Dizziness when standing up should not automatically be read as a problem of strength or as proof that a more powerful chair is needed. One person may rise without any particular effort and feel unwell once on their feet; another may find the movement difficult without feeling dizzy. The two difficulties can also occur together.
Before choosing an aid, it is therefore important to separate what the person feels from what the seat makes more or less practical. This article helps you prepare the information for the doctor and, afterwards, the technical questions. It does not identify the cause of the symptom remotely and does not suggest a test to provoke it.
In brief
Dizziness when getting up is a symptom to be clarified, not a defect that the chair’s motor automatically corrects. What matters is the sensation described, when it appears, how long it lasts and any other symptoms. The doctor assesses the possible causes; the professionals involved in mobility clarify supports and the help required; the Sollevita Team explains the product. A gradual movement can be assessed as mechanical support, but it does not show that dizziness is prevented or treated.
First of all: when urgent help is needed
If dizziness comes with sudden difficulty speaking, weakness in one arm or one side of the body, changes in the face or other sudden neurological signs, call the emergency services immediately: in Italy, 112 or 118. Do not wait for a new chair position to clarify the problem. The Italian Red Cross stresses the urgency even when only one suspected sign of stroke is present. [4]
Loss of consciousness that does not resolve, chest pain or significant difficulty breathing require immediate emergency help. The assessment of syncope also considers associated symptoms and circumstances, not just how long the person feels unwell. [3]
In these situations you do not fill in a form, record a video or try another button on the handset. This article is about preparing the conversation with professionals when there is no emergency. If the episodes are new, keep recurring or have caused a fall, contact the doctor without waiting for the chair to be chosen or delivered. [1, 2]
What “I feel dizzy” means for that person
The same expression can describe different experiences. Some people feel the room spinning, some report light-headedness or a feeling of fainting, and some mainly describe unsteadiness. Use the person’s own words: do not immediately correct them with a medical term.
ISSalute describes vertigo as a sensation of movement of the body or of the surroundings and points out that it is a symptom, not a single disease. A concrete description helps the doctor guide the assessment, but it does not allow the family to deduce the cause. [2]
It is also useful to distinguish an internal sensation from a practical obstacle. “The armrest is too far away” concerns a support; “once I’m standing, my vision goes blurry” reports a symptom. Neither statement cancels out the other.
When the problem is getting stuck when trying to start walking, the guide on Parkinson’s and freezing after standing up deals with that specific problem. Dizziness, freezing and the chair’s movement are not different names for the same difficulty.
When it appears matters more than the name of the chair
Piece together where the person was when the problem began. Were they still seated? Had they just moved from reclined to a more upright position? Did the feeling of being unwell appear while getting to their feet or after they had started walking? These details describe different circumstances.
Do not set up a complete sequence to compare them. The reconstruction concerns what has already happened. If a step is not remembered, note the uncertainty; do not fill the gap with the order of movements shown in a sales demonstration.
Note the approximate duration, any other symptoms and what happened afterwards. The doctor can use the frequency, context and course reported to decide how to investigate further. There is no need to time an episode before asking for help. [2]
Also mention whether the symptom has already appeared away from the chair, for example during other everyday activities. This does not establish a diagnosis: it avoids automatically blaming the product for everything that happens near it.
Orthostatic hypotension: a possibility, not an automatic diagnosis
One possible explanation is orthostatic hypotension, that is, a drop in blood pressure when moving from a sitting or lying position to an upright one. ISSalute lists it among the situations in which dizziness or a feeling of fainting can occur. However, not every episode of dizziness on standing up is proof of this mechanism. [1]
The assessment considers medical history, medication and circumstances; the doctor decides on the appropriate tests and any measurements. The HUG guidance on syncope places medical history, clinical examination and cardiovascular assessment within the healthcare pathway, not in the trial of an aid. [3]
For this reason, an occasional measurement or a demonstration without symptoms is not enough to draw a conclusion. Bring any readings already taken according to the instructions you received, together with their context. Do not stand up repeatedly and do not ask a family member to bring on the symptoms in order to obtain a reading.
Do not change medication, doses, salt intake or fluid intake on the basis of a guide about a chair. Any changes must be agreed on the basis of the individual situation; a medical need is not resolved by choosing a different setting on your own. [1]
An outline for reporting episodes without turning them into a test
The table gathers information that is useful for describing what happened. It is not a mandatory diary, a test for hypotension or a criterion for deciding whether to buy. You can fill it in with the person after an episode, without waiting until every row is complete.
| Information | What to report | What not to infer |
|---|---|---|
| Sensation | The person’s own words: spinning, light-headedness, unsteadiness or something else. | A diagnosis based solely on the word used. |
| Timing | Position and activity when the symptom appeared. | That the chair is the cause. |
| Course | Approximate duration, recurrence and other symptoms reported. | That a brief episode is always negligible. |
| Outcome | Any pause, help received, fall or loss of consciousness that occurred. | That improvement confirms the motor’s effectiveness. |
| Available information | Treatments to report to the doctor and any measurements already prescribed. | That new tests at home are needed to complete the form. |
An illustrative example: “The movement to stand up worked, but as soon as he was on his feet he said his vision was blurred and asked for help.” This is more informative than “the chair doesn’t get him up properly”, even though it does not explain the cause on its own.
Health data is shared with the doctor through the appropriate channels. The supplier only needs the part required for the technical assessment; there is no need to forward medical records to ask for the seat measurements.
Doctor, mobility professionals and the Sollevita Team: distinct roles
The doctor is the point of reference for clarifying the symptom, reviewing treatments and deciding on any further investigations. It is not up to the seller to establish whether the problem is caused by blood pressure, balance or something else. There is no need to come to the sales consultation with a clinical explanation you have put together on your own. [1, 2]
The rehabilitation and care professionals involved in the situation can assess how to organise the movement, the supports and the help, in line with medical instructions. Their role is not the same as demonstrating how far the chair rises.
The Sollevita Team clarifies configuration, dimensions, how easy the handset is to reach and how the functions behave. It can also explain how the intended movements are stopped, without deciding which timings or positions are therapeutic.
The different areas of expertise need to talk to each other when a symptom and a mechanical difficulty coexist. A useful question is: “What conditions need to be clarified before a personal trial?” The answer can come before any purchase decision and may include the need to keep the aids already in use.
The electric movement supports the action; it does not cure dizziness
Sollevita’s rise function gradually assists the move up from the seated position and can be used in reverse to sit back down. It is a mechanical option, to be used in a way that is appropriate for the person. It is not a function that detects blood pressure or corrects the cause of the symptom. [5]
Gradual movement does not prove that dizziness will be avoided. Likewise, being able to stop the movement does not make every intermediate position safe: the supports, the person’s abilities, the instructions received and the presence of the help needed all play a part.
The functions of the Sollevita riser recliner chair with integrated care features should therefore be read separately from health promises. More motors, greater height or a relax position do not constitute a treatment for hypotension or vertigo.
If the person feels unwell during a trial, stop the activity and call for the appropriate help. Do not keep rising to finish the demonstration and do not look for the button that is supposed to make the symptom go away. How help will be provided must already have been agreed; any emergency follows the healthcare pathway.
Assessing the chair once the trial conditions have been clarified
When medical guidance allows it, the trial can focus on the mechanical aspects still to be assessed: seat proportions, reachable supports, controls that the person understands and the help actually available. It must not become a test of how long the person can stand or an experiment on whether dizziness appears.
You can start by having the product explained with the chair empty, without asking the person to stand up. Distinguish what was shown from what was actually tried by the user. A technical demonstration can clarify a function without confirming individual suitability.
Do not change treatments or routines so as to appear in the best possible condition. If the episodes have changed after the medical consultation, report the change before going ahead. The trial conditions do not automatically remain valid when the situation changes.
For questions about the product, you can use the Sollevita support service, which also explains the functions. The useful outcome is an understandable assessment of what the chair is meant to do, not a promise that the outcome of a single trial without discomfort will always be repeated.
Reference sources
[2] Istituto Superiore di Sanità (Italian National Institute of Health) — ISSalute: Vertigo (in Italian)
[3] Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) — Syncope (in French)
[4] Italian Red Cross — First aid tips: Stroke (in Italian)
[5] Sollevita / La Castellana — Product documentation
Features taken from the documentation provided to the editorial team; the link leads to the product page, not to a clinical verification.
The health sources support the principles referred to; they do not recommend or certify Sollevita. Tables and examples were prepared by the editorial team; they are not clinical tests or documented cases.
Clarify the symptom first, then the seating needs
Take the episodes to the doctor and note any guidance relevant to a possible trial. Then go over supports, controls and the help needed with the Sollevita Team. The chair can be assessed for its own mechanical role, without entrusting it with the diagnosis or treatment of dizziness.
