Monday, April 23, 2012

What to Look for When Buying Home Wheelchair Lifts

Home wheelchair lifts are becoming popular nowadays as they help handicapped individuals move around from place to place easily. There are many types of wheelchair lifts you can choose from such as portable wheelchair lifts, vertical wheelchair lifts and inclined wheelchair lifts.

Things to Consider When Purchasing Home Wheelchair Lifts

Following are some of the important points to consider when purchasing residential wheelchair lifts.

•    Models: Decide on the model you want before buying residential wheelchair lifts. A wide range of wheelchair lift options are available for transporting wheelchairs up and down the floors. Select one that meets your requirements. 
  
•    Features: Make a list of the features you need in the model. You can ask for a lot of additional security features to ensure safety of the users.

•    Loading capacity and space consumption: Consider the factors such as loading capacity and space consumption which vary from model to model.

•    Quality – Look for the quality of the residential wheelchair lift model. Quality products come with manufacturer warranty ensuring the durability of the product. While purchasing these products, also make sure that they are free from manufacturing defects. ThyssenKrupp Access and Savaria are the well-known manufacturers that offer quality wheelchair lifts.

•    Safety features: Residential stair lifts are integrated with a wide range of advanced safety features. Make sure that the lifts you purchase are equipped with all safe operational features. To ensure safe and reliable operation, most of the residential wheelchair lifts are integrated with advanced safety features such as anti-skid flooring, cable safety device, manual lowering device, continuous pressure controls, emergency alarm button, safety under-panel sensors, emergency stop switch, grab rails, automatic folding access ramps and obstruction sensors. Also ensure that they are ADA compliant.

The other important factors to be considered while buying a home wheelchair lift are the maintenance cost and availability of spare parts.

Take Full Note of Your Requirements

Understand your requirements well before purchasing wheelchair lifts. You can request the help of a technician from the lift manufacturing company who can advise you on selecting the wheelchair lift suitable for your home. As home wheelchair lifts are meant for residential purposes, the users are free to buy models of their choice. They should ensure that the lift is compatible with his/her wheelchair.

Many people are installing wheelchair lifts in their homes mainly because of the greater mobility they ensure for their loved ones. Try to locate an established dealer of accessibility equipment to choose a model that best fits your home settings. Only a reliable dealer would offer you quality products and also provide installation support as well as prompt maintenance and repair service.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Enjoy Safe and Comfortable Movement Up and Down the Stairs with a Wheelchair Stair Lift

Wheelchair stair lifts can help individuals confined to the wheelchair enjoy safe and comfortable movement up and down the stairs. These aren’t cumbersome devices, but ones that can be professionally installed through the services provided by the wheelchair lift suppliers. With features such as noiseless travel, remote controls, non-skid platform, great lifting capabilities and ADA compliance, residential wheelchair lifts and commercial wheelchair lifts are safe and reliable equipment that can serve you for years, particularly with the flawless service of the wheelchair stair lift dealers ensuring you have a great ownership experience.   

Hydraulic and Electric Wheelchair Stair Lifts

Wheelchair lifts are available for indoor as well as outdoor applications. There are two common kinds of wheelchair lifts – the hydraulic wheelchair lift and the electric wheelchair lift. Hydraulic wheelchair lifts are more expensive than the electric versions on account of their hydraulic mechanism. But they are really efficient in detecting surface and speed changes, and level the differences accordingly. They are also safe. Electric wheelchair lifts are probably more practical in that they are cheaper, easier to use and can also be customized. In the event of a power cut, electric lifts can function with battery power.
  
Wheelchair stair lifts can be of great help to customers visiting your business, while public buildings and schools are required to install these ADA-compliant devices. Home wheelchair lifts can help your loved ones using the wheelchair to move about freely.

Commercial and Home Wheelchair Lifts from TK Access and Savaria

The following are well known residential wheelchair lifts and commercial wheelchair lifts from reputable manufacturers:

ThyssenKrupp Access’ Porch-Lift PL-RA

The Porch-Lift PL-RA Residential Wheelchair Platform Lift from ThyssenKrupp Access has attractive features such as:

•    Ability to accommodate any wheelchair size
•    750 lbs lifting capacity
•    Smooth and quiet ride
•    Non-skid platform
•    Emergency stop button
•    Constant pressure up/ down control switch on the platform
•    Highly sensitive obstruction sensors: these stop the lift instantly when an obstruction is encountered on its travel path, and protect the user from injuries and the lift from damage.
•    Key lock to protect the lift from unauthorized use
•    VDRTM mechanical interlocks prevent the lift from moving until the gate is securely closed
•    Directional paddle
•    Optional remote controls to provide instant access

Savaria’s Multilift

The Multilift Vertical Platform Lift from Savaria is ideal for residential as well as commercial use. It can be used indoors and outdoors, and come with durable design and non-skid platform. The underpan obstruction sensors automatically stop the lift when an obstruction is sensed on its travel path. Other features include:

•    Emergency stop button on car
•    Automatic access ramps
•    Manual lowering crank
•    Slack cable switch
•    Keyed cab buttons
•    Keyed call stations
•    Continuous pressure operation
•    42 1/8" (1070 mm) side panels

These are examples of vertical wheelchair lifts, but there are also inclined platform lifts and portable wheelchair lifts on offer. With wheelchair stair lifts one can enjoy safe and comfortable movement up and down the stairs.

Friday, April 6, 2012

Residential Wheelchair Lifts Provide Comfortable Access

Residential wheelchair lifts provide comfortable access to different parts of the home for those individuals who find it difficult to move around on their own. They are available in a wide range of unique elegant and compact designs that would compliment your home settings. Residential wheelchair lifts can be customized and configured according to your specifications.

Residential wheelchair lifts are available in different models, including portable wheelchair lifts, vertical platform lifts and inclined wheelchair lifts that can be used both indoors and outdoors. Residential wheelchair lifts are designed with strong platforms in such a way that they can accommodate wheelchairs of different sizes including adult wheelchairs, powered wheelchairs, sports wheelchairs and child wheelchairs.

Basically, residential wheelchair lifts are available in two different operating modes - hydraulic and electrically powered. Hydraulic wheelchair lifts run on liquid and it can be used in remote areas where there is no electric power. These generate less noise and provide smooth and comfortable access.  In addition, they are easy to install.

Compared to hydraulic wheelchair lifts, electrically powered wheelchair lifts are more flexible, less expensive and are built with battery backup facility. These can be operated even when there is power failure.

 Safety Features of a Residential Wheelchair Lift

To ensure maximum safety and comfort to the users, residential wheelchair lifts are integrated with advanced safety measures and easy to operate controls. These include:

•    Safety under panel sensor
•    Automatic dual access ramps
•    Continuous pressure control buttons
•    Electro-mechanical braking system with motor
•    Folding seats with armrests
•    Safety belts
•    Obstruction sensors
•    Audio visual alarm
•    Emergency stop switch
•    Grab rails
•    Emergency alarm
•    Anti-skid flooring
•    Manual lowering device
•    Cable safety device
Residential wheelchair lift models are provided with optional remote controls to ensure easy operation. Apart from this, they also feature a key lock to prevent any kind of unauthorized access. Regarding the maintenance part, residential wheelchair lifts require less maintenance services and are long-lasting too.
Before purchasing residential wheel chair lifts, it is very important to acquire a general understanding of the different models available in the market, the various manufacturers and well-known dealers in the industry. Savaria Concord, Garaventa and Thyssenkrupp Access are the competent manufacturers that offer quality residential wheelchair lifts. Utilize the service of reliable dealers for getting the best products in the industry. You also need to make sure that they offer trouble-free installation and timely maintenance services.

Monday, April 2, 2012

Home Wheelchair Lifts - Enjoy Greater Freedom and Independence in Homes

Known also as residential wheelchair lifts, home wheelchair lifts assist physically challenged disabled and aged persons in your home by providing them comfortable access to multiple levels of their homes. This easy to use lift provides safe transportation thus making it possible for your loved ones to move independently, and enjoy greater freedom and independence in homes. With a home wheelchair lift installed, the value of your home automatically increases.
These are available in a wide range of models such as portable wheelchair lifts, vertical platform lifts and inclined wheelchair lifts. You can buy these products for use both indoors and outdoors. The platforms of these wheelchair lifts are designed in such a way that they can accommodate wheelchairs of different sizes. The pricing would depend on the various features incorporated and the particular model chosen, among other factors.

Advanced Safety Features for Safe and Reliable Operation

To ensure safe and reliable operation, home wheelchair lifts are integrated with advanced safety features including:

•    Anti-skid flooring
•    Cable safety device
•    Manual lowering device
•    Continuous pressure controls
•    Emergency alarm button
•    Safety under-panel sensors
•    Emergency stop switch
•    Grab rails
•    Automatic folding access ramps
•    Electromechanical braking system
•    Obstruction sensors
You can remain assured that your family members enjoy greater freedom and independence without being overly concerned about their safety.

Benefits of Home Wheelchair Lifts

•    Greater independence
•    Highly affordable
•    Best suited for indoor and outdoor applications
•    Increased portability
•    Easier to control

As there are so many models with different features available in the market, you should be careful to choose a home wheelchair lift that meets your specific requirements. In order to choose the best one, do some serious research. Visit the websites of reputable manufacturers to find out the various models available, the features incorporated, pricing, services provided and other relevant details.  It is best to go for manufacturers who provide quality products and services. ThyssenKrupp Access, Savaria Concord and Garaventa are some of the manufacturers offering superior quality home wheelchair lifts.

Some Points to Consider

Before purchasing home wheelchair lifts, it is necessary to consider the following points -

•    Whether it would stay within your budget
•    Consider what the wheelchair user's needs are
•    Consider the space requirement
•    Consider the size, height and weight of the lift
•    Check the lift’s compliance with ADA guidelines and other standard codes