Choosing an electric riser recliner chair
A riser recliner chair is more than a comfortable armchair. It’s a piece of clinical equipment designed to support safe sitting, standing, posture, and pressure care. Getting the right one can make a meaningful difference to independence, comfort, and wellbeing but choosing one without specialist guidance can lead to the wrong choice and not meeting the person’s needs.
This guide explains what matters, who may benefit and why professional assessment is often essential.
A riser recliner is an armchair with a powered or manual mechanism that raises to help someone stand and reclines to support rest, comfort, and pressure relief. People often think of them as “getting up” chairs. In reality, the recline and positioning functions are just as important especially for anyone who spends long periods seated.
Who they suit
Before choosing a chair, it’s important to understand what the person will actually be doing in it: eating meals, watching TV, socialising, resting, or spending most of the day seated.
A riser recliner may help someone who:
Finds it difficult to stand up from an ordinary chair
Sits for long periods and cannot easily shift position
Needs support for posture, comfort, or pressure care
Experiences fatigue, pain, or reduced mobility that affects transfers
Needs to elevate their lower legs
However, a riser recliner is not always the right solution. Sometimes the issue is simply that the current chair is too low, too deep, too wide, too soft, or the wrong shape. A correctly sized standard chair can solve the problem at a fraction of the cost.
An Occupational Therapist can help identify what problem you’re really trying to solve.
Why fit matters more than features
Brochures tend to highlight motors, fabrics, and “luxury options”. What determines whether a chair works is whether its dimensions match the person using it.
Seat depth: Too deep and the person slides forward, losing support and increasing shearing forces that contribute to pressure damage.
Seat height: Feet must reach the floor. If the seat is too high, legs dangle, circulation is affected, and standing becomes harder.
Seat width: Too wide reduces lateral support; too narrow increases pain and pressure risk.
Backrest height and shape: Must match the person’s back. One shape does not fit all.
Armrests: Essential for safe standing; height, position and firmness matter.
Electric vs manual functions: Manual chairs rely on someone else to adjust them, which can reduce independence. Electric controls increase autonomy but require clinical reasoning around safety.
Controls: for electric controls the user must reliably operate the handset, even when tired or in pain.
Motor type: Different models offer different combinations of movement. A single-motor chair will usually link some movements together, while dual- or multi-motor models can allow different parts of the chair to be adjusted more independently. Some models also offer tilt-in-space or more extensive recline functions. The important question is not how many motors the chair has, but whether its movement meets the person’s assessed needs.
Upholstery: Impacts comfort, sliding, cleaning, and continence management.
Pressure relieving materials: Important for anyone with skin integrity concerns.
Space and footprint: Chairs need clearance to recline and rise; compatibility with hoists, tables, and moving and handling equipment must be checked.
A well fitted chair supports posture, comfort, pressure care, and independence. A poorly fitted one can create new problems which is where specialist assessment becomes essential.
Types of riser recliner chairs
Riser recliners come in a wide range of models and specifications. Options include:
Manual or electric controls
Different heights, widths, and seat cushions
Accessories for additional postural support
Pressure relieving materials
Riser recliner sofas, allowing people to sit close to loved ones
Increased safe working loads
Child and adult sizes
Try it before you buy it
A quick sit down in a showroom isn’t enough. A chair that feels fine for two minutes can be uncomfortable after an hour.
Try:
Sitting for more than a couple of minutes
Standing up from it
Using the controls
Checking posture over time
If the chair is for someone else, they need to be the one doing all of this.
Who pays
Local councils or NHS services may provide a riser recliner if it’s needed for essential health or functional reasons. Provision varies widely between areas and always requires a referral, assessment, and eligibility checks. Items are provided on a loan basis, but some charities may also help with funding.
Otherwise, the chair will be a private purchase and given the cost, a professional assessment is strongly recommended.
Getting the specification right
Choosing the right chair is a clinical decision, not just a shopping choice.
An Occupational Therapist assesses the person, not the chair. The aim is always that the chair fits the person, not the other way around.
A seating assessment considers:
Functional needs
Postural needs
Height range required
Diagnosis and prognosis for future proofing
Moving and handling requirements
Pressure care needs
Carer support levels
Environmental factors (space, access, equipment compatibility)
Safeguarding considerations
Risk management
Aesthetics and psychological impact
Cost vs clinical value
Without assessment, people often end up with:
A chair that doesn’t meet functional or pressure care needs or even creates new problems
A height range unsuitable for transfers
Inadequate postural support
Equipment that doesn’t integrate with hoists or other aids
A chair that simply doesn’t fit the room
At Inclusion, we can help identify:
Reputable suppliers
Appropriate models and accessories
Equipment compatibility
Delivery, installation, warranty and servicing considerations
We also help you avoid unnecessary add ons that inflate cost without adding clinical value.
If getting in and out of bed is also difficult, a profiling bed may be worth considering at the same time.
How Inclusion can support you
At Inclusion, our Occupational Therapists assess the person, their environment and the activities they need the chair to support. We can provide a clear written recommendation covering the type, dimensions and functions required, as well as any relevant pressure care, postural, moving and handling or environmental considerations.
If you’re considering a riser recliner chair, we can complete a comprehensive assessment and provide a clear, written clinical recommendation that supports safe decision making.
For more information, get in touch and tell us a little about the situation. We’ll explain what an assessment involves and what it costs.