Your guide to seating

It’s important to check if the chair you are buying is the right size to accommodate the person who will use it – not too big or too small. As a guide, we suggest measuring the widest part of the bottom/hips then adding on around 5cm (2in) on each side to calculate the right internal seat width. Remember to check the maximum user weight – this states the highest amount of weight that the chair can safely accommodate. It’s also important to check that the chair will fit into the room it is to be used in.

A person’s feet should be firmly planted on the floor, with the hips and knees at right angles, for a safe and comfortable seated position. Work out the best seat height by measuring the distance from the floor to the back of knees when seated. Some chairs will have adjustable legs, such as high back chairs, but you should still check the dimensions before purchasing, to ensure the seat can be adjusted to a suitable height.

There are lots of options if your existing seat is just too low to use comfortably, and you may not need to replace your current furniture. There are a number of chair raisers available that fix to the bottom of chairs, which increase the overall height and may make the chair easier to lower into and rise from safely. There are also spring loaded, portable lifting seats that can be positioned on top of existing chairs, and simple raiser cushions that raise the seat height.

People who spend a lot of time sitting down may be at increased risk of developing pressure ulcers – these are areas of skin that become damaged, sore and at risk of infection due to prolonged pressure being placed on them, which may occur due to having poor posture or sitting in the same position for a long period of time. It is important to consider using pressure relief cushioning, if this is not an included feature of the chair being purchased. You may need to consider if the addition of a pressure cushion will change the height of the seat. For rise and recline chairs, a Repose® Contour Overlay that fits the whole chair is a possible solution.