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Home Is Where The Heart Is…
Is Installing A Stair Lift The Best Option For Elderly People Who
Want To Stay In The Family Home
Home Is Where The Heart Is…
Is Installing A Stair Lift The Best Option For Elderly People Who
Want To Stay In The Family Home
_ Mobility is very important to older
Americans, and any disabled Americans as it means their independence and a
lifestyle of not being restricted due to misfortune. According to a recent
study of the retirement association, the AARP, over 80% of people over
50-years-old would like to stay in their residences for the rest of their
lives.
How can this lifestyle be created for those who wish to live this lifestyle?
Stair lifts can be part of a whole complex list of durability products including support bars, patient lifts, and ramps. Stair lifts, at least of the straight kind can be installed in one day.
For the dealers of this equipment, it is important to cater to the different needs of their client, and also help them file necessary forms so that at least large parts of the expenses can be paid by Medicare, Medicaid, or their supplementary or private insurance.
Warning: Medicare does not pay for "home adaptations" but does pay for some types of durable medical equipment (DME).
Many state and local governments have programs for loans and grants to install stair lifts and other durable assistive equipment.
Home is where the heart is…
Leaving your home after living there, in some cases 20 or more years is a difficult decision to make. Many people, especially in rural and suburban areas would rather not live in an apartment building, as many public Senior Housing complexes are.
So installing stair lifts, while fairly expensive, is definitely a potentially life altering or even life saving option.
Your funding sources may also depend on what your condition and your disease/s are, they may not be exactly the same if you need the stair lift because you are elderly, versus if you need it because you have a debilitating disease like Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Check with your local seniors centre or agencies such as the Multiple Sclerosis Society for advice.
Luckily, there are a dizzying array of brands and models of stair lifts to choose from. Stair lift manufacturers include Bruno, Ameriglide, Access, Summit, Acorn and Stannah.
There are certain budget models available that you may need to explore, since according to many reports, Medicare only pays for the lift mechanism and the motor, not for other parts and the installation of the system.
A cable system may be the cheaper option
One option is a budget system, such as the Ameriglide cable drive stair lift system, which is available for under $2,000, or other budget models. Some people complain that the cable systems do not have the smooth starts and stops of the rack and pinion type of stair lift.
A rack and pinion type of gear system is said to have a smoother ride, but it has more parts to lubricate and to maintain with servicing on a regular basis.
DISABLED RIGHTS: Local Organization For Disabled Rights And Assistive Technology
How To Get Funding For YOUR Home Stair Lift, Wheelchair Or Other Disabled Home Modifications
In Virginia, there is the Assistive Technology Loan Fund Authority (ATLFA), whose purpose is to finance loans for stair lifts, wheelchairs, and home modifications for the disabled.
It was created in 1995 in Virginia on the recommendations of the Disability Commission. More information on the End Dependence Centre of Virginia can be found at www.ecnv.org.
They are a typical state wide organization involved in advocating the rights of the disabled and their full use of their rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990.
The End Dependence Centre of Virginia (EDCV) work on developing public-private funding and partnership to get people who are in dire need, using stair lifts, wheel chairs, and home modification, as this is the private part of the more public package to enhancing the rights and mobility of the disabled.
At an event of theirs planned for late June they will discuss what happens and what measures can protect the disabled in the event of major emergencies. Such events include the Katrina Hurricane disaster, which took over 1,500 lives, and less deadly but also traumatic events like the Spring 2006 floods in New England.
They also have smaller regular support group meetings. The interesting thing is the social aspect of preparedness, training and the use and development of infrastructure. Outside of looking for grants and loans to build stair lifts, buy scooters and construct grab rods in peoples homes, is the necessity to train people to function at the highest level possible.
So for example this group conducts workshops for the disabled on how to operate and what infrastructure they need to function in the kitchen, the bathroom and in the laundry.
Testing is essential
Also there is the need to review and test infrastructure built. Does the ramp for the public building accommodate the disabled, or is it too narrow to function properly? Computers also often have to be remade for the disabled to be used properly.
They may not be able to use a mouse, or in the case of the blind, may be forced to use it and respond to it totally verbally. Likewise in durable devices, while a sleek stair lift may function for the more agile disabled, even those who use wheel chairs, others may need an elevator, or a wheelchair lift.
More and more principles of design for the disabled and the frail elderly are being combined with general design principles in a theory of Universal Design, design for use by everyone.
How can this lifestyle be created for those who wish to live this lifestyle?
Stair lifts can be part of a whole complex list of durability products including support bars, patient lifts, and ramps. Stair lifts, at least of the straight kind can be installed in one day.
For the dealers of this equipment, it is important to cater to the different needs of their client, and also help them file necessary forms so that at least large parts of the expenses can be paid by Medicare, Medicaid, or their supplementary or private insurance.
Warning: Medicare does not pay for "home adaptations" but does pay for some types of durable medical equipment (DME).
Many state and local governments have programs for loans and grants to install stair lifts and other durable assistive equipment.
Home is where the heart is…
Leaving your home after living there, in some cases 20 or more years is a difficult decision to make. Many people, especially in rural and suburban areas would rather not live in an apartment building, as many public Senior Housing complexes are.
So installing stair lifts, while fairly expensive, is definitely a potentially life altering or even life saving option.
Your funding sources may also depend on what your condition and your disease/s are, they may not be exactly the same if you need the stair lift because you are elderly, versus if you need it because you have a debilitating disease like Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Check with your local seniors centre or agencies such as the Multiple Sclerosis Society for advice.
Luckily, there are a dizzying array of brands and models of stair lifts to choose from. Stair lift manufacturers include Bruno, Ameriglide, Access, Summit, Acorn and Stannah.
There are certain budget models available that you may need to explore, since according to many reports, Medicare only pays for the lift mechanism and the motor, not for other parts and the installation of the system.
A cable system may be the cheaper option
One option is a budget system, such as the Ameriglide cable drive stair lift system, which is available for under $2,000, or other budget models. Some people complain that the cable systems do not have the smooth starts and stops of the rack and pinion type of stair lift.
A rack and pinion type of gear system is said to have a smoother ride, but it has more parts to lubricate and to maintain with servicing on a regular basis.
DISABLED RIGHTS: Local Organization For Disabled Rights And Assistive Technology
How To Get Funding For YOUR Home Stair Lift, Wheelchair Or Other Disabled Home Modifications
In Virginia, there is the Assistive Technology Loan Fund Authority (ATLFA), whose purpose is to finance loans for stair lifts, wheelchairs, and home modifications for the disabled.
It was created in 1995 in Virginia on the recommendations of the Disability Commission. More information on the End Dependence Centre of Virginia can be found at www.ecnv.org.
They are a typical state wide organization involved in advocating the rights of the disabled and their full use of their rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990.
The End Dependence Centre of Virginia (EDCV) work on developing public-private funding and partnership to get people who are in dire need, using stair lifts, wheel chairs, and home modification, as this is the private part of the more public package to enhancing the rights and mobility of the disabled.
At an event of theirs planned for late June they will discuss what happens and what measures can protect the disabled in the event of major emergencies. Such events include the Katrina Hurricane disaster, which took over 1,500 lives, and less deadly but also traumatic events like the Spring 2006 floods in New England.
They also have smaller regular support group meetings. The interesting thing is the social aspect of preparedness, training and the use and development of infrastructure. Outside of looking for grants and loans to build stair lifts, buy scooters and construct grab rods in peoples homes, is the necessity to train people to function at the highest level possible.
So for example this group conducts workshops for the disabled on how to operate and what infrastructure they need to function in the kitchen, the bathroom and in the laundry.
Testing is essential
Also there is the need to review and test infrastructure built. Does the ramp for the public building accommodate the disabled, or is it too narrow to function properly? Computers also often have to be remade for the disabled to be used properly.
They may not be able to use a mouse, or in the case of the blind, may be forced to use it and respond to it totally verbally. Likewise in durable devices, while a sleek stair lift may function for the more agile disabled, even those who use wheel chairs, others may need an elevator, or a wheelchair lift.
More and more principles of design for the disabled and the frail elderly are being combined with general design principles in a theory of Universal Design, design for use by everyone.