Wheelchair Lifts Help You Get Around Town Or Up The Stairs

Wheelchair Lifts
Help You Get Around Town Or Up The Stairs

A wheelchair lifts is a vital piece of equipment if you have difficulty getting around. However, even a wheelchair has certain limitations. While most public buildings today are wheelchair accessible, you may need to make changes to your home so you can move between floors in your chair.

You'll also want a way to take your chair with you when you go out into the community. Wheelchair lifts are the perfect way to solve these dilemmas. You can get portable lifts for your car and vertical or incline lifts for your home.

Vertical lifts work sort of like an elevator. They are platforms that rise straight up next to your stairs so you can wheel yourself onto the lift and be transported to the next floor where you can roll off.

These wheelchair lifts need a dependable and sturdy locking gate on the higher floors so there is no danger of anyone falling off. These wheelchair lifts are more economical to install if you have the space to put one in.

Incline lifts are attached to the stairway itself. You wheel yourself onto the lift and you are carried up at an incline that follows the path of the stairs. While vertical lifts may have limitations on how high they can go, an incline lift can be as long as you need it to be. Although they may be more costly to install, they don't require major renovations to your home like a vertical lift might.

Other wheelchair lifts are made to attach to the outside of your car or they can be adapted to fit inside a van. They are typically made from aluminum to withstand the elements and are permanently lubricated. They can be manual or electric lifts. The electric wheelchair lifts also have manual back up operation in case of a battery failure. These durable wheelchair lifts are easy to operate and make it convenient for you to take your wheelchair with you so you can leave your home. They are also designed to take up as little space as possible so you can still access the rear of your vehicle when you need to.

If you live independently and rely on a wheelchair, you could probably benefit from some sort of wheelchair lift. Even if your home is all on one level, a lift will help you be more mobile since you can go virtually anywhere. These lifts can support heavy motorized wheelchairs or lighter models depending upon your needs.

Your insurance may or may not pay for wheelchair lifts. Lifts installed in the home are often considered home modifications and not medical equipment. You may have the best luck with private insurance over Medicare when it comes to covering the cost of lifts. If your insurance does not cover the cost, you may be able to apply for financing through traditional means or through a medical loan company. The company you choose to buy your lift from should be willing to help you arrange for coverage or financing.