If you live with a loved one who uses a mobility device such as a wheelchair, scooter, rollator or walker, you’re likely concerned about his/her safety when climbing the steps. In last week’s blog, we highlighted the many benefits of installing a stair lift in your home. Stair lifts are excellent for providing safe journeys up and down sets of stairs. They help to all but wipe out any risk of slips and falls on staircases.
But what about the stairs that are outside of the home? If you have a raised porch that requires a few steps before getting to the entranceway, your family member and his/her mobility device is likely having issues accessing the front door. This is where a porch lift comes in very handy. However, you may also be considering a ramp. After all, most public facilities have installed ramps in order to give people with mobility issues easier access to their front entrances.
A porch lift takes up a lot less space than a ramp.
This is the first and probably most obvious benefit of choosing a porch lift over a ramp. If you have limited space in front of your home, a ramp may not exactly be all that feasible an option. In order to provide a wheelchair user with safe access to your front door, a ramp must have an incline that isn’t very steep. A lot of space is required in order to create a ramp that ascends at a safe slope.
“According to the CBNC (Canadian National Building Code), a wheelchair ramp must have 1 inch of rise for every 12 inches of ramp, commonly known as run,” explains Bryan Cohen on LegalBeagle.com, “This makes the required wheelchair slope a ratio of 1:12. Less slope–1:16 or 1:20, for example–is easier for wheelchair users and can be implemented at the contractor’s discretion.”
A porch lift works under any weather condition.
With our Canadian winters laying a heavy snowfall and frigid temperature beat down on us every year, you can only imagine how difficult it will be to keep your ramp clear. Making it snow and ice-free is of paramount importance to keep all users safe. That requires a lot of shovelling and distribution of salt. A porch lift, on the other hand, requires very little maintenance.
Advantage Home Health Solutions’ porch lifts are engineered to withstand many weather conditions, from extremely hot, dry temperatures in the summer to blistering cold ones in the winter. Installed outside, or in a garage, a high-quality porch lift will be available when you’re ready to enjoy the freedom to be outside or with your family once more.
Our porch lifts are reliable and economical choices to achieve maximum accessibility in your life. Where a wheelchair ramp isn’t a practical choice, a porch lift can fill the void. For more information about the porch lifts offered by Advantage Home Health Solutions, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at 403-460-5438. You may also email us by filling out the form on our Contact page!
