Reclining chairs have been a staple in many homes for years and are particularly prevalent when people are a little older and in more need of the combination of comfort, relaxation and utility that they provide.
Modern recliners are built with comfort in mind and tend to have quite sturdy cushioning that can cope with the different demands placed on it by changing body positions and weight distributions. They provide a high degree of comfort while at the same time being built to be durable and hard-wearing so that they are good value and last a long time.
Healthcare Uses and Features
Recliners are often used in healthcare settings where patients will be asked to sit for an extended period of time. These include oncology wards where people have to sit in one place while chemotherapy chemicals are administered to them. It is important that when people have to sit in one place for a long time, they are able to achieve a level of comfort while doing it. The National Health Service and many private healthcare providers in the UK will have patients seated in recliners for this process.
Therapeutic Uses of Reclining and Rising
Reclining chairs usually have a back-lowering/raising feature and foot rest that can be operated separately or in tandem and these can be very useful when it comes to helping people to either gently recline or to rise from a reclining position so they can stand up again from the seat.
In a healthcare setting, recliners are also used for people with limited mobility or pre-existing conditions which make sitting and standing more difficult than normal. It is often the case that they are ideally suited for people who are recovering from operations and surgical procedures who may otherwise struggle with their mobility and being able to lie down and stand up.
They can take some of the physical strain away from teams of carers who may otherwise have had to use a hoist mechanism to manoeuvre the user from one position to the other. The gentle but steady reclining and rising mechanism of the chairs mean that any movement can be smooth and controlled so as not to cause any unnecessary pain for the user or additional difficulty for the carer.
Lumbar Support and Comfort
One of the most important features of reclining chairs is the lumbar support that they provide. Many people can experience back pain, particularly as they get older, and getting the proper level of lumbar support can help to mitigate against this, making day to day life much less painful. The level of padding for comfort and support for all of the main body areas is ideal for those who need to stay seated for most of the day. The padding is strong but supple and can help to relieve tension and stress from key points throughout the body.
Napping and Cognitive Function
Recliners can also be great for people to take a quick nap during the day. There are numerous studies that show short naps can have a positive effect on brain function and memory. They are also thought to help with problem-solving as the brain has a chance to process the events of the day so far and formulate solutions for anything that it was struggling with previously. Reclining chairs allow the user to go from a comfortable seated position to one that is perfect for napping, at the touch of a button. Add a blanket and it is a recipe for a very relaxing nap time and the chance to wake up refreshed and ready to face the rest of the day, while functioning at a higher level than before.
The study results mentioned above show a small to moderate increase in cognitive ability after a nap and that this is something that is true across all age ranges and possibly even negates the positive or negative impact of the previous night’s sleeping pattern. If you need an edge in your work, this may well be one of the best ways to find it.
Makeshift Massage Table
Because of the ability to recline fully, a recliner chair can also double as a massage table if there is no dedicated massage table available. They are very stable because they are designed to be able to take the full weight of someone reclining, so there are very few worries about lying down fully in them for the purpose of a massage. This can be a space-saving option for those who lack room in their house for a dedicated massage table but who value the stability that is impossible to get from a pop up massage table. This can allow people to receive professional therapeutic massages in their home, rather than having to go elsewhere for them.
