Just because you can’t climb stairs well or are in a wheelchair doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy your home, your friends or your family. To people with mobility issues, stairs can be their worst nightmare. You want to go upstairs to get something, but what an effort. You’d like to be downstairs to stay involved, but it’s painful and potentially dangerous. However, life doesn’t have to be that way. There are many companies innovating homes to help those with mobility restrictions enjoy their homes.
Choosing the Right Tool
If you use a cane, a walker, or a wheelchair to help keep yourself in the game, stairs can be a hassle. You may have considered selling your beautiful 2 story home for a single level home, but why? Depending on the layout of your home, there are a variety of products that can make navigating your home much easier.
Many homes can be fitted with a stair lift, elevator, dumbwaiter, or even platform lifts to help you reach the next level. Depending on the space available in your home will determine which option is possible. Many companies will come to your home and give you a variety of options that will meet your needs and safely get you up and down the stairs.
Freedom, Safety, and Autonomy
Aside from safety, these in-home innovations offer those inflicted with mobility issues freedom and independence. In a society where everyone is constantly on the go, not relying on someone to help you can provide a benefit in itself.
Statistically, those over the age of 85 have a higher risk of falling. Many of these falls result in medical treatment for broken bones and sprains. If you live alone and fall, you may not have the ability to get back up, which increases the risk of permanent injury. These in-home gadgets offer the safety needed to confidently live in your home and reduce the risk of falling.
Other In-Home Mobility Tools to Consider
Being able to navigate the steep stairs in your home is definitely a feat that can improve your quality of life; however mobility issues don’t often stop there. Small inclines, steps, and even getting into the bathtub can be as hard as climbing stairs.
If you or your loved one have limited mobility, you can outfit your home with ramps, bathtub lifts or even a walk-in bathtub. These few changes can offer more independence needed to feel better about your mobility issues. Those with mobility issues often experience anger, depression, anxiety and fear. Eliminating the restrictions can improve these psychological effects and bring back the enjoyment of living.
Aging doesn’t have to mean you can’t live a normal and independent life. As the baby boomers continue to age and the country sees more people living beyond 100 years old, consider your needs to live happily. Today’s technology is bridging the gaps between what is possible and not possible in your home as you age. Take the time to see which in-home innovation would be right for you or your loved one and bring back the independence they are used to.
Laura Ameson is a freelance writer. Have mobility problem areas in your home? If a staircase is one, Stay Home Stairlifts could be a safe, convienent solution.
