If your elderly loved one requires the use of a wheelchair, scooter or walker, a trip up and down the stairs can be a dangerous venture. To maximize the safety of your older adult, it may be best to get a porch lift installed at the front of your home.
Is your family worried about the safety of its eldest member?
It’s natural, of course, to be worried about the senior citizen in your family. It can be especially worrisome for a family if its oldest member has fallen down before. Our blog has made it no secret that slips and falls are the causes of the majority of hospitalizations for Canadian seniors each and every year.
According to Comfort Keepers, every 13 seconds, an older adult is treated in the emergency room for a fall and every 20 minutes, an older adult dies from a fall. “About one third of the senior population over the age of 65 falls each year, but since many incidents go unreported by seniors and unrecognized by family members or caregivers – this estimate is most likely quite low,” notes their website.
They go on to inform that falls are the leading cause of death from injury among people who are aged 65 and older. The risk of falls increases proportionately with age. Over half of seniors who are older than 80 years-old fall annually. Installing a porch lift in front of your home would all but eliminate your elderly loved one’s chances of falling down when leaving or entering the home.
Do you have space for a wheelchair ramp?
For most homeowners, the answer is “no”. Not to mention, installing a wheelchair ramp is a very expensive undertaking. The installing of a porch lift, on the other hand, is a lot more practical and certainly more affordable.
The average porch lift requires approximately a 5-foot by 5-foot area. Meanwhile, a ramp’s size increases significantly with each step required to reach the front door of your home. Because of its larger surface area, a wheelchair ramp will also require more maintenance. Just think of the work involved during the wintertime when snow removal is necessary.
Are you concerned about possible damage due to bad weather?
We live in Canada. We’re prone to sunny and hot summers as well as snowy and cold winters. And let’s not forget all of the rain we get during our spring and fall seasons. In fact, there are weeks where we seem to get all of the above! Not to worry. Porch lifts are designed to withstand the rigors of any season.
Porch lifts allow individuals with rollators, wheelchairs and/or scooters to easily access hard to maneuver areas. They are practical for both indoors and outdoors and can be adapted to satisfy your specific needs.
At LifeCare Mobility Solutions, we proudly carry a variety of high-quality home porch lift products including models from Bruno and Serenity Healthcare Products. If you have any questions about the porch lifts offered by LifeCare Mobility Solutions, please don’t hesitate to call us at 416-267-9800 or email us at info@lifecaremobility.ca. You may also contact us by filling out the form on our Contact page!
