Tips for Increasing Staircase Accessibility and Safety

Finding a way of increasing the accessibility of a home, often begins with finding a way to make the stairs more accessible. This is because of all areas in the home, the stairs present not only the biggest obstacle to most users, but also the most dangerous. For this reason, finding a way to improve the safety and usability of the stairs is very important.

Getting Started: Evaluating the Staircase

One of the first steps for increasing staircase safety should be to evaluate the overall condition of the staircase. This is because many accidents on the stairs occur as a result of problems with the staircase. Having at least one handrail is essential, with two being preferable. They should be firmly anchored to the wall and typically no more than 6.5 inches around. Other considerations are the condition of the steps, the presence of non-skid surfaces on the stairs, and the overall uniformity and levelness of the stairs.

Evaluating the Person Using the Staircase

Even if the staircase is in perfect repair, it is also necessary for the person to be physically able to safely use the stairs. Many people, especially those who are affected by arthritis, are simply not able to use the stairs without assistance. For these people, avoiding the stairs is seldom practical or even possible, not without moving anyway, which can be very expensive, so finding ways to make using the stairs easier becomes a necessity.

Using a Mobility Lifting Aid

One way that using the stairs can be made easier is by the use of a stair lift. A stair lift will actually do all the work of climbing the stairs, so it is only necessary to sit down and let the stair lift do the rest. These devices usually attach directly onto the staircase and use a track and car system. The car consists of a chair and the electrical motor. The motor moves the car along the track, carrying a single occupant. These types of lifting aids offer the advantage of increasing safety, yet are relatively inexpensive and typically can be installed without requiring any major modification to the home. Many can also be installed by the homeowner, so there is no need to pay for professional installation contractors.

While the stair lift provides an excellent and very cost effective means of increasing safety and accessibility, most of these can not be used by wheelchair and mobility scooter users. For these cases, a residential elevator or wheelchair lift would be required.

Using an Elevator

Residential elevators offer a very attractive and efficient means of increasing accessibility. They also offer a great deal of functionality aside from simply allowing people who use wheelchairs to move between floors. They can improve how house work is done, the movement of items throughout the house, and will usually increase the homes value. Unfortunately, a residential elevator requires a good deal of modification to the structure of the home. This means the install time is greatly increased, as is the overall cost of the device.

Using a Wheelchair Lift

Wheelchair lifts are less expensive than residential elevators and also usually will not require any major modification to the home. There are two types of wheelchair lifts available for the home. Incline Platform Lifts are very similar to stair lifts in regards to how they are installed and how they work. These devices use wheelchair lift is the vertical platform lift. A vertical platform lift is most popular for use on the front of a home, however they can sometimes be used indoors as well. This type of wheelchair lift is installed next to the staircase and moves the wheelchair or mobility scooter vertically between the ground the the landing.

Putting it All Together

Finding ways to increase accessibility and stair safety should begin with evaluating the staircase, then the ability of the user should be considered. For people who are unable to independently or safely use the stairs, a track that is attached to the wall and then send a platform up and down the track, along the length of the staircase.

The other type of wheelchair lift is the vertical platform lift. A vertical platform lift is most popular for use on the front of a home, however they can sometimes be used indoors as well. This type of wheelchair lift is installed next to the staircase and moves the wheelchair or mobility scooter vertically between the ground the the landing.

Finding ways to increase accessibility and stair safety should begin with evaluating the staircase, then the ability of the user should be considered. For people who are unable to independently or safely use the stairs, there are several popular lifting aids available to help make this easier and safer.