DisabilityMobility.com

Installing a stair lift in your house is a good way to extend the quantity of years you or a loved one with mobility impairment can live in your own home. They are great if you or a friend or family member have health restrictions that make it tough to go up and down stairs.

I was out with an elderly woman last week who was looking to buy a new home. She already had bad knees, and had to take the stairs slowly. One of the things she was looking for was whether her new property would accommodate a master on the main level (if it didn't already have one) and a stair lift on the stairs.

I thought she might just want to look at one-level homes, but every home she looked at had a staircase in it. One home had a lovely Y-shaped staircase featured in the living room that split off in two directions. One home had a rickety old staircase leading to the finished basement, and one home had a plain old fashioned 2-level staircase that went to the upstairs. My client told me that this wasn't exactly what she was looking for and said she would "know it when she saw it." It had been hard for her to figure out online whether the homes she was interested in would accommodate a stair lift because most realtors don't feature the stairs in their MLS photos.

This customer gave me a little bit of an education about what is needed to install a step lift. Fundamentally , she was looking out for a long, straight run of steps from the 1st to the second floor. We really found it in one of the new construction homes we looked at, so they are definitely out there. Stairlifts can be installed on other sorts of staircases, of course, but as with everything in home remodeling, the more you have to do, the more it's going to cost.

If you are building or buying a home that you want to grow old in, it's a good idea to contemplate in advance how the home can be modified to suit your needs when you are older. Some things - like wide hallways that can accommodate wheelchairs - are nice features you might want to have anyway.

Other things, like grab bars in the bath tub, are easy to add on later if they become necessary.

What's not as straightforward to plan for is if you'll need wheelchair access to upstairs rooms of the house. Even if you are not in a wheelchair, going up and down the steps can be a challenge for many older people.

Perhaps you'll want to consider installing a stair lift.

A step lift consists of a little chair you sit on which runs up and down the stairs on a track installed on an adjacent wall. Your steps must be against the wall or have a braced railing to bear the full weight of an individual sitting on seat, and the weight of the track mechanism itself. The step lift will help you bring groceries and washing up and down the steps, too. Just about anything you can carry, provided you do not surpass the safe weight limit for the chair lift, can be brought up and down on the stair lift.

Although they can be costly to install, many seniors are so satisfied about the concept of having the facility to remain in their own homes as they age, they are more than prepared to pay the price to have their home upgraded to accommodate their abilities as they age.

A platform wheelchair lift will help you get around, even if you have limited mobility due to sore legs, limb removal, injury, or other health limitations.

If you are brooding about purchasing a platform wheelchair lift, you should know that there are many things that you need to consider. To explain, all wheel chair lifts aren't the same. Each wheelchair lift model has its pluses and minuses, and choosing the right lift can make a large difference in your life. There are four basic lift models, but in this article, we shall focus on the platform wheel chair lift.

The folding wheelchair lift is one of the most common of all wheelchair lifts because it has been around the longest. It works with a frame that operates the lift, which is mounted on the inside of the van. Although some makers are now making the lifts so they can be mounted on the outside of the van.

When you want to get in or out of the lorry, the wheelchair lift unfolds and lowers to the ground, permitting the wheelchair to be moved in or out. The flaw to this type of wheel chair lift is that the entrance to the van door will be blocked when the chair lift is not in use. But lately, many makers have begun to boost on these types of platform lifts for chairs with wheels.

One way that they are enhancing the lifts is to split the chair lift, and include a little slit between them. This will allow the truck passengers to climb in and out easily. Additionally, this will enable you to avoid wasting time when using the wheeled chair lift because your passengers won't have to unfold the lift each time they need to get in or out of the truck.

So, if you are searching for a good lift for your wheeled chair, a platform wheel chair lift may be just the proper tool to make getting out and in of truck easier.

Whether you are getting older and can't walk around like you used to, a proud soldier, or have been disabled all your life, it's important to have the right tools to help you live life fully and enjoy getting around. Having a mobilty scooter or wheelchair is a great first step toward claiming your independence and regaining your mobility. A wheelchair lift will make sure you can get your wheelchair everywhere you want to go.