Wheelchair lifts help people with disabilities move from one floor to another, or get into and out of a vehicle. Lifts can be electric or hydraulic. There are wheelchair lifts for stairs and wheelchair lifts for vehicles. There are also wheelchair lifts integrated into wheelchairs so that a user can get out of the wheelchair with ease.
Stairs
When a stair lift is installed, the dimensions of the staircase are assessed to determine if the staircase is wide enough for a chairlift operation. If not, the staircase will need to be widened. The weight of the chair, as well as the weight of the wheelchair user, must be added together to ensure that the lift will be able to carry the chair and the user. The device operates off dual motors, with a backup battery.
A wheelchair lift used inside the home is attached to the stairwell and incorporated into the household structure. The stair wheelchair lift is a platform lift attached to heavy-duty tracks. The tracks are connected to the side of the staircase. The platform is a square, flat structure identified as the lift cab. The lift cab is manufactured with dimensions at least 4.5 feet wide or more, ensuring that it is big enough for a wheelchair to fit on the platform.
Some stair wheelchair lifts are operated by cables and hydraulics. The hydraulic-based wheelchair lift and the platform lift operate off a motor powered by electricity. Both the platform lift and hydraulic-based lifts are fully equipped with automated brakes, as well as locks. If the lift is installed running along an inside wall, the wall may have to be renovated to add additional support. Stanchions can be used to lend additional support.
Battery
In the event of a power outage, the wheelchair lift is equipped to run off a battery. If the disabled individual is relying on a wheelchair elevator lift, the device is often equipped with an emergency phone. Some wheelchair lifts come equipped with phone jacks incorporated into the device.
Vehicle
Wheelchair lifts found on vans and a few other vehicles are similar to lifts inside the home. The lift is lowered to the ground. The person positions her wheelchair safely onto the platform, and then uses a control that raises the lift until the chair is level with the floor of the vehicle. The wheelchair-user safely rolls into the vehicle, and the lift folds up so that the door can be closed.
Not all vehicle chair lifts operate while the disabled individual is in the chair. Many car wheelchair lifts allow the wheelchair to be loaded onto the wheelchair lift first, while the disabled individual transfers into the vehicle. Once inside the vehicle, the individual uses the controller to electrically lift the wheelchair into the vehicle. Vehicle-appropriate wheelchair lifts are mounted on the vehicle and have the ability to lift more than 700 pounds. The lift will rise, then fold, via an automated process. The door of the vehicle can also be closed via an automated process.
Chairlift
Some wheelchairs have built-in lifts so that an individual can be elevated in his chair; the chair will lift up the individual, making it easier to stand or to reach items that are too high for someone in a seated position. A mechanism is used to push the bottom of the chair seat upward; as the motor moves the individual in the chair forward, he or she places his or her feet firmly on the ground and waits for the chair to elevate. The elevated seat is operated by a control mechanism and provides added support for a disabled individual who needs it. These chairs are available in three different styles offering various positions: two-lift, three-lift, and infinite-lift positions.
Tags: wheelchair lift, disabled individual, into vehicle, equipped with, platform lift, wheelchair lifts