Around Your Home
You can’t always change the world to accommodate your mobility needs. But, you can change your home. Marvelous innovations that make your home completely accessible are coming on the market every day! Here’s the place to begin your journey of discovery.
Remember, many different products can achieve the same results. The decision as to which is right for you, is exactly that. You must decide, depending on your lifestyle and requirements, what’s the best solution for you. Let your imagination create your private world!
Universal Design (often called "barrier-free"), is a concept in home design and other areas which provides accessibility to people with mobility challenges, medical conditions or disabilities without sacrificing style or stigmatizing a person. Click here to learn more.
There are funding sources that may be able to help offset the cost of making your home more accessible - click here to learn more.
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To learn more about some of the products that may help you around the home, click on one of the following links.
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Stairlifts
When someone faces a mobility challenge, going up and down the stairs at home can become difficult. A stair lift can help a person regain their entire home.
Stairway lifts are the perfect solution to home accessibility – taking you up and down your stairs, safely, comfortably and effortlessly. There are both indoor straight and custom-curved rail stair lifts, and some companies manufacture a stairlift that can be installed outdoors.
Stairlifts are often battery powered, to ensure operation even during power outages. |
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If you are interested in a professional assessment to determine whether a stairlift or other product on this page might be the perfect solution for your home, please use the form at the top of the page. We have also added a Frequently Asked Questions Regarding a Stairlift page to Mobility Corner. If you would like additional information to help educate yourself about stairlifts, please consider these links:
Wikipedia's page on stairlifts
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stairlift
Making Life Easier: Help with Steps and Stairs
http://www.tameside.gov.uk/disabilities/stepsstairs
Choosing Equipment to Get Up and Down Stairs
http://www.assistireland.ie/index.asp?locID=181&docID=6565
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Wheelchair Lifts/Porch Lifts
These exterior lifts, which are used to carry a person using a wheelchair or other mobility device from one level to another level, are called wheelchair lifts, porch lifts, or platform lifts. They are an alternative to ramps, and can make more efficient use of a smaller space. These lifts can usually be installed with little or no building modification.
Wheelchair lifts often feature a gate at the upper landing and an automatic folding ramp for convenience and safety. |
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Mobility Corner also has a Frequently Asked Questions Regarding a Vertical Platform Lift (Porch Lift) page.
You can find more information about wheelchair lifts here:
How a Wheelchair Lift Works
http://ezinearticles.com/?How-a-Wheelchair-Lift-Works&id=528241
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Residential Elevators
Residential elevators are similar to elevators you might see in other buildings, but allow someone with mobility challenges to reach a multiple floors in their home. These elevators can be hydraulic or pneumatic, and can often be installed into a home without affecting the home's foundation.
Home elevators are especially suited to someone who would have difficulties transferring from a wheelchair onto a stairlift. Residential elevators can also stop at multiple floors, from the basement to the attic. They can be powered by household power and battery, in case of power failure. |
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Patient Lifts
A patient lift (sometimes hoist) is a mechanical device that is used in health care to transfer physically disabled patients. There are three basic types of patient lifts: mobile lifts, overhead lifts and sit-to-stand lifts. Today, overhead lifts, which are the most common type, are often installed when new hospitals, nursing homes, etc. are built.
Together with a patient lift, some type of sling, normally made of textile fabric such as cotton or polyester, is used. Slings are available in many different models and variants for optimal function in different lifting situations e.g., lifting to/from bed, to/from the toilet or for turning the patient in bed. |
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The main rationale for using patient lifts is to prevent occupational injuries that can be caused by repeated manual lifting. Normally, much consideration is also given to the patient’s comfort and wellbeing. Today, the use of patient lifts is considered a more dignified means of transferring a patient than manual lifting and transfer.
The text in this area was taken from Wikipedia's page on Patient Lifts.
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Home Ramp Systems
A wheelchair ramp is an inclined plane installed in addition to or instead of stairs. Ramps permit wheelchair users, as well as people pushing strollers, carts, or other wheeled objects, to more easily access a building.
Wheelchair ramps come in a number of varieties each intended for a different purpose. There are permanent, semi-permanent and portable. Permanent ramps are designed to be bolted or cemented in place. Semi-permanent ramps rest on top of the ground or cement pad and are commonly used for the short term. Portable ramps are lightweight, usually aluminum and typically fold for ease of transport. |
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Ramps must be carefully designed in order to be useful. Many jurisdictions have established standards for permanent wheelchair ramps. For example, they may specify the minimum width of a wheelchair ramp is 36 inches, and the slope must not be steeper than 1 inch of rise for every 12 inches of length. A less steep rise can be easier for a wheelchair user to navigate, as well as safer in icy climates.
The text in this area was taken from Wikipedia's page on Wheelchair Ramps.
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Automatic Door Openers
Automatic door openers can be used in any residence where someone might have a difficulty using a standard door. By pressing a button on a remote control or a wall mounted activation switch, the door will be opened automatically. The door will then close automatically, and the use of an automatic door opener does not affect the security of the door. The normal operation of the door is usually unaffected by the door opener, so that all people can use the same door.
Automatic door openers are an effective solution for someone who uses a wheelchair or scooter and would have difficulties reaching, holding or pulling a door. |
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Allow us to assist you through an “Around Your Home” personal assessment, provided by one of our local partners.
Fill out this simple form and Mobility Corner will supply you with specific ideas to make your home more livable.
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