, support and the room itself, so the chair suits the person and their daily routine — with the care team’s guidance leading on anything clinical.