Finding a way to allow full access to a home is important for anyone, but if you use a wheelchair or a mobility scooter, then there are likely several places that need to be made accessible. One of the areas that often results in a problem area is the front porch. Often these steps are steep and hard to overcome for someone in a wheelchair, which is why a vertical platform lift is so frequently used.

Vertical platform lifts are a type of elevator, but they are for the most part self-contained. There is no need to construct a brick shaft or really do any major modification, with the exception of providing a strong base. These devices are used in homes and business as a means of allowing full access to someone using a mobility scooter or electric wheelchair.

As the name suggests, the platform is used to lift a person in a wheelchair or other mobility vehicle between places that have different heights. A person will drive their mobility vehicle onto the platform, engage the call button, and the lift will effortlessly raise or lower them. Some include or have as available options extra safety features, such as gates and keyed entry.

The vertical platform lift, or wheelchair lift, is commonly used on the front porch of a home or business. They can work with some inside staircases as well and are very popular with places like schools or churches for use with stages. The lift needs to be able to be placed next to the stairs or raised area and the platform will be raised vertically to the top landing. Depending on the lift, some are capable of rising up to 12 feet into the air, but it will probably need to be secured to the side of the wall as well as the ground.

The lifting capacity of a wheelchair lift is usually over five hundred pounds, but this can vary depending on the model. Some can lift more than seven hundred pounds.

Usually a lift will be installed in a semi-permanent manner. At the very minimum, it will need to be attached to the ground and supported on a sturdy base made of wood or concrete. There is one type, however, that is intended to be set up and taken down in only a few minutes. This type of lift is called a portable wheelchair lift.

Portable wheelchair lifts are great for businesses and churches. They are designed so it is possible to roll it into place, put down the support arms, and start lifting. They can not lift as high or support as much weight as other lifts, but they offer a lot of flexibility in where they are used. For everyday use though, such as at a home, it is usually recommended to go with a lift that requires semi- permanent installation.

Around the home or in businesses, wheelchair lifts are used every day. They allow people in wheelchairs or those using mobility scooters to quickly and easily span an area of differing elevation, like the front porch.

Wheelchair lifts are used to allow people that use mobility vehicles to use the stairs. Learn more about these and other types of home medical equipment, including dumbwaiters, at AmeriGlide.