Safety First – A Timeless Old Adage
“Safety first” is an old adage that has never lost its lustre throughout time. We’re taught it as children and we continue to adhere to its sentiments as adults. At least, we should. At Advantage Home Health Solutions, it’s practically a credo. Before anything, we put the safety of our clients at the top of our priority list. We make it our mission to find solutions for our clients that improve their ways of life safely.
You see, we don’t believe that individuals who experience mobility and accessibility issues should have to live lives that are hampered by their disabilities. We believe in solutions that enable them to lead fulfilling lives both inside and outside of their homes. So, when it comes to discussing those solutions, we first like to discuss the safest ways possible to make their lives easier.
Focusing on Vertical Platform Lifts
For example, in any discussion about vertical platform lifts (or VPLs), we discern various characteristics about the entranceways into the homes of our clients to ensure that they are suited with the most appropriate configuration possible. Incidentally, they are also known as wheelchair lifts or porch lifts. And as the names suggest, they are designed to lift individuals who require wheelchairs or walkers safely into their homes or onto an upper deck or porch.
Ensuring one’s safety is the key to any solution regarding accessibility or mobility. And there are various configurations of vertical platform lifts. So, there are a number of factors that we take into consideration when deciding upon an appropriate VPL for an Advantage Home Health Solutions client. One consideration is the positioning of the entry door. The VPL should be configured the most convenient way for getting on and off the lift platform. A second important consideration is the amount of space it takes, for example in a garage it might be very important to have at least one car parked in the garage.
Avoiding Unsafe Access – Using Gates Effectively
As well, there must always be a gate or a door for the entrance from the deck to the lift platform. There are no exceptions to this rule. Never should there be an instance when a person can step down onto the VPL platform when it is on the lower level. One safety design option for upper decks is to create a single gate so that when it is open to the staircase, it swings closed to the VPL platform and vice versa. This works when the stairtcase is positioned at 90 degrees to the entrance of the VPL as you will see in the illustration.
Gates properly configured help ensure that no falls occur. Preventing injuries to anyone with access to the VPL is of paramount importance.
What About Lift Heights Exceeding 52″?
For most homes, the distance (i.e. the total lift required) from the threshold of the door to the lower walkway or floor of the garage is less than 7 steps or 52″. For lift heights greater than 52″, we highly recommend an interlock system for the upper gate or house door. The gate is outfitted with an interlock that is wired to the lift so that it only unlocks when the platform is at the upper level. Furthermore, when the gate is open, the VPL cannot be operated until the gate is closed again. If more than one person is using the VPL, and that could be other wheelchair users or their caregivers, then call/send toggles top and bottom ensures additional safety and convenience so the platform can be summoned to where the user is located. These are solutions that guarantee individuals safe paths to greater access and mobility.
Click here to learn more about the vertical platform lifts offered by Advantage Home Health Solutions. Our better yet, if you have any questions about the mobility devices and home accessibility options that Advantage Home Health Solutions has to offer, please don’t hesitate to contact us to ask them. Give us a call at 403-460-5438. You may also email us by filling out the form on our Contact Page.
