Aging Gracefully in Place
Studies show that 90% of older adults say they wish to stay in their homes as they age. If you are one of them, it’s time to make a plan for aging gracefully in place!
Blog
Fire Safety for People With Physical Challenges
In a society where many enter and exit their homes through their garages into their vehicles, years could pass before one ever meets their neighbor! In the name of convenience, we avoid conversations with the family next door because we’re too busy or just not sure we want to engage at all. What has happened to us? Have we forgotten how to connect with one another? Does it take an emergency situation like a fire, flood or earthquake for us to snap out of our bubble and take a look at who is living next door?
Best Home Elevators of 2019
We have all heard the phrase “A Man’s Home is His Castle” but what about when that home no longer serves the needs of the inhabitants? Many families today are starting to think about the design of their home in light of what the future could bring. The very thought of having to leave their home can be devastating, so why not explore options? While we do our best to stay young and vibrant, getting older is inevitable. Home modifications could be the very remedy for a senior who wishes to live independently and feel safe. Residential retrofits can provide some very positive repercussions. Installing home elevators may be the answer to being able to live comfortably without sacrificing the aesthetics.
The Redesigned Bruno Elan Straight Stair Lift is Now Available from Lifeway Mobility
Bruno Independent Living Aids has redesigned their most popular straight stair lift, the Bruno Elan. The stylish Bruno Elan SRE-3050 has several new features that will improve upon its predecessor’s unique blend of affordability and high-quality craftsmanship and performance.
Why People Are Choosing Stair Lifts
Stair lifts, chair lifts, stair lift elevator, stair chair lifts, etc. There are lots of names people have given that mighty innovation that carries us from one floor of our home to the next.
Life Before Stair Lifts
We can easily forget that we didn’t always have the technology and gadgets we use today. I am reminded of how far we have come when my kids ask me how old I was when I had my first cell phone. I search the recesses of my mind and blurt out 30, I think? The shock on their faces says it all – they have had access to cell phones their entire lives! If they happen across a landline, they laugh at how absurd it looks and wonder why anyone would want to be attached to a cord and a wall!
Stair Lifts vs. Home Elevators - Which is Best for Me?
If the stairs start to become too difficult to manage at home, there are usually two options that people can consider to solve the problem. The first option is to remain at home (with modifications), and the other is to move to a senior living or assisted living facility. Both are feasible options, but many prefer to remain in their home because it prevents the stress of having to move again, and makes it possible to remain in the place that has so many positive emotional ties. A home is a place of comfort as it is where most people build lasting memories with family and friends, whether it be from holidays parties, or social gatherings with friends.
Food Delivery Services Let You Eat Gourmet Meals Without Leaving Home
If you have limited mobility, cooking meals from scratch at home can be too tiring, difficult, or even dangerous, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have delicious, nutritious meals at home. Dozens of food delivery services are available to take away the burden of shopping for ingredients, choosing a menu, and even food prep, from grocery delivery services that let you shop from home and do all your own cooking to a chef that comes to your home, cooks, and cleans up.
Traveling Safely with Limited Mobility
When you are in a wheelchair or have limited mobility, travel can be a challenge. Everything from getting to your airport gate and into your seat to finding hotel rooms and tourist destinations with ADA accessibility can add an extra layer of concern to your travel plans. The good news is, you’re not alone. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 25.5 million Americans have disabilities or mobility issues that affect their ability to travel and 21.9 million still get out of the house for vacations. Here is some helpful information for those who have mobility issues and plan to travel.
Why You Should Avoid Buying a Stair Lift Online
Awhile back I was curious about stair lifts, stair chair lifts, and your basic accessibility solutions on the market. With the increased interest of aging in place, I wanted to see what the fuss was all about. So I conducted a little experiment.
Home Mobility Solutions, Inc. Joins Lifeway Mobility-Chicagoland
Lifeway Mobility announced today that it has acquired the assets of Home Mobility Solutions, Inc. (HMS), Downers Grove, IL, through its subsidiary, Extended Home Living Services, Inc (EHLS), Arlington Heights, IL. Founded by Mike Cleary, HMS has served greater Chicagoland and northwest Indiana, offering accessibility solutions including stairlifts, wheelchair lifts, modular ramps, bathroom modifications and elevators, for over 12 years.
Compare Through the Floor Home Elevators - Savaria vs. Wessex
A through the floor home elevator is exactly what it sounds like. It is a home elevator that literally travels through a floor cutout in the ceiling of the lower level and the floor of the upper level. These types of home elevator models are newer to the market when compared to hydraulic elevators and some of the other types of traditional style home elevators.
Face Your Fears
There’s an old tale about two villages in the jungle that traded goods with one another. The tigers that lived in those jungles started charging the villagers. They would sneak up on the person who was traveling from one location to the other and strike from behind. Sadly, hundreds of people had lost their lives because of these tiger attacks. One day the assigned trader arrived at the second village ready to do business, but he was wearing a mask on his head backwards! The people were curious as to why he would wear this mask with the face on the backside of his head. The merchant explained that if the tiger thought he was facing him; the tiger would not attack. If his back was toward the tiger the merchant was viewed as prey and would suffer as hundreds of other villagers already did. To this day, when the people of these villages travel to another village, they wear masks with the face displayed on the back of their heads and have stayed safe because of it. How often in life has it felt like a villain crept up on us and we were completely unaware? Or perhaps we sensed something was about to change in our sphere and instead of looking at our options, we turned our back in fear and choose to look the other way? When we yield to the force of fears, we are giving it power over our lives. So why not address some of those concerns and seek solutions instead? Here are some common fears people experience today. Fears of Falling The fear of falling does not go unfounded. All it takes is one slip on the steps and the mere jolt to the body will strike at our self-confidence. Losing balance and taking a spill can send even the strongest person in a downward spiral. It’s not uncommon to then become a fearful person over even the smallest endeavors in the future. There are some precautions that people can take. For example, it may not have been difficult navigating two or three steps into the front door for the past 30 years, but now those steps are a challenge! Handrails can be a very effective and inexpensive solution to remedy future accidents getting into the house. If a family member feels wobbly inside the home, going from room to room handrails along the walls of dining areas, family rooms or even bedrooms can bring peace of mind. If navigating a longer staircase is a daunting challenge, stair lifts may be less pricey than you think! Contact us for an obligation-free quote. Since the bathroom is the most dangerous place in the house, fear of falling in the shower is a common concern! Non-slip coating can be an easy fix to a slippery shower scenario. Our technicians clean the tub or shower and then apply this no slip grip to any shower, bath or other flooring needed in your home. Combine this measure of safety with grab bars and your bathroom is no longer the most dangerous room in the house! Fears of Losing Independence We have some clients who may be in the throes of MS, ALS or some other progressive disease and in an effort to enjoy a sense of independence, they have chosen to install an overhead lift. With this multi room overhead lift system, the user has regained or maintained their independence. This lift enables the user via remote control to go from bed to chair to toilet to shower and in fact can zoom throughout their entire home if they so desire! Because we have licensed contractors and an in-house construction team, we are also able to remodel any room in the house. One of our clients wanted their kitchen redone so their wheelchair bound daughter could learn how to cook! Here we were able to design the kitchen so she could roll up to the stove touch a button and it would bring the stove top down to her level. When she was done cooking, she could hit the same button and it would raise the stove back to its original height. Even the dishwasher was no longer a heavy door opening but now was a drawer that she could access easily as well! Fears of Being Invisible It has been said, that when we approach a certain age, we can feel like no one notices us anymore. There are a few ways to remedy that situation and stay clear of those fears. Decide to get active or stay active in the community. There are plenty of organizations that have weekly activities such as bus trips to wine tasting events, theatrical productions, casinos, baseball games and other sporting events. They have ongoing classes and opportunities to learn how to Zumba, dance or use a smartphone, Facebook, and other social media to stay connected with kids and grand kids who may be far away. There are opportunities all around us, but we must make the effort to help connect our seniors to those programs. Sometimes folks just don’t know what’s available to them. If we are aware and compassionate enough to invite them, it could be a life-changing event for the senior and their entire family! So in the long run, there is no fear that can overcome us unless we allow it to do so. There are solutions for us but sometimes we need to put on a mask of courage just to get us to the right spot where options are available to us. Once we get ourselves in an atmosphere with others who are seeking social connection and independence, we realize we’re not invisible at all! We have a community of people who care, we were just unaware.
Best Accessible Travel Destinations for those with Disabilities
There are an estimated 3.3 million wheelchair users in the United States. As a result of increased awareness and new legislation, more and more travel destinations are seizing the opportunity to change their thinking about accessibility tourism. Instead of treating it as something that must be managed separately, more destinations now consider accessibility as mainstream. Along with mints on pillows and individually wrapped soaps, travelers will often also find wheelchair ramps and LU/LA elevators in many hotels.
Remote Monitoring Options for Adults Living at Home
In a 2018 study by AARP, 76% of American age 50 or older said they would like to remain in their current residence as they age. However, as dealing with daily life at home grows more challenging due to accessibility limitations, memory problems, and other issues, staying at home becomes less possible. According to the AARP survey, only 46% of older adults think they will be able to stay at home.
Choosing Between a Manual & Power Folding Rail for a Stairlift
The installation of a stair lift provides a safe and easy way for people with limited mobility to navigate between the floor levels of their home. The process of purchasing a stair lift is often a smooth one as stair lifts safely fit on most staircases. However, there are times when the extended rail of the lift at the bottom of the stairs presents an issue or two that needs to be addressed before installation. One of the most common is that the bottom of the staircase ends in an area that receives a lot of foot traffic on a daily basis. Straight stair lift rails must stick out at least 16 inches past the bottom step, which can lead to the rail becoming an obstruction, and in some cases, a tripping hazard. Another potential issue is when there is a door at the bottom of the stairs. This is common when the lift is installed on a staircase that leads down to a basement.
Which is the Best Stair Lift to Buy?
If you’ve been thinking about buying or renting a stair lift, you’re probably wondering which model is the best one to buy. Ranking any type of product can be subjective and if you ask 100 people, you’re likely to get many different answers. However, when you compare several makes and models of popular stair lifts side by side, it’s not too hard to see which ones rank better than others.
What is an Occupational Therapist and What Do They Do?
Since April is Occupational Therapy Month, it’s a good time to reflect on how occupational therapists help improve the quality of life for millions of people around the world each year. Despite the important services they provide, many people don’t understand what an occupational therapist (OT) does. An OT is a licensed health and rehabilitation professional that works with people of all ages with mental, physical, developmental, social or emotional problems to develop, recover, or maintain daily living and work skills.
Handrails and Grab Bars - Effective Fall Prevention
As we age, our balance, strength, and vision can begin to decline, and navigating stairways, steps, stoops, and landings can become increasingly difficult. Progressive illnesses and injuries can also cause these familiar household structures to become hazardous. In fact, falls are the leading cause of death and injury to older adults and a common reason that people give up on independent living.
Which Curved Stair Lift is Best for Me?
A curved rail stair lift requires a track that is curved to fit the shape of your staircase. There are several different types of curved rail. When buying a curved stair lift, it is important to consider the pros and cons of each type of track.
School Accessible Solutions for Persons with a Physical Disability
If you have worked in or been to an elementary, middle, high school, or even a university lately, you may have noticed that there are many diverse situations that need to be accommodated for: wheelchairs, walkers, space for physical and occupational therapy, barrier-free playground equipment, etc. Many schools throughout the country are older and were not built with these accommodations in mind, and despite the Americans with Disabilities Act, some schools are not as compliant as they could be. So, if you are an administrator looking to adapt your school’s environment for students with disabilities or a parent wanting more access, read on for more tips on accessibility!
How Much Electricity Does a Stair Lift Use?
After you have a stair lift installed, you won’t notice any significant changes to your home’s electric bill. A stair lift is energy efficient and uses approximately .024 kWh of electricity and should cost less than $15 per year.
Stair Lift Cost: Guide for Chicago Area Residents
One of the most common questions that we receive from our local customers is “how much does a stair lift cost”, or also commonly phrased as “how expensive are stair lifts”? However, every person is different and so is their situation and mobility. So, it is difficult to provide an accurate price without learning about who the stair lift is for, the type of staircase that the lift will be installed on, and the options that the user will need or want. We can, however, help you learn about what factors go into the cost of a stairlift and help you determine which model and options may work the best for your needs and situation.
Driver Rehabilitation: What You Should Know
Do you remember what it was like when you first started driving? For many, the ability to drive marked a rite of passage that signified the transition into adulthood and ushered in new found independence and freedom.
Home Safe Homes Joins Lifeway Mobility
Hartford, CT, January 15, 2019 -- Lifeway Mobility is pleased to announce the acquisition of Home Safe Homes. Founded by Kent McCool in 2001, Home Safe Homes is an accessibility equipment and home modification provider that has served central Indiana for the past 18 years.