The Different Types of Wheelchair Lifts
By: Ivan Cuxeva
There are currently many types of wheelchair lifts available, for many different functions. The four most commonly used are the inclined platform lift, vertical platform lift, portable lift, and portable vertical lift. These are all very similar in that they transport or lift a wheelchair and user to a higher story in a home or even up a flight of stairs; however, they all have different uses.
The inclined platform wheelchair lift is suitable for use indoors our outdoors. They are the main lifts that are installed in homes. Inclined platform lifts can also be found in schools and various other public buildings, as well as churches. They are mostly used at stairways, either on the inside of the stair railing or the outside, and assist people in wheelchairs by lifting them to a higher level in the building.
The vertical platform wheelchair lift is basically the same as a home elevator. The are custom built for the building that they are installed in. Commercial buildings use them, as well as some homes. They are normally installed beside stairways, although they are not attached to the stairway as the inclined platform lifts are.
Portable wheelchair lifts are, as the name implies, portable. They are designed to help with things like stages, bleachers, and raised platforms. Because they are portable, they can be moved, for instance from a school auditorium to an outside bleacher area, and they aid in the same way by lifting the wheelchair and user to the higher level.
Portable vertical lifts are also portable. They provide much the same function as the portable wheelchair lift and the vertical wheelchair lift, but are portable enough to be used by an individual, as opposed to a public building. The portable vertical lift is small enough to be towed behind your vehicle and easy enough to use that you can set it up whenever needed. For instance, beside bleachers, if there is no other way of raising the wheelchair user to a higher level, you can use a portable vertical lift, and when you are finished, you simply hook it up to your car and tow it home.
There are many different sizes and shapes of wheelchair lifts available. Many public buildings now have wheelchair lifts available. The ease of being able to move between floors in buildings has given more mobility and freedom to those confined to wheelchairs.
Article Source: http://www.ezarticles.info
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