For Your Mobility

Wheelchair Lifts for Vehicles

2011-11-19T03:55:00.000-08:00

Here is something different for you all. In my job as a Community Care Aid, I have from time to time, seen various physically disabled individuals make use of a wheelchair lift system that has been custom installed in their vehicles. In most cases, the people that I have seen using a lift have been van owners which makes sense considering the space needed within the vehicle to properly accommodate the lift. If you are going to use a mechanical lift for a vehicle, then you need a good amount of space in the vehicle for the lift to bring you up and in to. As well, it is likely that anyone needing the use of a lift to access the interior of their vehicle with the intention of then manually transferring them self over to the drivers seat area would be capable enough of getting into a car without any need for a lift so close to the ground. So, having established some of the obvious parameters of when and where the lift might be needed, let's take a further look at some of the nuts and bolts of the wheelchair lift systems that are out there. Is there more than one system? Until I started working in healthcare I didn't know the answer to that question but I since learned a thing or two.

There are several different types of wheelchair lifts for vehicles that you can use. Which one you should buy depends on what type of vehicle you are trying to equip with the wheelchair lift. Also, you need to take into account whether or not the person in the wheelchair will be driving the vehicle or will just be a passenger.

As I kind of hinted at before, the minivan is the most easily reconfigured type of vehicle to install a wheelchair lift in since it gives you several options for how you would like to do this. It also is smaller and therefore easier to handle than a full-sized van. I have listed below the various configurations that can be installed in a minivan.

Rear Entry

With rear entry, the wheelchair lift is installed at the back of the minivan. This allows for straight line access to the inside of the van without any turning required. which is beneficial for larger type wheelchairs. It also allows for loading in small spaces, like garages that do not have ample space to be loaded in a side door. This configuration also helps to eliminate the problem of people parking too close to a van in a handicapped parking area which effectively blocks the entry to that of a side entry vehicle. This entry option however does not allow for much maneuverability of the wheelchair once you are inside the van. It also re-configures most of the inside of the van including the back storage compartment and the rear seats leaving little space for other passengers and/or storage.

Side Door Entry - Fold Out Ramp

This option allows for much more maneuverability inside the van and can be configured with two different ramp options. The first option comes with a folding ramp which folds in half and is stored once the van side door is closed. It is easily stored next to the sliding door and does not block any of the windows. This is especially useful for those people that will be traveling in a wheelchair alone. If the ramp ever malfunctions, it allows easy manual deployment to enter or exit the van if needed, especially in an emergency.

Side Door Entry - In Floor Ramp

This side door entry option comes with a ramp that is stored below the floor of the van and slides automatically in and out of the built in floor pocket. This option is not recommended for those in a wheelchair who will be traveling alone since if it ever were to malfunction or there was an emergency, the backup system is not as easy to deploy as the fold out ramp.

Once a configuration is selected for how you want to enter/exit the minivan, the entire vehicle is lowered 10 - 12 inches to provide enough headroom for the person in the wheelchair. Other interior modifications are also made along with the installation of the proper wheelchair lift. When the lift has been installed, you can also make any other modifications that you might need depending on whether or not the person in the wheelchair will be driving the vehicle. If they are, the seats will need to be removed from the front of the vehicle so the wheelchair can be safely maneuvered into and out of the driver’s position.

Special ground effects can be added to the vehicle so that no one will know the minivan also includes a wheelchair ramp. Also note that these changes will not have any effect on being able to store the car in an average sized garage. Huh, with a few years of work experience and a little reading, it is amazing what you can learn along the way.

Thanks for visiting!

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Considering insurance coverage for your personal mobility vehicle? Get ready to make some key wheelchair insurance or mobility scooter insurance decisions

2010-11-25T22:41:00.000-08:00

At the building where I work, a number of the clients are heavily reliant on the use of either an electric mobility scooter or an electric powered wheelchair to get around and perform many of their daily activities. some rent their chairs or scooters while others have outright purchased them, either entirely with their own money or with the assistance of government.

Regardless of the ownership status of their chairs, all of these people share one need in common: the need, from time to time, for servicing of their mobility devices when they stop working properly. In addition, most of the people that I work with have some kind of coverage set up with any one of the companies out there that offer maintenance services for these kinds of vehicles. I have come to realize however, that it is the nature of this coverage which can vary greatly.

Most, if not all of my clients have had to arrange for avisit from a wheelchair or mobility scooter repair person at one time or another; over my years of working at my site I have been witness to the comings and goings of these repair people and come to appreciate how much it means to my clients that they are able to have these people come to them instead of having to arrange delivery of their malfunctioning vehicles to the repair locations. Some times this has been the result of the vehicles still being under warranties but other times it has been the result of having to pay for the visit as a separate expense. Still other times it has been handled under the provisions of a client's insurance policy/agreement coverage with a mobility scooter and powered wheelchair insurance provider.

From numerous conversations with clients over the years, I have come to learn about just how many things can be included under the umbrella of mobility scooter insurance coverage and how many options there are available to add to your particular plan so that it best suits you and your particular needs. I will endeavour to cover many of these below.

I have been reminded more than once that insurance coverage for a mobility scooter or electric wheelchair is not a mandatory requirement since both categories of vehicle are not intended for use primarily on the public roadways. Therefore, coverage selection is solely at the discretion of the vehicle owner.

Basicaly, there are two main categories of insurance offered to vehicle owners: (a)repair and replacement coverage, and (b)liability coverage for injury and property damage.

Replacement coverage is pretty much how it sounds: it is coverage that you can get that covers you in the event of sustaining any damage to your personal mobility scooter or power chair. If your vehicle suffers any damage that can be repaired, or if the vehicle sustains damage that is judged to be irreperable, in either scenario you are making sure that you are able to handle the predictable expenses associated with that. This kind of coverage will often include reimbursement for any expenses incured in finding transportation home when one's vehicle stops working and leaves them stranded. Another aspect of coverage that can be included under the umbrella of replacement coverage is the provision of a temporary replacement or 'loaner' vehicle, whether a mobility scooter or power wheelchair, to cover the span of time during which you are without your regular mobility vehicle.

Offshoots of the repair and replacement coverage category can also iclude accident insurance that covers 'acts of God' categories of damage, with such things as fires, floods and storms all being covered in your policy if you want to include it. Similarly, coverage for theft and vandalism of one's chair or scooter can be included in a policy, if so desired.

The other main category of coverage I earlier mentioned is the liability coverage. Basically, this category covers the area of liability for any claims against you for property damage or injury to others caused during the operation of your scooter or wheelchair. This is pretty self explanatory as far as the kind of coverage that this is and how it works. This kind of coverage will often also offer the option of having your personal liability extended to also include attendants under the personal liability coverage for any injury or property damage that might occur while they were in the act of assisting you with your vehicle or even for any damages to them incurred from the operation of your vehicle while they were in your employ.

Of course this is also the category of coverage that handles any personal injuries that you incur during the operation of your vehicle. It is importsnt to make sure that you are covered for this potential expense by at least one source of coverage: many people make the assumption that one source of personal injury coverage that they may have through a source such as an employer or even a credit card is sufficient for coverage of any injuries sustained through the operation of their personal mobility aid when in actual fact this might not be the case. This is why it is important to know if you have such coverage before any possible personal injury to your own person.

One last point I would like to mention here is that with almost all providers of personal mobility scooter and electric wheelchair insurance, there is usually offered the option of signing up for multiple years of a policy in advance, with the incentive of lower premiums being offered as the benefit or reward in exchange for the extended commitment to the policy.

I hope that the preceding has been at least somewhat enlightening. For myself, thinking about and summarizing things that I have learned and picked up over a span of a number of years is quite an eye opener. Sometimes you do not really have a proper appreciation for the things that you have learned until you make the effort to put them out there for the benefit of others.

How the bathroom has become less challenging for the physically disabled

2010-11-21T01:03:00.000-08:00

Recently, during a conversation with some friends, the subject of my work in health care came up and after a while my friends started asking me questions of how most of my clients handled their daily activities that occurred in the bathroom. I entertained their questions to the best of my ability, choosing to give them a more basic or general idea of what is involved for a disabled individual making their way about the bathroom in their home and including descriptions of the various mobility aids that are available to assist them making sure that I did not get too bogged down with specifics of such things as brand names of the manufacturers of these bathroom-based aids or the variations in each type (or class) of assistive device.

In no particular order, I would like to review here the things that I covered during that conversation. One of the more obvious needs of the disabled individual in the bathroom is the need to have unfettered access to the commode; being able to maintain an effective and regular bowel routine is obviously of the utmost importance and naturally there are mobility aids designed to facilitate this need.

If someone who is physically disabled is not on a colostomy pouch system and still needs to use a toilet for their bowel routines then an obvious concern is how to use a toilet efficiently. A popular way of doing this is to use a commode chair. The commode chair is basically a metallic skeletal chair frame (at least I think that they are mostly designed with a metallic frame by most manufacturers for increased durability) on wheels which the individual sits upon over the toilet. The chair allows for the user to either perform their routine directly into the toilet or to have a collection bucket hooked up underneath the seat. An added benefit of the chair's design is that it is effectively waterproof and can also be used in the shower as a shower chair, so that you can go directly from the toilet to the shower without the need for any transfers. Soap scum and the eventual build up of rust need not be a problem provided the chair recieves an occasional wipe down after use.

The commode chair will often include some kind recline function that allows the user to adjust the incline of the chair to better suit their preferred angle of recline, movable arms that can be raised and lowered as needed to allow for easier transfers to and from the chair, as well as removable safety belt that can be used to help keep the occupant safely in the chair. It is important that when the owner of the chair first receives it, that they take the time to make sure that it is a proper fit over their own toilet bowl - when the chair is first delivered.

Another empowering device in the bathroom is the familiar and increasingly popular walk-in bathtub. you may have also heard this kind of tub referred to as a kind of handicap bath tub, however I prefer to avoid references to handicap bathtubs as being a somewhat pejorative label in its nature. As many have seen in commercials on television, this is basically a bath tub that is equipped with a hinged door for easy access as well as a shower nosel and controls that are easily accessed from inside the tub by the user. These tubs are also designed to fill and drain efficiently to reduce the amount of time spent in the tub.

One form of shower that I have become familiar with through my work is the walk-in shower. This is basically a shower that is at an even level with the bathroom floor to make it possible for someone in a commode chair to easily be rolled into the shower area. The floor of the shower will have a drain and a minor depression in the center to keep the water collecting towards the middle instead of spreading out towards the rest of the bathroom. This concept of floor drainage behind the shower is why it is very important that the floor tile is properly laid out at the time that the bathroom is first constructed, or at a later date if the walk-in shower is instead a modification to the original bathroom layout.

When a physically challenged person is still able to use a standard style bathtub in their home, one safety feature that is often found installed alongside the tub are steel safety rails that are usually located horizontally along the front of the inner wall of the tub and vertically along the wall next to the front of the tub where it opens out towards the rest of the bathroom.

Other areas of the bathroom which you might find supportive safety bars are on the walls adjacent to the toilet, in both vertical and horizontal alignment. Sometimes my clients have even had supportive standing poles installed near their toilet to help them more safely sit on and get off of the toilet.

In many apartments, I have noticed clients have had a ceiling lift system installed which allows them to be easily transferred both on and off their toilet, as well as on and off of a standard shower chair. The great thing about the ceiling based lift system is that it is an unobtrusive method of transfer: there are no space or maneuverability issues to deal with such as those you might face working with a more traditional floor lift, since you do not have to deal with accommodating both the manual lift and the wheelchair in the bathroom at the same time. In cases where the manual lift is being used, sometimes the bathroom cannot accommodate both at once and the person I work with has had to actually transfer into the commode or shower chair outside of the bathroom and then be brought into the bathroom and, of course, be brought back out of the bathroom to be removed from their shower chair afterward, whether it is to be transferred into a different wheelchair or onto their bed.

One final feature of most, if not all, of the bathrooms in apartments that I have assisted people in is the presence of a sliding door in which the actual door slides into the wall. This of course is considered more access-friendly for someone who is accessing their bathroom from the confines of a wheelchair and who doesn't wish to deal with the extra backward and forward motions necessary to open a conventional door.

The Personal Medical Mobility Scooter: Helping the mobility-challenged get further afield.

2009-08-07T06:44:00.000-07:00

Welcome back! Last time I went over the things that I have come to know about the modern motorized or electric wheelchair. This time I will go over what I have learned about another popular mobility device: the medical mobility scooter. The mobility scooter is a mobility aid or device that is similar in concept to the motorized wheel chair, but it is configured in much the same way as a motor scooter. It is occasionally also referred to as such things as a power-operated vehicle, a medical scooter, a personal mobility scooter or even as an electric scooter. I have even heard references to it as being a handicap scooter once in a while, but I don't particularly prefer the choice of "handicap scooter" as a name for it. You might also once in a while see references made to a "medicare scooter"; this is not so much a reference to any particular manufacturer or model of personal mobility scooters as much as it is a reference to the category or subject of a Government Health Care agency funded personal mobility scooter. It is important to not let yourself be confused by all of the different handles or references out there!

"Medical scooters?"
"Medicare scooters?"

So, what exactly is in the name? What's it all about?

The mobility scooter's basic design includes a driver's seat over two rear wheels, a flat area for the feet and the handlebars in front for steering. The handlebars allow for the steering/turning of either a one or two steerable wheel front formation. The driver seat is sometimes designed to swivel, allowing the driver access to the vehicle when the front is blocked by the handlebars. Most mobility scooters are battery powered. A mobility scooter battery is usually stored on board the scooter and is charged with the use of a seperate battery charger unit which is plugged into a standard electric power outlet. There are also a number of gasoline powered scooters in circulation but these are quickly being replaced by mobility scooters of the electric powered variety.

The front steering column is where the forward and reverse controls as well as the speed controls are located on the scooter. There is usually some kind of throttle or switch on the column that makes it easier to control these functions. There are two types of mobility scooers available: front-wheel drive (FD) and the rear-wheel drive (RD). The FD scooter is usually a smaller mobility device and is really best used while indoors or in a more calmed terrain. The maximum rider weight capacity is around the 250 pounds mark. The RD scooter is used both in the indoors and the outdoors and has a maximum rider weight capacity around the 350 pounds mark. A more 'heavy duty' RD is actuallycapable of carrying up to even 500 pounds, this of course can vary based on the manufacturer of the scooter.

The earliest commercial mobility scooter was a front wheel drive model and was developed in 1968. The brand name of this scooter was the Amigo, and Amigo mobility scooters are still with us today, with the company now being known as Amigo Mobility International Inc, based out of Bridgeport, Michigan. This company's scooter design was the one that really brought mobility scooters into the public eye and started the growing demand for these vehicles. Another scooter manufacturer that you might have heard of is Pridemobility: there are many scooters out there bearing the Pride mobility scooter brand name on them.

Mobility scooters are now available in quite a wide range of different models, from the tiny folding travel scooters to the heavy-duty bariatric models. Mobility scooters are commonly available for loan use at public or community facilities, such as some major grocery stores and are sometimes available for rent at various theme parks and amusement parks. I believe that it is also possible to purchase some forms of mobility scooter insurance for your vehicle.

Like with anything else, mobility scooters have their various advantages and disadvantages, depending on the model in question. The smaller sit down type of scooter has some important advantages for people with mobility issues or restrictions; A mobility scooter is an option for any individual without the stamina or arm and shoulder flexibility necessary to use a manual wheelchair. As well, the ability to swivel the seat of the electric mobility scooter is generally much easier a way to embark or disembark a mobility vehicle than the process of moving the foot rest supports found on most conventional wheelchairs. A mobility scooter is also most helpful for individuals with any condition which has resulted in the disabling or weakening of their entire body in general. I am aware of individuals with conditions such as severe forms of arthritis, cerebral palsy, and congenitive heart or lung issues that have benefitted from the use of a mobility scooter in the performance of their everyday duties. Of course in all of these cases, the individuals in question still have the ability to walk short distances and have the required upperbody strength necessary (without any torso support) to properly steer their vehicle.

Something else I have noticed is that some people with electric scooters are happy to have them because they feel that the scooter is not really seen in the same light as a motorized wheelchair which many people associate with severe disability or as a device for the elderly; Of course I can see an irony in this assertion as well, since more and more elderly individuals are now using mobility scooters the general public cannot help but view them as a mobility device of the elderly.

As I said,scooters can also have their disadvantages for users. Even though a mobility scooter can eliminate many of the manual strength problems faced by individuals using a manual or unpowered wheelchair, the steering mechanism of the scooter still needs the driver to be able to maintain an upright posture while driving the vehicle. As well, the user needs to have the aforementioned shoulder strength, hand strength, and some upper-body strength and mobility to properly control the vehicle. Another issue of the scooter is the nature of its design; Because it is longer than a powered wheelchair, it has a larger turning radius and this of course can reduce maneuverability in smaller spaces. I have known individuals with power chairs that would have just found navigating a mobility scooter much too frustraing in their apartments, especially in such confined spaces as most apartment bathrooms - even if they are designed with the disabled individual in mind. I can think of at least one client who is often frustrated by the turning radius of her scooter when leaving her apartment because of how much backing up and turning is involved in leaving her apartment. Also, it is not as easy to turn back and lock her front door in her scooter as it would be for her in a powered wheelchair. Following from the idea that the scooter is larger in size than an equivalent wheelchair, is the fact that many scooters can have difficulty fitting into various mechanical lifts which have been designed with wheelchairs in mind. (of course this issue is being addressed with the increasing prevailence of the mobility scooter lift) As well, more than just spare mobility scooter batteries are available today: there are an increasing number of mobility scooter accessories being made available to scooter owners which can be found at any mobility scooter store or outlet. Even more and more used mobility scooters are coming onto the market which is not all that surprising when you think about it. On a similar note, the rise in poularity of the personal mobility scooter has led to a rise in the number of companies out there that are now offering scooter owners the opportunity to purchase mobility scooter insurance if they feel the need for such coverage of their vehicle. Of course the need for such mobility scooter insurance coverage may be more pressing for some than for others depending on how their vehicle purchase has been financed in the first place.

So as you can see, there are a number of differing benefits and limitations to both the powered wheelchairs and the powered or electric mobility scooters, and both are beneficial to different segments of the disabled and elderly in the community. This realisation leads me to conclude that one type of device is not better than the other, but instead equally beneficial for different individuals.

The motorized wheel chair: Bringing more of your world into reach.

2009-07-31T06:22:00.000-07:00

Working in the community care field as I have for the past ten years, I have been exposed to a real wide variety of both manual and motorized ( or electric ) wheelchairs, as well as a number of personal mobility scooters. During that time, both from speaking with different people involved in the maintenance of such vehicles as well as just searching out information out of curiosity, I have come to gain a better understanding of how these different kinds of mobility devices enable individuals in their own ways respectively.

So, motorized wheel chairs and mobility scooters, what are they?

Well, with this post I would like to delve into the subject of the motorized wheel chair. Electric wheelchairs are motorized wheelchairs that make use of either a system of gears or a system of belts or sometimes even both. Power wheelchairs with belt drives are typically very quiet, but they require more maintenance. Modern gear drives are fairly quiet and low-maintenance, but they tend to wear out more quickly then belt drives, and get noisier in the process.

The motorized wheelchair does seem to vary in its durability. The more low end motorized wheel chairs have lighter frames and are usually more suited for primarily indoor use; the lighter wheelchair frame can more easily crack, and the frames' front forks can bend. Also, it seems that wheelchair motors die out faster when they are used to excess in an outdoor environment. The more recent and higher priced motorized wheel chair seems to be more durable and reliable and the frames are designed to handle more weight. Some of the newer electric wheelchair models are even designed with spring suspension, which can allow for a much smoother ride over more uneven territory.

Motorized powered wheelchairs currently can run you from anywhere between $1,800 and up if purchased either from a brick and mortar retail location or from an online online retailer. These kinds of wheelchairs are available in three basic models: front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, and a mid-wheel drive.

The front-wheel drive motorized wheelchair has become more common because it offers a tighter turning function. Most of the front-wheel drive wheelchairs have a slightly lower top or maximum speed than their rear-wheel counterparts because they are known to turn too readily at higher speeds. The rear-wheel drive electric wheelchair is the more traditional and most popular style of chair. It is generally faster then a front-wheel model but provides for a poorer turning capability in comparison to the front-wheel and mid-wheel models. The mid-wheel drive wheelchair provides the tightest turning of all motorized chairs, but has a tendency to be somewhat unsteady when stopping and starting. The mid-wheel drive has caster wheels in the rear and an extra set of anti-tip wheels in the front. This set up of wheels limits their use on more uneven surfaces.

Finally, there are some additional features that are available on many motorized wheelchairs. Many chairs have an electric wheelchair power tilt, this is a feature that allows the chair's user to tilt the entire chair's seat assembly and footrests upwards to a 45-degree angle. The electric wheelchair recliner is a feature that allows the user to tilt the seat back and raise the leg rests up horizontally. Both of these features provide relief to the chair's occupant and are of help in the prevention of pressure sores.

Well that about does it for me in laying out there what I have come to learn about the motorized wheelchairs that are out there. With my next post, I will take a look at what I have observed and learned about another classification of mobility device: the mobility scooter.

The home stairs lift chair: The upstairs of your home does not have to be out of reach any longer.

2009-07-24T23:09:00.000-07:00

When I was a young boy, I remember going with my mother to visit the home of an elderly lady who lived alone in a very large house; In this house there was a mechanical stairs lift chair that ran all the way up the side of the main staircase. I remember at the time thinking that that was something that you didn't see all the time and that for someone to have such a thing in their home must mean that they were somebody special. Of course this was during the late seventies and the truth of the matter was that this was a person who was quite well off and could afford a mobility device that was much more expensive to have installed at that time compared to today. Since that time I have had the opportunity to see a few more of these enabling devices and come to appreciate how much of a difference they can make in the life of the elderly and the disabled. For such people, going up or down the stairs can oftentimes be a challenge considering their physical condition. Of course many elderly and disabled individuals are able to live independently in their own homes with just some assistance instead of twenty four-seven care, of course an implication of this is that such individuals might need help and assistance at times when there is no one there to be of any help or assistance. So if you are on your own and need to do something that most might take for granted like, say, go up or down the stairs, then the installation of a home stair lift chair makes perfect sense. In the past you might have heard references made to such types of devices as a handicapped or handicap lift chair, a stairs lift chair or a motorized chair lift, these are all pretty much referring to the same kind of thing: a chair lift for stairs in the home.

When considering the purchase of any chair lift for stairs in your home, disabled and handicapped individuals should make sure that they are dealing with a reputable retailer offering reliable manufacturer brand names of stair lift chairs before making their purchase to be sure that they are purchasing a product that is going to last as long as needed. Among the top suppliers of stairlift equipment are names such as Savania Concord, Bruno, Thyssenkrupp Access, just to name a few. In most cases, the stair lift manufacturers are the ones responsible for the proper installation and maintenance of the equipment. Many stairlift manufacturers have gone and designed chairlifts with a variety of different features that cater to the differing requirements of disabled users. Stairlifts can be utilized both inside and outside of the home. A stair-lift adapted for the outdoors will provide features such as weather resistant coatings, powder coated painting which serves as protection from the elements, and electrical enclosures to protect the operating equipment from the elements, these are all examples of how the stair lift can - and needs to be made resistant to the elements.

There are basically two main types of stairs lift available to consumers for purchase on the home market: these are the straight lift and the curved lift. The straight lift is designed to fit straight staircases in the home environment, while the curved stairlift is designed for use with curved staircases. As a rule of thumb, straight stair lifts are cheaper to install in the home than the curved lift. The elderly and/or handicapped individual has a choice between going with either electricity powered lift or a battery operated lift. The battery powered option is more advantageous because it allows for use of the stair lift even during a power failure. A more recent addition to the stair chairlift marketplace is the recent availability of the hydraulic stair chairlift, although i don't really know anything about this manner of equipment. As well, many modern home stairlifts come with safety features that protect the individual occupant of the stairlift. Many of the name brands and models of stairlift have a safety belt included. Some stair chairlifts even have sensors which allow them to detect any potential obstacles in the path of the stairlift equipment. Once the sensors detect an obstacle the stair lift stops, preventing the lift equipment from being seriously damaged and to prevent any chance of injury to the lift's occupant.

Although I just finished explaining how there are two main categories of lift, there are a variety of styles or formats available for both the straight and curved stairlift. The first style of stairlift is the seated variety of lift. These machines are the kind of lift usually found in most home lift systems. This type of stair chair lift is the preferred format for your mobility issues if you can walk by yourself or with minimal assistance (from say any kind of mobility aid) but could not manage to get yourself up or down a typical flight of stairs. If the user has crutches, the seated stairs lift chair is likewise ideal. This seated stair lift style consists of a swivel chair that is complimented by custom armrests which can be lifted up to assist the user in conveniently transferring him or herself to and from the stair lift's seat. The included seat belt also provides more security for the user of the seated stair lift.

Another kind of stair lift is the standing variety of stair lift. This machine is designed for people who can walk or stand with the aid of a walking stick or similar aid, but find it very difficult to move up or down the stairs without assistance. If an individual's legs have difficulty bending or they are in a cast, then the standing stair lift might be the ideal alternative. Likewise, the standing stairlift is also perfectly suited for narrower staircases. The provided guardrails also provide an added level of safety for the user.

A final type of stair-lift is the perching stair chairlift. It is similar in design to the standing stair lift. The only major difference is that the perching stairlift has a small seated area where the user can lean against while the lift is moving up or down the staircase. The perching lift is the preferred type of straight or curved stair lift for someone who needs to support their back but does not need to be entirely seated. Likewise, the perching style stair lift is ideal for staircases that are narrower in their design. Guard rails offer an added level of security.

An alternative form of lift is the wheelchair lift; it is a type of stair lift designed to transport people confined to a wheelchair up and down a staircase. There is no need to leave the wheelchair. The individual only needs to roll onto the stair lift platform and use the controls to move the stair lift up or down the stairs. It is worth keeping in mind however that a wheelchair lift is not a space saver and usually requires a wider staircase. The wheelchair platform is fold able, however.

Another point I should make here is that if you are able and willing to spend some more on the installation of a stair lift, then you might want to consider such touches as having the seat cover material customized to match the overall decor of the home in which it is to be installed.

Reclining electric lift chairs: An enabling mobility aid suitable for any home.

2009-07-16T22:57:00.000-07:00

A while back, I was helping to look after an elderly gentleman in his own home as a community support worker and one of the enabling mobility devices that he had in his home to help aid him on a daily basis was a motorized or electric lift chair recliner. When out of curiosity I started looking into what kinds of electric lift chairs were out there, I have to admit that I was a little amazed at the diversity of chairs that are to be found on the market today. The important thing to remember is that often when our bodies start to show serious signs of aging, some tasks become more difficult. One task that can become very titanic is standing and sitting. lesser chairs, like recliners, are often surprisingly onerous to raise out of for a senior, especially if an individual has been sitting for an extended period of time. This is why many folks use lift chairs. A lift chair is a recliner, but it is also much more. In the base of the chair, an electric motor helps to control the backrest and footrest. This motor also raises the chair slowly through the air. Such mobility aids are also commonly known as motorized lift chairs and even handicap or handicapped lift chairs, however that last term is somewhat pejorative in nature.

From my own experiences in the workplace dealing with some of my clients, the ones that have their own lift chairs in their own homes have made it clear to me just how much of a difference owning such a mobility aid has made in their lives; the fact that they can relax in comfort in their own homes and not feel any stress or sense of urgency in regards to needing to have someone come to their assistance any time that they need to vacate their recliners for such reasons as that of needing to go to the bathroom. The feelings of inconvenience, frustration, and even alarm are not uncommon in situations where one may need to transport them self to the bathroom facilities on short notice and therefore require the assistance of others to leave their own chair hastily. the home lift chair recliner solves this dilemma quite effectively for many individuals with restricted mobility.

So how do they work? When the person sitting in the lift chair is ready to stand, they activate a switch on the lift chair. As the liftchair is raised, the occupant remains seated within it. When the liftchair has completely risen, it is possible to exit the chair in a near standing position. When later it is time to now sit down, simply lean against the seat and push the button marked down, and the lift chair will lower the user into a comfortable sitting position once again. The chair does not raise completely vertically, but instead at an angle, so that when it is actually fully risen it is possible to stay safely in the seat with no fear of falling out. The chair also moves very slowly and steadily, therefore there are no unsteady movements.

It is important for the sake of user comfort that a home lift chair is suited to its intended user. Actually, you will find that the issue of comfort comes back full circle to the issue of safety; It is highly important to fit the lift chair to the person who will be using it, as failing to do this can present a very big safety concern. The persons height and their weight are very important, because each lift chair is designed for a certain body size. However, there are chairs available that will comfortably fit virtually any individuals figure or frame. For more information about how to understand lift chair measurements, so you purchase a lift chair that will be safe, you can find the information at any local lift chair retailer or home care outlet or online at any of the large number of mobility aides websites that are out there. A quick search for chair lifts on either Yahoo or Google will bring up a number of these sites.

It is important to know that most modern liftchairs have a number of safety features built in as a part of their design. Good quality lift chairs always use a constant pressure switch to control the movements of the chair. This switch ensures that the chair will only move while the button is being pushed. This way if the up button is accidentally pushed or the hand held control is dropped, the chair will not move, greatly increasing safety and most importantly preventing falls. A lift chair is controlled electronically and also plugs directly into the wall. Many models also offer a battery backup, which is used if there should for whatever reason be no power to the chair. Conveniently a nine-volt battery is most often used as the backup, so it can be replaced inexpensively when it is time to do so. If the backup is used, it should be replaced afterward, but otherwise the nine-volt battery should be replaced once a year. Many people choose to replace them when they change their fire alarm batteries. The prime service that a lift chair provides is of course that of making sitting and standing both easier and safer. However, lift chairs can again be a very comfortable place to sit, sleep, or watch television. Similarly to a recliner, the backrest reclines also the footrest extends, but unlike most recliners, these components are controlled electronically, making the lift chair much easier to use; Finding that comfortable position can be done quickly with just the push of a button.

Subsequently, no matter the chair, finding a comfortable sitting position is much easier in a lift chair, the degree to which the lift chair reclines will vary by model. Generally there are three categories that are used to describe lift chairs. These three categories describe how far back the lift chair can recline. The first type of lift chair is the two position lift chair. These chairs are capable of reclining about 45 degrees, so while not superior for sleeping, they are conducive to watching television or reading a book. A three position lift chair is perhaps the most common. The backrest reclines nearly horizontally, the result being that it is a chair very well suited to reading, watching some television or even sleeping. The third commonly available design of chair is called an infinite position lift chair. This model of chair reclines as far if not slightly farther than a 3 position lift chair, however the footrest is capable of moving independently. In other types of lift chairs, the footrest moves in conjunction with the backrest, but infinite position lift chairs allow these two components to be adjusted separately. This makes them much more customizable. Speaking of customization, I believe that it is also possible to order a lift chair from a number of different colors and cover material patterns as well, if necessary, it may be possible to order a limited variety of replacement lift chair parts if the need for such items should ever arise.

See, I told you that I was slightly amazed at what there was to learn about this subject of home lift chairs!

Lift chairs, stair lift chairs, motorized wheel chairs, mobility scooters and more - all there to offer increased mobility and access to the disabled.

2009-07-08T23:55:00.000-07:00

It recently occurred to me that I have been working in community health care for almost ten years now as a Resident Care Attendant. wow, where has the time gone, eh? I have to admit that my work has really increased my awareness of the issues related to and involving access and mobility for elderly individuals and for those individuals who are physically disabled. Before entering the health care field, I knew that there were many people who were - due to their various personal circumstances - say, confined to a wheelchair, but I did not have much appreciation for the varying degrees of limited, restricted access or disability that people experience and how each individual has to deal with them.

Now, with some years of exposure and experience behind me I have to admit that I can really appreciate these differences in the individual situation. Recently, i have had reason to think over what I have actually learned about the issues of mobility and access and have decide to in a sense codify or unify this knowledge by putting together this site. At one time I knew what wheelchair was but could not adequately describe to you the difference between a wheelchair and a power chair or what a 'power chair' even was; I could not have told you the difference between a wheelchair and a lift chair or a stair lift ( effectively a chair lift for stairs ) and a mechanical lift. And if you asked me the difference between a scooter and a mechanical wheelchair, I would have been challenged to tell you. Well, here is where I hope to present some helpful information on the differences. I figured that one of the best ways to present this information would be to break it up by category, giving each category of mobility aid or device its own area of focus. This way I can give such things as lift chairs, stair lift chairs, mechanical or motorized wheelchairs and scooters appropriate coverage. So with this site I will be able to elaborate on what I have seen with my own eyes; I will be able to reflect on how I have seen various clients go out on the town and far afield in their electric or motorized wheel chairs and be able to attend functions such as Weddings and other social gatherings and feel more a part of their local community because they were not so greatly affected by factors like having to find someone able to physically help move them around or to even help get them to the location of an event: with their power chair, they often are able to transport them self to a location unaided. With the standard home lift chair recliner, I can reflect on how I have seen clients be able to relax at home in their own living rooms and not feel stressed because they now have the capability of getting out of their own recliner without the need for any assistance; without such an accessible chair, they were facing the regular and often urgent concern of needing help to get out of their chair for any time that they needed to use their bathroom. Any discussion on here regarding the variety of stair lift chairs out there would certainly include my observations of how the installation of such devices in the home of someone I have known has meant a huge difference in her ability to access all points of her multi-storied home, something that she was no longer able to do before due to a slow or gradual decrease in her personal mobility. Finally, I will want to include my experiences working with a t least one client who, due to severe decreases in her personal mobility resulting from advanced stage Cerebral Palsy, had until recently found herself much more dependent or reliant on others to get around in the community than she had ever been before - at least that is until she was able to acquire a medical mobility scooter and once again decide for herself how and when she was going to go out and about. These examples and more all come to mind. I will also try to include some mention of the different manufacturers of these vehicles and devices so that references to terms such as Golden lift chairs or Pride lift chairs will have some more relevancy to the reader.

Today, so many life-enhancing mobility aids are available that can greatly improve or enhance the accessibility and mobility of mobility challenged or disabled individuals in the community and I hope that with this site I can reflect this reality. The levels of increased accessibility for the individual and basically an individual's freedom to pretty much just get around today are so much further advanced in the last few decades, that what were once thought of as just 'pipe dreams' for so many of the disabled, have for the most part become a reality for so many people now in similar situations...