Because of man’s intelligence and the ever improving technologies, people with disabilities can now easily remain mobile despite their condition. Before, the only means of mobility that they had was a wheelchair, which provided them a rather limited freedom of movement. Why? The answer is in the type of mobility that wheelchairs alone provide. Who ever said that the wheelchair-bound persons only desire and require horizontal movement and do not need to overcome a height or a step? Unfortunately, wheelchairs do not give the handicapped and the disabled the means to go up or down a stair or a certain elevation. They can do so but they still need to ask someone to assist them. Luckily today, researchers have come up with a very practical device that would enable the wheelchair-bound to defeat any vertical barrier on their own: the wheelchair lift.
Wheelchair lifts are gadgets used to carry a wheelchair and its user to climb a stair, board a car, get up a platform or a floor, or any other related perpendicular challenges. There are two basic categories of commercial wheelchair lifts depending on the machine’s power system. The hydraulic and the electric wheelchair lift. As their names imply, the hydraulic wheelchair lift is powered by the mechanics of hydraulics while the electric wheelchair lift is operated through electricity. Most buyers consider buying an electric wheelchair lift instead of the former for two reasons: one, it is powerful, and two, it is very easy to use. These lifts are powerful because they can carry the wheelchair and the user up and down continuously. There are models that can carry even the heaviest weight of wheelchairs. They are easy to operate as well that even the disabled person can effortlessly climb the stair or get on a car on his own with just a push of a button.
One concern about an electric wheelchair lift is its uselessness in the absence of electricity. While this is true, most lifts of this type have batteries that function as back-up in cases of emergency power breakdowns. These lifts can be fitted with telephone jacks or automatic door openers if the user needs it.
There are different types of electric wheelchair lifts. Some of these include the automobile wheelchair lifts and the stair lifts. Wheelchair lifts for cars are specifically designed to be installed on a vehicle to accommodate a wheelchair when its user needs to go to other places. This type of lift may be assembled or disassembled when not in use. Most vehicle wheelchair lifts cost from $700 to $3,000 depending on the model and its features. A stair lift, on the other hand, can be installed on any staircase. This lift requires only a little space and operates without noise. One good thing about stair lifts is the safety features that most models have. These features include emergency stop button and safety belts. Stair lifts may be bought at a price of $2,500 to $4,000.
In buying an electric wheelchair lift, it is important to note some things:
- The machine should function well. Certify the warranty and the specifications of the lift. Moreover, always ask the dealer any available information about the wheelchair lift manufacturer so you can contact their office in case the device malfunctions.
- It should also be durable. Make sure it can handle a lot of usages in a day.
- It must be equipped with necessary safety features. This is probably the most important consideration of all. You should ensure that the wheelchair lift facilitates a comfortable travel without resulting to casualty or any injury.