The best recliner for an elderly person is the one they can get out of on their own, on a bad day as well as a good one. Seat height decides that before softness or looks. At Merit Home Furniture on Vancouver Island, I look for three things: a seat high and firm enough to stand from, a base that doesn't rock, and power.
A recliner for seniors is an ordinary recliner chosen for an older body. That means a seat that keeps the hips a little above the knees, arms solid enough to push on, and controls that are easy to read. The eleven chairs in the table below run from 18 to 23.5 inches. When standing becomes the hard part of the day, the answer is usually a chair with a lifting seat. La-Z-Boy's Jean is the lowest priced lift chair listed for our Duncan store, from $1,499.00 before applicable taxes.
This is furniture advice from someone who sells chairs, so health questions belong with a doctor or an occupational therapist.
What type of recliner is best for the elderly?
The best type of recliner for the elderly is a power wall recliner or one of the lift chairs we carry, with a seat that fits the sitter's legs. HealthLink BC, the province's health information service, suggests a chair "low enough to let you place both feet flat on the floor with both knees slightly lower than your hips". That line is written for back health. For an older sitter both halves count: feet flat, and hips not sunk below the knees, because a low seat turns every stand into a climb.
- Seat height: measure from the back of the knee to the floor while seated in everyday shoes. A seat close to that figure is the place to start.
- Seat depth: the back should reach the backrest while the knees sit at the front edge. A deep seat leaves a small person perched forward with no support.
- Arms: firm enough to push on. HealthLink BC's sit-to-stand steps say to scoot forward, bring the feet in, then "Use the arms of the chair to push yourself up while keeping your back straight".
- Base: one that stays put. La-Z-Boy's Kodie page says its wall version "does not rock and remains sturdy when sitting down or standing up to exit the seat".
- Controls: power, with as few buttons as possible, so nobody wrestles a lever. The UltraComfort Destin and Aurora pages list a two-button hand control.
Seat heights on recliners for seniors, from our spec tables
Every figure below is from the chair's own Merit listing, read on October 3, 2026, and all eleven chairs are available through Duncan. Prices are the listed starting price on October 9, 2026, before applicable taxes. Each La-Z-Boy page lists several versions, so ask us to price the power or lift version of a frame.
| Chair | Seat height | Seat depth | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Roscoe (lift) | 23.5 in | 23 in | $2,599 |
| La-Z-Boy Kodie | 22 in | 22 in | $2,249 |
| La-Z-Boy Clayton (lift) | 22 in | 23.5 in | $2,149 |
| La-Z-Boy Fulton | 21.5 in | 22.5 in | $1,549 |
| La-Z-Boy Randell | 21.5 in | 22 in | $1,149 |
| La-Z-Boy Astor | 21 in | 21 in | $1,749 |
| La-Z-Boy Liam | 20 in | 20 in | $1,399 |
| UltraComfort Aurora (lift) | 18, 19 or 20.5 in by size | not listed | $2,199 |
| UltraComfort Destin (lift) | 18.5 or 19.5 in by size | not listed | $2,149 |
| Best Mexi (lift) | 18.5 in | 20 in | $1,849 |
| La-Z-Boy Vail | 18 in | 19.5 in | $599 |
The tall La-Z-Boy frames sit 21.5 to 22 inches off the floor, which suits a sitter with long legs. The UltraComfort lift chairs sit lower and come in sizes matched to the sitter's height. The Aurora's Small is for people under 5'3", and the Destin's Medium/Small for people 5'3" to 5'8". A short parent in a 22 inch seat ends up with dangling feet, so the lower chairs on this list matter as much as the tall ones.
Do recliners lower the risk of falls for older people?
Recliners are furniture, and I can't promise that any chair will prevent a fall. What a good fit can do is make the moment of standing less of a scramble. The stakes are real. The Public Health Agency of Canada writes that "20-30% of seniors experience one or more falls each year," and that "50% of all falls causing hospitalization happen at home".
The agency's advice for that moment is plain: "Move slowly out of your bed or chair". HealthLinkBC File 78, from July 2024, adds that "One-third of people aged 65 and over who live in the community fall each year". The same file carries a caution worth weighing before buying a lift chair. It says that "restricting physical activity and movement to avoid falls can cause further frailty (weakness)".
A chair that does all the standing for someone may not suit a person who can still stand with effort. That call belongs to their doctor or an occupational therapist, not to a furniture store. HealthLink BC describes occupational therapy as "treatment to help people live as independently as possible". For non-emergency health advice in BC, HealthLink BC answers at 8-1-1.
When a recliner for an elderly parent should be a lift chair
A lift chair is a power recliner with a motorized base that raises and tips the whole seat forward, so the sitter starts closer to standing. Of the 37 lift chairs Merit lists, 30 are available through Duncan. Seat heights on the 26 pages that give one run from 17.5 to 23.5 inches.
The signs worth raising with a doctor are practical ones. Pushing off with both arms several times before getting up is one. Planning the day around getting out of the chair is another, and so is a recent fall or hospital stay.
The test I use is simple. Sit down and stand up three times, without the arms if that's safe. If the third stand is a struggle, we look at the lift chairs instead.
Consumer Reports, in its February 2026 lift chair ratings, found that "the most expensive recliner we tested didn't land in the top five". Its testers saw lift heights from 25 to 29½ inches. Two of its ten are La-Z-Boy lift versions, the Billie and a chair it spells "Aster," which looks like the Astor on our pages. I haven't reprinted its scores; they are on its site.
One motor: back and footrest move together
The Destin and Aurora pages describe a single comfort zone, where the back and footrest move as one on a two-button control. That is the easiest arrangement to learn. It can't raise the feet without also tipping the back.
Two motors or more: each part moves on its own
The Clayton lists independent back and legrest motion, and the Roscoe has two motors. The UltraComfort Marbella, from $2,849, adds a power headrest and lumbar, and the UltraComfort Maya, from $4,499, does too. More positions means more buttons, which suits some people and confuses others.
Recliners for seniors with arthritis, bad knees or fragile bones
For a senior with arthritis or sore knees, the recliner's controls and cushions matter as much as its height. A manual chair works by a handle or a push on the back. The Kodie's handle, for example, lifts the legrest into 3 locked positions, and that takes grip and some force. A power control replaces both with a button, so for stiff hands power is the simpler choice.
Cushion firmness changes the real seat height. A plush seat sinks, so the sitter starts lower than the spec table says. Easy-grip armrests are listed on the UltraComfort pages, and padded rolled arms are softer to lean on but give less to push against. For bones weakened by osteoporosis or a recent fracture, ask the doctor or therapist about seat height before buying; that's beyond what a store should judge.
What is the best chair for an 80 year old?
No single model is the best chair for an 80 year old, because people that age range from daily walkers to people who need help to stand. For someone who stands without trouble, a power wall recliner with a seat near their knee height, like the Kodie or the Liam, is a good place to start. For someone who struggles, a lift chair sized to their height, such as the Aurora, makes more sense.
Paying for a senior's recliner or lift chair in BC
Will Medicare pay for a recliner for seniors?
Medicare is the United States program, so it doesn't pay for a chair bought from Merit or anyone else on Vancouver Island. For a lift chair, BC's income and disability assistance policy puts "Lift chairs" on its list of non-eligible items. Veterans Affairs Canada is the exception we found. For a veteran who qualifies, its BC grid covers up to $1,800 toward a power lift chair, once every 5 calendar years, with preauthorization.
BC's PST bulletin lists "Lift chairs designed to help a person move from standing to sitting or sitting to standing, or both" among exempt items. The GST follows its own rule. Both are worked through in our page on lift chair tax in BC, along with what to bring. An ordinary recliner without a lift carries the usual applicable taxes. Extended health plans differ, so the insurer is the one to ask.
Can you try a recliner or lift chair before buying?
Yes, and a chair for an older person is worth trying before buying. Merit's Duncan store has display models, and they change, so call before driving in to ask which chairs are set up. Consumer Reports also notes that "Several medical supply companies rent lift chairs by the week or month," which can settle the question at home.
If the person can't come, bring three numbers: their height, their seated knee-to-floor measurement, and the width of the spot where the chair will go. A chair bought for a parent sight unseen often fails on seat height or depth, so those numbers do most of the work.
Lead times depend on the maker. UltraComfort chairs, which come through Harmony, take 3 to 6 weeks. For La-Z-Boy chairs, ask what's in stock; a custom order takes 8 to 10 weeks, and so does Best. Each arrives ready for pickup or delivery. Special orders take a 24% deposit, and exchanges are welcome up to 30 days, case by case.
Recliners that make standing harder for older people
A low, soft seat. The Vail's 18 inch seat suits a short sitter, but a taller person with stiff knees will sink and struggle to rise from it.
A seat that's too deep. The Clayton's seat is 23.5 inches deep, which fits a tall frame and leaves a small person with no back support.
A base that moves. Many recliners rock or swivel, and that motion works against someone pushing up from the arms. The trade-offs of a rocking base have a guide of their own.
Power without a backup. A power chair stops in a power cut unless it has a battery backup. The Clayton's runs on two 9V batteries, and the UltraComfort pages list one too.
Moving parts near pets and grandchildren. The Clayton lists a legrest auto-stop, and Consumer Reports singled out the Aster as the only chair it tested with an enclosed lift mechanism. Check what sits under any lift chair before running it.
A remote the sitter can't follow. For a parent with memory changes, a two-button control may be the only one that gets used safely.
Bringing a parent to try recliners in Duncan
The Duncan store is at 107 Ingram St and is open Monday to Saturday, 9 to 5. Bring the parent if they can manage the trip, plus the three measurements above and any note from their doctor or therapist about seat height. Delivery from Duncan to an Island address costs $150, and that includes assembly. Some of the Gulf Islands are within our reach as well; call the Duncan store for details. Picking it up at the store is free.
Merit's Campbell River and Port Alberni stores carry some lift chairs of their own, so ask that store about its delivery terms. The lift chair guides go further, and every lift chair Merit lists is in one collection.
Where the seat heights, falls figures and funding rules come from
- HealthLink BC, Proper Sitting for a Healthy Back (knee and hip height), checked October 3, 2026.
- HealthLink BC, Moving From Sitting to Standing, checked October 3, 2026.
- HealthLinkBC File 78, Seniors' falls can be prevented (July 2024), checked October 3, 2026.
- HealthLink BC, Occupational Therapy treatment overview, checked October 3, 2026.
- Public Health Agency of Canada, You CAN Prevent Falls!, checked October 3, 2026.
- Province of BC, BC Employment and Assistance policy, Medical Equipment and Devices, checked October 3, 2026.
- Veterans Affairs Canada, benefit 301011, power lift chair purchase, British Columbia, checked October 3, 2026.
- Province of BC, Bulletin PST 207, Medical Supplies and Equipment (revised August 2024), checked October 3, 2026.
- Consumer Reports, Best Lift Chairs (February 10, 2026), checked October 3, 2026.
- Merit Home Furniture product listings for every chair named above, read with our catalogue system on October 3, 2026, with prices rechecked on October 9, 2026.