Bariatric Care is becoming a more significant problem, but technology exists to help people of all sizes stay safely in their homes. SureHands Lift and Care Systems has recently announced the addition of two ceiling based motors with a user weight capacity of 660lbs.
When I am working with a client to solve transfer issues in the home, I take a customized approach. The client and I discuss the areas of the home they want to transfer, their abilities and the abilities of their caregivers, and also the structural features of their home. We also take into account their weight as lifts, like many other pieces of self-help equipment have safe working load ranges. Up until now I’ve been able to provide convenient ceiling and wall based tracks and motors for people up to 440 pounds. I am so excited that I can now offer this kind of freedom from stress and worry to almost everyone else.
No one who needs residential access or equipment for daily living is exactly like anyone else and doesn’t live in a home that is exactly like anyone else’s. How much sense does it make to assume that the same access equipment or modification that works for one person is going to work for everyone? It doesn’t. so Why do we repeatedly hear stories such as a family getting a ceiling track lift for a growing 3 year old and ending up with a sling for a small adult. Worse yet, the whole point of the lift system was to assist with toilet training, but the sling provided was a full body sling. That means it had no toilet hole. A system designed to last for years, costing the agency funding it thousands of dollars and it doesn’t work for the family at all because the company selling it took the one size fits all approach. As it turns out, the company providing the winning, lowest bid had not even been to the home.
Access is a personal thing. It is an adaptation that matches a person’s goals, skills, size, medical condition, developmental status, environment, and preferences. When you need residential access find a building professional or designer who understands this concept. They also need to know something both about construction and disability or aging. One place to look is at the National Association of Home Builder’s website for a professional with a CAPS (Certified Aging in Place Specialist) designation. http://www.nahb.org/directory.aspx?directoryID=188 Avoid working with designers or contractors who try to blindly apply American With Disability Act Guidelines to residential situations. ADAAG are a good starting place and have to be used if they’ve been incorporated into your area’s building code, but they weren’t designed with your personal situation at home in mind.
If equipment is recommended, make every effort to try it yourself if possible. If demo equipment isn’t available, learn enough about the equipment to know how it works and what you need to be able to do to operate it. Work with a knowledgeable salesperson who knows the equipment and is willing to take the time to evaluate your skills and environment. He or she can at least help you simulate using the equipment and can help you understand how the equipment is going to work in your home.
You are unique, your home is unique, your situation is unique. How can one size fits all fit your needs? It probably won’t. Take the time to match your home modification and equipment to your unique situation. Then you will have a solution that will work. Download our short guide to help you start the planning process.
Accessibility is not scary. Seeing people who don’t have a safe and accessible home is what scares me. Yet for some reason, people act like I’m scary when someone suggests they let me do a home evaluation or they act like thinking about safety and access equipment and remodeling is scary.
I do understand. It isn’t me that scares people. It might be admitting that they have some limitations, that they need to change how they do things, that they aren’t as young as they once were or as able as they once were that is scaring them. One of the ways a human being makes themselves feel secure and safe is to deny that something is wrong. It ultimately isn’t a successful way to achieve safety and security, but denial is a pretty common response.
Ask anyone to explain what the phrase “he is his own worst enemy” means and they will be able to do it. Yet most of us have difficulty perceiving when we are behaving like our own worst enemy. Running a home modification business I meet people every day who have a strong desire to live life independently and on their own terms. Yet they resist changing how they do things, turn their back on offers to help from people who love them, and deny that they could use balance supports, mobility equipment, or any number of helpful gadgets to increase safety and independence. They are their own worst enemy as their own behavior and decisions make it difficult for them to achieve their goal of living independently and on their own terms.
There is another old saying. “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” As a residential access designer, it is my job to lead you to the water- Heck, I’ll build you a ramp to the water if you’d like- but I can’t make you drink. I can and will continue to preach all day long than creating a home that is safe and matches your abilities will give you a better chance of living the way you want to and on your own terms. The rest is really up to you.
So do your part. Share the news. Share this blog and try to convince yourself and your friends that Access isn’t scary- Not having a safe and accessible home is what is scary. Give us a call if you’d like a personal (and not scary) evaluation to achieve an accessible and safe home.
