Now that the holidays are over, many households have tossed the sweet treats and are trying to get back into shape. Gym attendance is at an all-time high (at least until March) and people are seeking to accomplish their health goals for the new year. There are so many options out there, it can seem overwhelming when all we want to do is get healthier! Here are 4 tips to get you on track to a healthier version of you!
It is our purpose to help people simplify their lives with accessibility solutions. Many times, individuals who need us don’t know where to start and yet, they are about to be processed for hospital discharge or leave a physical rehab center. Whether patients are calling for guidance themselves or a family member is reaching out, here are seven helpful tips one should address before hospital discharge.
Are you having trouble deciding what to buy an aging parent or a grandparent this holiday season? If they live alone or are having trouble with the stairs, a stair lift could be a gift to consider.
For people who are aging in place or need help with mobility or medical issues at home, in-home care from a qualified provider can enable them to live at home more safely and independently. Professional caregivers can provide different types and levels of care on either a short-term or long-term basis, including: Companionship and conversation Transportation to appointments or errands Assistance with safely managing tasks around the house Help with daily activities such as dressing and bathing Nursing and medical care But how do you know what type of care you need, and what type of caregiver can provide it? Here are the types of in-home caregivers you might experience, from the lowest level of care to the highest.
Have you ever had the experience of being bullied, left out or pushed out? The disappointment, shock and sense of betrayal can be extremely painful. For some, the confrontation may leave emotional scars for years! Whether you have been the victim of “the mean girls club” or worse, making a come back and trying to access your right to be included may have been difficult at best. Some people with disabilities deal with this on a regular basis! Over 1 billion people have a disability in the world today. More than 100 million are children. Unfortunately, these kids are victims of violence four times more often than children who are not disabled. The adults with disabilities tend to be victims of violence 1.5 times more often than other adults. Disabled Individuals Are the World’s Largest Minority When blockades prevent the inclusion of every member of society, we all suffer. Some of these barriers exist in the heart and mind, while others are physical obstructions. When these obstacles are gone, those with disabilities are allowed to engage fully in life which brings benefits to everyone. Accessibility is not an option but is critical to the health and well-being of our communities. While public buildings should be following codes of inclusion, accessibility and mobility solutions truly start at home. The very concept of universal design is to make living spaces safe and accommodating for all. The options are endless! Right To Be Included If an individual can’t navigate steps into their home safely, adding handrails can be a great solution. If a little more assistance is needed, the installation of a ramp, threshold, or stair lift can make a world of difference! The safety features in a bathroom for example, can entail the simple installation of grab bars or a tub cut. The tub cut is done in a day using the existing bathtub bringing that hard to manage 14-inch step into the tub, down to a 4-inch step. For those that need more simplified access, perhaps a barrier free shower or complete bathroom remodel is in order. Bedroom safety may include doorways that need to be widened or beautiful handrails added along the walls. For some individuals, an over-head lift may be the best idea yet. Some need an extra boost to go from bed to chair to shower or beyond. Maybe they wish to travel through-out their whole house using the over-head lift tracking system built into their ceiling complete with remote access! Seek The Best Solutions Home elevators are not as extravagant as once thought! Many are seeking solutions like this for all the ages and stages of family members and are surprised at the affordability. Having a consultant come to the home to assess the structure and provide a quote is free of charge. The key of course, is to work with a company that has at least 10 years of experience and one that specializes in universal design. When families go with Lifeway Mobility, they get to experience experts who create designs specific to the needs of that family. We provide options without barriers. No cookie cutter approach here – it’s all about producing life changing results. Isn’t that what it’s all about? We believe everyone has the right to be included. We are doing the unimaginable – breaking barriers and changing lives.
Lifeway Mobility, a Bruno Diamond Stair Lift Dealer, has a showroom in Hartford, Connecticut that is equipped with three stair lifts that are fully operational. If any of the situations below sound familiar to you, consider making a trip to our stair lift showroom:
Families have a way of evolving through various stages of life. There are seasons of raising children and navigating the toddlers, teens, and young adult dreams. There is the empty nest syndrome, and some of us are living alone, navigating the ever-changing dynamics of aging. No matter the season, it’s good to examine three reasons why you may need to consider to remodel your bathroom.
Lifeway Mobility Minneapolis, a Bruno Diamond Stair Lift Dealer, has a showroom in Burnsville, Minnesota that is equipped with four fully operational stair lifts. We invite anyone interested in a stair lift to visit our showroom:
Studies show that 90% of older adults say they wish to stay in their homes as they age. If you are one of them, it’s time to make a plan for aging gracefully in place!
In a society where many enter and exit their homes through their garages into their vehicles, years could pass before one ever meets their neighbor! In the name of convenience, we avoid conversations with the family next door because we’re too busy or just not sure we want to engage at all. What has happened to us? Have we forgotten how to connect with one another? Does it take an emergency situation like a fire, flood or earthquake for us to snap out of our bubble and take a look at who is living next door?
We have all heard the phrase “A Man’s Home is His Castle” but what about when that home no longer serves the needs of the inhabitants? Many families today are starting to think about the design of their home in light of what the future could bring. The very thought of having to leave their home can be devastating, so why not explore options? While we do our best to stay young and vibrant, getting older is inevitable. Home modifications could be the very remedy for a senior who wishes to live independently and feel safe. Residential retrofits can provide some very positive repercussions. Installing home elevators may be the answer to being able to live comfortably without sacrificing the aesthetics.
Bruno Independent Living Aids has redesigned their most popular straight stair lift, the Bruno Elan. The stylish Bruno Elan SRE-3050 has several new features that will improve upon its predecessor’s unique blend of affordability and high-quality craftsmanship and performance.
Stair lifts, chair lifts, stair lift elevator, stair chair lifts, etc. There are lots of names people have given that mighty innovation that carries us from one floor of our home to the next.
We can easily forget that we didn’t always have the technology and gadgets we use today. I am reminded of how far we have come when my kids ask me how old I was when I had my first cell phone. I search the recesses of my mind and blurt out 30, I think? The shock on their faces says it all – they have had access to cell phones their entire lives! If they happen across a landline, they laugh at how absurd it looks and wonder why anyone would want to be attached to a cord and a wall!
If the stairs start to become too difficult to manage at home, there are usually two options that people can consider to solve the problem. The first option is to remain at home (with modifications), and the other is to move to a senior living or assisted living facility. Both are feasible options, but many prefer to remain in their home because it prevents the stress of having to move again, and makes it possible to remain in the place that has so many positive emotional ties. A home is a place of comfort as it is where most people build lasting memories with family and friends, whether it be from holidays parties, or social gatherings with friends.
If you have limited mobility, cooking meals from scratch at home can be too tiring, difficult, or even dangerous, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have delicious, nutritious meals at home. Dozens of food delivery services are available to take away the burden of shopping for ingredients, choosing a menu, and even food prep, from grocery delivery services that let you shop from home and do all your own cooking to a chef that comes to your home, cooks, and cleans up.
When you are in a wheelchair or have limited mobility, travel can be a challenge. Everything from getting to your airport gate and into your seat to finding hotel rooms and tourist destinations with ADA accessibility can add an extra layer of concern to your travel plans. The good news is, you’re not alone. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 25.5 million Americans have disabilities or mobility issues that affect their ability to travel and 21.9 million still get out of the house for vacations. Here is some helpful information for those who have mobility issues and plan to travel.
Awhile back I was curious about stair lifts, stair chair lifts, and your basic accessibility solutions on the market. With the increased interest of aging in place, I wanted to see what the fuss was all about. So I conducted a little experiment.
Lifeway Mobility announced today that it has acquired the assets of Home Mobility Solutions, Inc. (HMS), Downers Grove, IL, through its subsidiary, Extended Home Living Services, Inc (EHLS), Arlington Heights, IL. Founded by Mike Cleary, HMS has served greater Chicagoland and northwest Indiana, offering accessibility solutions including stairlifts, wheelchair lifts, modular ramps, bathroom modifications and elevators, for over 12 years.
A through the floor home elevator is exactly what it sounds like. It is a home elevator that literally travels through a floor cutout in the ceiling of the lower level and the floor of the upper level. These types of home elevator models are newer to the market when compared to hydraulic elevators and some of the other types of traditional style home elevators.
Hydrotherapy, the therapeutic use of water to ease pain and promote physical well-being, has been used all over the world for centuries, including in the ancient cultures or Greece, Rome, Egypt, China, and Japan. Hydrotherapy can include everything from hot and cold plunge pools, thermal baths, saunas, steam baths, floating water massage, wraps, and more.
There’s an old tale about two villages in the jungle that traded goods with one another. The tigers that lived in those jungles started charging the villagers. They would sneak up on the person who was traveling from one location to the other and strike from behind. Sadly, hundreds of people had lost their lives because of these tiger attacks. One day the assigned trader arrived at the second village ready to do business, but he was wearing a mask on his head backwards! The people were curious as to why he would wear this mask with the face on the backside of his head. The merchant explained that if the tiger thought he was facing him; the tiger would not attack. If his back was toward the tiger the merchant was viewed as prey and would suffer as hundreds of other villagers already did. To this day, when the people of these villages travel to another village, they wear masks with the face displayed on the back of their heads and have stayed safe because of it. How often in life has it felt like a villain crept up on us and we were completely unaware? Or perhaps we sensed something was about to change in our sphere and instead of looking at our options, we turned our back in fear and choose to look the other way? When we yield to the force of fears, we are giving it power over our lives. So why not address some of those concerns and seek solutions instead? Here are some common fears people experience today. Fears of Falling The fear of falling does not go unfounded. All it takes is one slip on the steps and the mere jolt to the body will strike at our self-confidence. Losing balance and taking a spill can send even the strongest person in a downward spiral. It’s not uncommon to then become a fearful person over even the smallest endeavors in the future. There are some precautions that people can take. For example, it may not have been difficult navigating two or three steps into the front door for the past 30 years, but now those steps are a challenge! Handrails can be a very effective and inexpensive solution to remedy future accidents getting into the house. If a family member feels wobbly inside the home, going from room to room handrails along the walls of dining areas, family rooms or even bedrooms can bring peace of mind. If navigating a longer staircase is a daunting challenge, stair lifts may be less pricey than you think! Contact us for an obligation-free quote. Since the bathroom is the most dangerous place in the house, fear of falling in the shower is a common concern! Non-slip coating can be an easy fix to a slippery shower scenario. Our technicians clean the tub or shower and then apply this no slip grip to any shower, bath or other flooring needed in your home. Combine this measure of safety with grab bars and your bathroom is no longer the most dangerous room in the house! Fears of Losing Independence We have some clients who may be in the throes of MS, ALS or some other progressive disease and in an effort to enjoy a sense of independence, they have chosen to install an overhead lift. With this multi room overhead lift system, the user has regained or maintained their independence. This lift enables the user via remote control to go from bed to chair to toilet to shower and in fact can zoom throughout their entire home if they so desire! Because we have licensed contractors and an in-house construction team, we are also able to remodel any room in the house. One of our clients wanted their kitchen redone so their wheelchair bound daughter could learn how to cook! Here we were able to design the kitchen so she could roll up to the stove touch a button and it would bring the stove top down to her level. When she was done cooking, she could hit the same button and it would raise the stove back to its original height. Even the dishwasher was no longer a heavy door opening but now was a drawer that she could access easily as well! Fears of Being Invisible It has been said, that when we approach a certain age, we can feel like no one notices us anymore. There are a few ways to remedy that situation and stay clear of those fears. Decide to get active or stay active in the community. There are plenty of organizations that have weekly activities such as bus trips to wine tasting events, theatrical productions, casinos, baseball games and other sporting events. They have ongoing classes and opportunities to learn how to Zumba, dance or use a smartphone, Facebook, and other social media to stay connected with kids and grand kids who may be far away. There are opportunities all around us, but we must make the effort to help connect our seniors to those programs. Sometimes folks just don’t know what’s available to them. If we are aware and compassionate enough to invite them, it could be a life-changing event for the senior and their entire family! So in the long run, there is no fear that can overcome us unless we allow it to do so. There are solutions for us but sometimes we need to put on a mask of courage just to get us to the right spot where options are available to us. Once we get ourselves in an atmosphere with others who are seeking social connection and independence, we realize we’re not invisible at all! We have a community of people who care, we were just unaware.
There are an estimated 3.3 million wheelchair users in the United States. As a result of increased awareness and new legislation, more and more travel destinations are seizing the opportunity to change their thinking about accessibility tourism. Instead of treating it as something that must be managed separately, more destinations now consider accessibility as mainstream. Along with mints on pillows and individually wrapped soaps, travelers will often also find wheelchair ramps and LU/LA elevators in many hotels.
In a 2018 study by AARP, 76% of American age 50 or older said they would like to remain in their current residence as they age. However, as dealing with daily life at home grows more challenging due to accessibility limitations, memory problems, and other issues, staying at home becomes less possible. According to the AARP survey, only 46% of older adults think they will be able to stay at home.
Chances are we have all been in a situation at some point in our lives when we were physically disabled or put out of commission for a season. Perhaps it was a broken arm in grade school, a fractured leg from skiing, or a surgical procedure that made us feel like we were dependent on others and kept us in the hospital without access to the usual pleasures of our own home.