As of 13 August 2026, AI can only partly find a stairlift for your parent.

What to actually do

1. Hand it to a person

   The route this page recommends

   A person who owns the outcome does this end to end, worth it when the failure is dear.

2. Use a tool built for this

   Second choice

3. Do it yourself

   The distant third

   A chat interface, chat-fluent skill, and roughly 30 minutes until you can act on the result.

   How to actually do it

   1. Open a chatbot and paste the prompt, filling in the postcode or town, staircase shape, mobility details, property information and budget without including unnecessary medical records.
   2. Ask the chatbot to produce the shortlist and open each supplier's UK website in separate tabs to check that it serves your area and offers the type of staircase involved.
   3. Send the drafted enquiry to at least two shortlisted suppliers, asking each for an in-person survey, an itemised written quotation and confirmation of the proposed model's fit and limits.
   4. During each survey, show the actual staircase and ask the installer to demonstrate the seat, controls, transfers, charging position and any obstruction or emergency-release arrangements to your parent.
   5. Paste the written quotations into the chatbot with personal contact details removed and ask it to compare inclusions, exclusions, warranty, servicing, removal and cancellation terms without filling missing information.
   6. Compare the chatbot's table against each original quotation and the supplier's current website, then ask the suppliers to correct any discrepancy in writing before choosing.
   7. Let your parent try the proposed lift, where possible, and send the final written questions and chosen quotation to the supplier before arranging installation.

   Prompt

   Help me find and compare stairlift suppliers for my parent in the UK.
   
   Location and property:
   - Postcode or town: [postcode or town]
   - Staircase shape: [straight, curved, narrow, split-level or unknown]
   - Number of floors served: [number]
   - Property type and tenure: [house, flat, rented or owned]
   - Any access restrictions for a survey or installation: [details]
   
   Parent's requirements:
   - Can they walk up and down the stairs at all: [details]
   - Can they sit and stand safely: [details]
   - Do they use a walking frame, wheelchair or other aid: [details]
   - Any difficulty with balance, strength, turning or grip: [details]
   - Which side of the staircase would be easiest to use: [left, right or unknown]
   
   Preferences and constraints:
   - Budget: [budget or unknown]
   - New, reconditioned or either: [choice]
   - Need for a temporary or rental option: [yes, no or unknown]
   - Desired timescale: [timescale]
   
   Use only information that can be checked on the supplier's current UK website or in a written quotation. Do not diagnose my parent or decide that a stairlift is medically necessary. Produce:
   1. A shortlist of relevant UK suppliers serving [postcode or town], with links and the evidence for their coverage.
   2. The questions I should ask each supplier about a home survey, exact fit, weight limit, track, seat and controls, installation, servicing, warranty, removal and what happens if the lift is unsuitable.
   3. A comparison table with blank cells where information is not published. Do not invent prices, availability, reviews, accreditations or technical specifications.
   4. A message I can send to each supplier requesting a no-obligation survey and a fully itemised written quotation.
   5. A checklist for comparing the quotations and practical questions for my parent to answer after trying the proposed lift.
   Flag every point that must be confirmed by the supplier in person. If my parent has a sudden or worrying change in mobility, tell me to contact NHS 111 rather than attempting a diagnosis.

   Open it prefilled in ChatGPT or Claude, or copy it into Gemini, which takes no prefill link.