There are a number of instances where lifting aids can help improve the mobility of an individual. Sometimes they are used to perform tasks that could be dangerous for an individual to participate in. Other times, these lifting aids perform a service for the user that they would be unable to do on their own. One lifting aid that has been used for many years to make it easier and safer to move items around is the dumbwaiter.

Basically, a dumbwaiter is a type of elevator, but it is usually built on a smaller scale. While often smaller than a traditional elevator, some of the dumbwaiters that are available commercially are very powerful. There are some industrial dumbwaiters that can lift thousands of pounds, but most dumbwaiters for homes support around a hundred pounds.

These devices are installed into new and existing homes, usually using a track and car type system. The track is installed vertically the distance of the shaft, then the car moves up and down the track. A cable drive system is installed in the top of the shaft and it is this system that does the actual work of lifting and lowering the car.

Finding a place for the dumbwaiter shaft, while easier as the home is being built, is seldom a problem in existing homes. Many dumbwaiters are designed so it is possible for the door on the car to open up on several different sides. This allows for much more flexibility in the placement of the dumbwaiter shaft. For example, the car can open up on a different side on every floor, so it is not locked into only one place. A number of people install these devices into the room that they intend to use it the most and it would provide the most benefit. For instance this could mean placing it in the laundry room or kitchen.

Optionally, an individual can go with a manual lift, which was the first and for a long time most popular type of dumbwaiter. The advent of the electric dumbwaiter towards the end of the nineteenth century, marked an important change in dumbwaiter technology. The devices became incredibly popular for use in larger homes, boats, and businesses. Despite this popularity, costs often prohibited their use in smaller homes, so the manual lift remained popular. Within the last thirty years, however, the cost of an electric dumbwaiter has been reduced, while improvements have been made to the installation progress of the lift.

In the home, these lifts perform many valuable services. They quickly lift groceries into the kitchen or make it easy to do the laundry. Many use these devices to move items around the home, without having to lug a bulky or heavy bag of groceries up the stairs.