These days, a wide range of home mobility adaptations are available to help you get in and out of your home and get around your home with ease. With more products available catering for different needs, it means that the chances of an elderly or disabled person being able to stay in their home for longer are significantly increased and that their life is made much easier in the process. This article provides a flavour of options available to adapt your home to make it easier to get around.
Stairlifts
The product that most people will be familiar with is the stairlift. Quite simply, a stairlift enables somebody who cannot walk up and down stairs quickly to get from the bottom of the stairs to the top and from the top back down to the bottom.
Anyone getting a stairlift installed should first ensure that a complete and comprehensive survey is carried out to ensure that they get a product that will meet their needs.
There is a wide range of straight stairlifts and curved stairlifts, with the type needed depending on the house that will be put in and the individual that will be using it. A stairlift can be installed and removed quickly and easily, so it is ideal if a temporary solution is needed to get up and down stairs, perhaps following an operation.
Through Floor Lifts
A through floor lift is similar to the elevator in a public building such as a shopping centre, hotel or office block, but on a much smaller scale, allowing one person to get from one floor to the next. It is often an option if a person’s staircase is too narrow to accommodate a stair lift, although whether or not one can be installed depends on whether or not there is enough space in the house. Floor lifts are generally installed in the user’s lounge and will take the user to the bedroom. Users can either stand in the lift or sit in a wheelchair, depending on their needs.
Wheelchair Lifts
Stepliftsare available outside your home and inside to enable wheelchair users to navigate steps easily.
These have a ramp leading into them, so you can simply wheel your wheelchair into the lift, let the lift raise you up however many steps you need to ascend, and then wheel out and into your home.
Ramps
Modular access ramps allow people to quickly get in and out of their property and around their property. They can be installed quickly and easily and removed rapidly and easily if they are no longer needed, with the pieces slotted together like a giant Meccano set. The external ramps are made of metal, whereas the internal ramps are made of plastic.
Whereas concrete ramps are more or less permanent structure which takes a comparatively long time to build, these ramps can be installed in a day and taken out when no longer needed.
Handrails
Whilst it might sound simple, some well-placed handrails can make all the difference for elderly and disabled people, giving them something to hold on to and steady themselves as they go in and out of their homes or around their homes.
Steps
Ranging from just one step to a flight of steps, these steps are usually paired with handrails to make it easier and safer for elderly or disabled people to get in and out of their homes.
They can be installed where there were never previously any steps if the drop has become too high, or can go on top of existing steps that might be uneven, too narrow, too high or slippery.
An added benefit is that they aren’t an inconvenience for able-bodied people such as other family members or friends, and in fact, probably make it easier for them to access your home as well!
Hoists
If someone has difficulty getting in and out of bed, the bath or a chair. A great option is a ceiling hoist. Depending on your needs, these can be attached to the ceiling or mobile hoists.
The StairSteady
To prove that there is something for everyone, the StairSteady is for people who struggle to walk up the stairs unaided but do not need a stairlift or a through-floor lift to get from one floor of their home to the other.
This high-quality handrail goes from the top to the bottom of your stairs with a supporting rail coming off it. The supporting rail slides when pushed but locks when weight is applied, allowing you to support yourself as you go up and downstairs.
We hope this article has given you a flavour of just some of the options available. Just because you cannot get around the house as quickly as you once could does not mean you now have to leave the place you have lived in for many years. If you’re struggling in your home but don’t want to visit our showroom, give us a call and speak to a friendly and experienced team member at 01427 787532 or email info@obam.co.uk to see what options are available to live a more comfortable and easy life.
