When you’re bringing a family member home from the hospital or a rehab facility – such as after an injury or surgery that affects their ability to walk – the family suddenly realizes that the home needs a wheelchair ramp or walking ramp so the patient can access the house.
This is often overlooked until the patient arrives home, and the family has no simple way to get the wheelchair up the stairs and into the home. The family can certainly carry the patient up the stairs, but this doesn’t enable the patient to be independent.
Also, elderly couples rely on each other for everything – so if one partner is in a wheelchair, it can make transporting the person from the car into the home quite difficult. It is actually dangerous, due to the added risk of injury to one or both persons. As a result, having a home access walking ramp for elderly family members is in everyone’s best interest.
Professional Ramp Assessment for Your Home
That is why it’s best to have a home assessment done by accessibility professionals before the surgery or, if the cause is an injury, while the patient is still in the hospital and before they arrive home. Even though the doctor may have said that the patient should be up and walking soon after their arrival home, recuperation isn’t always predictable. Often steps will continue to be a safety issue.
It’s common for a patient to come home in a wheelchair and feel defeated due to their disability, even if it is temporary. However, our team at Live In Place will speak with the family members, caregiver, and patient about the wonderful possibilities and the independence that can be achieved by making a few relatively simple modifications around the home, such as a ramp.
We will perform a review of the patient’s mobility and their projected future to assess the benefits of adding a ramp or other accessibility options to the home. A professional evaluation of the patient, caregiver, finances, age, and projected future mobility are just a few of the factors used to help clients make the best decision.
Expertise We Provide
Our team has years of experience in occupational and physical therapy methods, and we are trained in aging-in-place options – including training in examining and evaluating the entryways and accessibility issues of the home, with an eye on overall safety for everyone in the family. The factors we consider are the grade of the entrance (i.e., how steep it is), the height of the current entryway, and the presence of steps.
As far as ramp options, we will also examine whether there is any type of cover over the site where the ramp will go, the strength of the family member or caregiver, and whether they can manage the weight of both the wheelchair and the patient both up and down the ramp.
Benefits of a Wheelchair Ramp
Live In Place can add a permanent ramp or a portable ramp if the patient is expected to remain in a wheelchair. We may also recommend a modular ramp with rails if the patient may be changing to a walker or cane at some point in the future.
Having a ramp access to the house can help a person maintain their independent lifestyle. A person’s feeling of independence can have a dramatic effect on their sense of purpose and well-being.
Gain Access to Your Whole House Again
If you or someone close to you has lost partial or complete mobility and will need handicap access to and around their home, contact Live In Place to schedule an evaluation of the home and your options.
Call us at (703) 433-0380 or schedule a consultation online now, and take that step to help your loved one regain their independence.
Filed Under: General, Wheelchair Ramps
Tagged With: accessibility, wheelchair ramp
The addition of this ramp not only benefits individuals with disabilities but also promotes diversity and inclusion within our community. Please visit Adapta's website that will give you a lot of information about ramps. https://adaptaramps.com.au/