The purpose of residential wheelchair lifts is to provide wheelchair access to all height-related areas in a disabled person’s home which are not suitable for installing a ramp, either because they are too elevated or because there is not enough space.
Wheelchair elevators are probably the most ‘fancy’ models of wheelchair lifts. Yes, home elevators offer the handicapped, the sick and the elderly superior comfort and security. However, installing an elevator is a complicated process which requires major structural modifications, lots of available space in the house and, of course, a huge budget.
That’s why there are so many alternatives on the market – they are much cheaper than elevators and you don’t need to transform your residence for accommodating them.
So let’s make a quick review of the main types of residential lifts, starting with the most complex ones.
First, let’s cover the outdoor residential lifts. These models are appropriate for houses that have a second-floor entrance and the stairway is too high for mounting a ramp. In this case, you have three options: you can install a vertical platform lift, an inclined platform lift or an inclined chair lift.
Personally, I think that platform lifts are more suitable for outdoor use – first, you don’t have to leave your wheelchair when using them and second, they are more weather-resistant than chair lifts. The ideal solution for outdoor wheelchair access would be a vertical platform lift with a closed shaft that would protect you and the mechanism from humidity, rust and other weather related damages. However, since these models are the most expensive ones (being almost as complex as real elevators), you can also consider less sophisticated options like basic vertical or inclined platforms.
Wheelchair ramps are also suitable for outdoor use, but only for overcoming small vertical barriers.
Now let’s move to the indoor residential lifts. Just like the outdoor types, they can be divided into several categories: vertical platform lifts, inclined platform lifts and stair chair lifts. If you’re worried about the cost, you might want to opt for a chair lift. These models are less expensive. Basically, such a lift consists of a special chair with safety features (arm supports, foldable leg support, seatbelts and emergency buttons) mounted on a railway installed along the staircase. For using this type of lift, the disabled person has to transfer (or be transferred) from his/her wheelchair or scooter into the chair lift, secure the seatbelt and press the up/down button. At the landing area, he/she has to be transferred again into the wheelchair.
So, even if chair lifts are not as pricey as platform lifts, they create some inconveniences, especially to those people whose disability is permanent. However, these lifts could be a great choice for persons experiencing some movement difficulties (for example, elderly patients suffering from arthritis or other disorders which make it hard for them to climb the stairs).
For wheelchair-bound people, platform lifts are definitely the best choice. Their main benefit is the fact that they can lift the wheelchair along with its occupant, providing an increased sense of independence to people with permanent disabilities.
Vertical platform lifts are usually installed near the stairs, being a good alternative to elevators. These devices have transparent shafts or safety barriers which prevent the wheelchair from sliding during the lifting process. However, their installation still requires lots of available space, that’s why they are not suitable for smaller homes.
In my opinion, inclined platform lifts are the best compromise between price, comfort and accessibility. Just like chair lifts, these lifts are installed on a staircase railway. However, they raise and lower a platform instead of a chair, which considerably increases the comfort of the user, who can go up and down without leaving the wheelchair. Modern models of inclined lifts are foldable – it means that you can fold the platform near the wall or the railing every time you need full access to the stairway.
Wheelchair lifts can make a huge difference for the physical and emotional well-being of a mobility-challenged person. Fortunately, nowadays the presence of these devices is not limited to public buildings or vehicles – more and more disabled people have the possibility to acquire a wheelchair lift for their residence.