Functional and Svelte, Nala Wins Another Fan
Remember Frasier’s father on the TV show Frasier? He was very attached to an overstuffed recliner, “Just like my dad,” says Larry Fischer, principal at Perspectus Architecture in Cleveland.
When Fischer’s 89-year-old dad had hip replacement surgery a few years ago, Fischer started looking for a chair that would offer more than familiarity. At the Healthcare Design Conference in Florida that year, he found it. The Nala chair was not yet in production; however, Fischer was among the first to place an order.
When it arrived a few months later, Fischer replaced the recliner with the Nala–without consulting his father, who thought his low, cushy recliner was just fine. “At first, he was skeptical that it wouldn’t be comfortable because it looked kind of skeletal and he was used to overstuffed,” says Fischer. “He’s lived in that house for more than 60 years, and [stylistically] it’s definitely a typical grandpa’s house. And the chair looks pretty radical in that kind of home.”
Over time, however, he bonded with the Nala, which stops at any point along the recline range and provides correct body support. The arms that flip up all the way, allowing him to turn 90 degrees and get to his walker more easily, have been a boon. “At his age, you lose a lot of your upper body strength and that makes it hard to get out of a chair,” says Fischer, who couldn’t be more pleased that the executive decision he made to replace the chair has paid off.
“In terms of getting in and out of the chair and the comfort it offers, Nala has absolutely changed his life.”
Photo via: Larry Fischer
Having the arm flip up out of the way is definitely a plus – I have quite a few friends who use walkers and getting up and down from upholstered furniture is always a challenge for them.
I heard about another cool feature that’s designed to make getting around comfortably easier for people who use mobility devices the other day. It’s a setting on a motorized wheel chair that causes the seat to tilt up and back at the push of a button. This lets users scoot themselves back into a comfortable position in the chair without assistance if they have slipped forward toward the edge of the seat over time.
Pretty cool stuff.
Daisy McCarty
http://www.sandiegocubicles.com/