Your parent likely cannot rise from the sofa because low, soft seating demands more leg strength than they have now. Switch them to a firm, higher chair with armrests and stop using movable furniture for support.
Sit-to-stand means the act of moving from sitting to standing without help. Federal researchers at the CDC National Center for Health Statistics found more than half of adults over 60 with weak muscle strength had difficulty rising unaided from an armless chair, described in CDC Data Brief on chair-rise difficulty. That pattern fits a parent who must pull on tables or side chairs.
Table of Contents
- Why the sofa makes standing so hard
- Why this is a fall-risk warning
- Why pulling on furniture can injure
- What to change at home this week
- When to call the clinician
Why the sofa makes standing so hard
A low sofa forces deeper knee bend and more forward lean. Soft cushions sink and remove push-off support. Armrests sit too far apart or compress under weight.
A Physical Therapy literature review by Janssen and colleagues found elderly people with chair-rise difficulty needed seat height around 120% of lower-leg length to rise successfully. Lower-leg length means floor to back of knee while seated. A firm dining chair with armrests often meets that need better than a sofa.
Why this is a fall-risk warning
Clinicians treat inability to rise and walk normally as a fall-risk signal. CDC STEADI uses the Timed Up and Go test, where an older adult taking 12 seconds or longer to stand, walk 10 feet, return and sit is at risk for falling, explained in CDC STEADI Timed Up and Go instructions.
This matters because falls affect many families. The CDC Foundation, with CDC technical support, reports more than 1 in 4 adults 65 and older fall each year, causing about 3 million emergency-department visits, 1 million hospitalizations and tens of thousands of deaths. Watch for slow rising, short steps, grabbing walls, or fear of walking alone.
Why pulling on furniture can injure
Pulling up on a side table, bookcase, or TV stand can shift weight and tip the object. Older bodies handle sudden falls and struck-by impacts poorly. Small side furniture slides, tilts, or rolls under load.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission urges anchoring bookcases, dressers and TVs to walls, and reports adults 60 and older account for about 15% of furniture tip-over deaths, detailed in CPSC furniture tip-over injury report. Move the sofa spot away from tip-prone objects. Anchor tall storage before allowing any contact support.
What to change at home this week
Stable supports work far better than movable furniture. A 2025 Bioengineering study of older women found raising seat height reduced toilet sit-to-stand difficulty by 9%, while adding bilateral grab bars reduced it by 31% and improved stability, reported in Bioengineering study on seat height and grab bars. Make these swaps in the main sitting and toilet areas:.
- Replace long sofa sits with a firm, higher chair that has full armrests.
- Anchor bookcases, dressers, and TVs, and clear pull temptations away.
- Install fixed vertical or bilateral grab rails where standing happens.
- Keep feet flat, seat forward, and hands on fixed arms or rails only.
When to call the clinician
Poor chair-rise performance does not diagnose the cause. CDC STEADI guidance, as summarized by SuperAge, notes deconditioning, knee or hip arthritis, neurologic disease, foot problems, fear of falling, and medication effects can all produce it and require clinician assessment.
The National Institute on Aging advises balance and leg-strength training plus home changes for fall prevention. Ask for a physical-therapy evaluation, bring a list of falls and near-falls, and request a home safety plan. Call their primary-care office this week and ask for a physical-therapy referral for sit-to-stand difficulty and fall risk.