Handicapped Ramps: Temporary Or Permanent?

When thinking about wheelchair access many questions arise. One of the first questions that clients ask is about whether the handicapped ramp should be a permanent one or only temporary. Most often I recommend temporary handicappped ramps be installed. This is because the need is usually temporary especially for use at ones home. Many times ramps are built to meet the need for a temporary portion of time such as a parent coming to live, or a child breaks their leg or a stroller needs easy access in and out of the home. These are all temporary situations in which once the need is over life resumes as normal and the path way into the house does not need to be ramp form.
Permanent handicapped ramps are a beautiful addition to any home if the need is there. If the occupant is going to be living in the home for a long period of time and is in need of a handicap ramp they can be built to blend right in with the home’s exterior often using wood or metal as the material to build the ramp. However, once a handicapped ramp is in place you cannot pick it up and move it. It does not go with you. This is one of the biggest reason people will choose to install temporary ramps.
Temporary ramps are made out of lightweight metals allowing them to be transferred easily form one place to another. Temporary handicapped ramps come in two basic models; short or long. The style you choose for your handicappped ramps will be based upon your individual need. Shorter ramps are in general more portable than longer ones although the longer ones can often be turned into shockingly small sections. Also be aware the shorter the ramp the greater the angle from point A to point B. This can be scary when talking about getting in and out of a car even with an empty wheelchair. It is also harder to also get the wheelchair back up into the vehicle because of the steeper slope.
Longer handicapped ramps are the more desired type amongst temporary handicap ramps. They are more expensive than shorter ramps but the extra places you are able to access will be well worth the expense. Even thought they fold up into small packages to travel with you they are still very strong and durable. You may find this to believe but some of the portable, temporary ramps can fold down to the size of a large suitcase and can hold upwards of four hundred pounds.
Another area where you might want to look into temporary handicap access is the threshold with in your home. Often these barriers, which are no more than two to three inches, can be a big pain for a wheelchair to climb over. For situations such as these it is recommended that you purchase small temporary handicapped ramps or threshold ramps depending on the size of the threshold.
Whatever the need is for your life or that of someone you love the product is available to ease the mobility issues in their life. Small temporary wheelchair ramps ease task such as getting into the shower. It is so much easier to wheel yourself to the upper shelf of the shower threshold and then transfer onto a bathing chair than to lift yourself a number of inches up and then over. Help your loved one by looking into ways to ease their access and making mobility a joy again.

By: Kevin Germain

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If you have enjoyed this article on handicap ramps/a> from Kevin Germain at CPS visit our website www.glenmillerthehomedoctor.com/handicap_ramp_portfolio.php today where you will find useful information on the installation of our handicappped ramps.