3 Upgrades That Will Improve The Life Of Anyone In A Wheelchair
Posted on: 8 December 2014
Whether you are looking for help for yourself or for someone you know, it is important to know that there are many things you can upgrade to in order to ensure that life in a wheelchair is a little easier. Of course, if the wheelchair will only need to be used for a short amount of time, making substantial changes in your environment might not make sense. Therefore, these suggestions might be best suited for anyone that is in a wheelchair for a long time.
Porch Ramps
Since it is hard to get up small sets of stairs, you might want to consider having a wheelchair ramp built into the porch. You can have this ramp built right beside the steps. Then again, if you do not have a lot of room to work with, you can always completely remove the steps and simply have everyone use the ramp. Just make sure that it is wide enough and not at too steep of a slope. If you are working with a high porch, you might have to build a ramp that wraps up and around so that the angle always stays suitable for a wheelchair to make going up and down easy.
Wheelchair Accessible Vans
Sure, you could always have someone help lift you or your loved one into the van and then store the wheelchair in the back. However, over time, this might become complicated and not always feasible. Therefore, having a wheelchair accessible van is the best option. There are two main types of wheelchair vans. One will have a ramp that manually pulls out so that a person can wheel themselves up into the van. Then there are the more tech savvy ones that will drop a platform. Once the wheelchair is wheeled in place on the platform, it will rise up and into the van. Either way, life in a wheelchair will become a lot easier when it is easy to go places with everyone else.
Stair Lifts
If the person in a wheelchair lives in a two story home, accessing the upstairs may be impossible without an upgrade to the home. There are stair lifts that will allow the person to hoist themselves or get help getting into the chair that is attached to a rail that goes up the stairs. This is great for someone that has access to two wheelchairs so that one can always be left upstairs. Then there are the platforms that allow the person in need of help to wheel themselves onto it and it carries them and their wheelchair to the top floor.
While there might be even more upgrades out there, these might be some of the best to get started with. After all, getting into the home, moving around that home, and then being able to go places with the family are some of the top concerns of those who are confined to a wheelchair for a long period of time. Consider talking with places like Alaska Mobility for more ideas.
Share