A power wheel chair lift opens new doors for the disabled and eases the strain on care givers.
A surprising number of people live with disability every day. A disability is a condition that limits one or more major life activities. More than 54 million people in the United States live with some level of disability and almost half of those have a severe disability. There are at least 1.6 million wheel chair users in the United States, and as many as 100 million wheel chair users worldwide.
People become a wheelchair user for a variety of reasons. Some have suffered an accident, others may live with a genetic disease, while still others face progressive conditions that gradually reduce their ability to walk. The wheelchair offers all of these people the ability to move about on their own.
But from time to time, wheelchair users encounter obstacles that will require help. It's very difficult for wheelchair users to handle things by themselves when entering or leaving a building or house, when they need to go upstairs or downstairs, or when getting into or out of a car or van. The introduction of the wheel chair lift has give wheelchair users new ways to overcome these obstacles. Power wheel chair lifts come in different styles that fit with different uses.
The wheel chair stair lift is often found in the home of a wheelchair user. It allows the wheelchair user to move up and down stairs along a track. Stair lifts originally consisted of a chair on a track, but models are now available that don't require the person to move from the wheelchair to the stair lift chair. Portable wheel chair stair lifts have also been introduced. Instead of rails, these devices use wide tracks that grip the stairs, allowing the user to move upstairs or down with the help of a care giver.
The vertical wheel chair lift is often used to give wheelchair users access to raised platforms like stages, porches, or raised entrances where a ramp might not work. Vertical wheel chair lifts usually have a platform and a door or gate. The wheelchair user rolls onto the platform, closes the gate, and is raised or lowered to the desired level, where they roll back out. Outdoor lifts may be completely enclosed in Plexiglas or some other material like an elevator.
Vertical wheel chair lifts operate using either electrical or hydraulic systems. Hydraulic lifts work with or without electricity. So a major benefit of a hydraulic lift is that it will work in the case of power failure. You also avoid the risk of being stranded if the electricity fails while you're using it.
Electric lifts tend to be lower priced than hydraulic lifts and they are easier to maintain. If you decide to purchase an electrically operated lift, make sure it includes a battery backup for emergencies.
Another type of handicap wheel chair lift is the automotive lift. These lifts are used to help the wheelchair user into and out of vehicles. They are designed differently depending on the type of vehicle used. Automotive lift types include folding platforms and swing lifts. They can be automatic or semi-automatic. Automotive lifts can help to ease the difficult transfer from the wheelchair to the car. They also saves time.
Wheel chair lifts have given wheelchair users more independence in their daily activities. They have also freed care givers from the back-breaking job of lifting both the wheelchair and their patient in and out of vehicles, up onto platforms, or up and down stairs.
A wheel chair stair lift is often found in the home of a wheelchair user