Home Accessibility Bucket List

There are two categories that most people fall into when trying to make their home accessible.

One category is where someone has suffered a life changing event such as a stroke, car accident or some other catastrophe. In this case, the person may end up in a wheelchair and thereby need their home to be made accessible to permit mobility equipment to be used inside.

The second category is where peoples’ needs slowly change over time and evolve from perhaps needing a cane to a walker to a stair lift to a wheelchair.

The needs for accessibility equipment could start with a stair lift so that one can access both levels of their home. A stair lift is mounted on the stair treads and there is very little alteration to the home. An exterior stair lift may assist with outside stairs if necessary.

The next piece of equipment that could be required may be used in the bathroom where perhaps a walk in tub is required. Ceiling to floor poles to assist with getting up from a bed or chair is also a popular device. A lift up chair is also common.

The real need for home renovations to make a home accessible comes when a wheelchair is required in the home. This is when a porch lift may be needed to get the wheelchair up to the threshold height of the doorway entrance. Any bump outside or inside the home is a huge barrier to one’s freedom in a wheelchair so utmost care must be used to remove the slightest bump. There maybe the need to widen doorways and bathroom renovations to permit a roll in shower is another common need.

One of the main challenges inside the home is how to move a wheelchair from one level to another. An inside elevator is difficult and costly to retrofit. An incline lift to carry the wheelchair up the stairs has many limitations from a standpoint of stairway width, strength of a load bearing wall, head room and space at the bottom of the staircase. Ceiling lifts are also available to move a person from a wheelchair to the toilet or bed with curved track cut through door headers. If a wheelchair user is seriously considering making their home accessible the advise of a knowledgeable person within the accessibility field and an occupational therapist is a must.

There are so many factors that that make up the bucket list to make your home accessible. Each person’s situation is somewhat different. The most important part of the process is to find someone you trust to give you the proper advice.
Look for a company that can grow with your needs, offer recycled equipment and accepting trade ins as your needs evolve over time.

SILVER CROSS – Founder Reflection – The Original Purpose

I want to share something with you.  About 18 years ago, I got a message on my answering machine from a client that needed a scooter.  The mind blowing fact is that Carol had not been out of her house for 15 years.  She was so pleased with her new scooter that she ended up distributing flyers about our service as she drove around town. 

My heart jumped when I heard that audio recording…. still does almost twenty years later. In fact, at the SILVER CROSS year end franchise meeting at our head office in December of 2011 I got emotional after I had played her audio message. I tried to understand why I could not hold back the tears at that meeting. In retrospect, I recognized that those tears were for all the clients that I have assisted in maintaining their independence. This is the core of SILVER CROSS.

As we expand our service across North America, my mandate continues to remain faithful to our original vision. SILVER CROSS must offer a lower cost alternative to those in need of mobility or accessibility equipment with passionate, well informed, local bricks and mortar representation.

Half of all injury-related deaths among seniors in Canada were caused by falls.

Very interesting article in the Toronto Star on Saturday, November 18th names “After the Fall.” Key fact is that almost half of all injury-related deaths among seniors in Canada were caused by falls. The Public Health Agency of Canada estimates one in three people older than 65 will fall at least once a year, a rate that increases to one in two for people over the age of 80.

SILVER CROSS takes our role in the process of assisting seniors in staying safe in their own homes as they age extremely seriously. Stair lifts and related products are one of the key solutions provided by SILVER CROSS across North America. Falling down a stairway is something that should be avoided at all costs. Recycling stair lifts just makes sense.

Carol was house bound for 20 years until…

Carol Iocubucci was one of SILVER CROSS’ first clients.  She had not been able to get out of her house for over 20 years.  SILVER CROSS supplied a scooter and it changed her life forever.  I will never forget her call…   Here is the link to her phone call 17 years ago that set the stage for the SILVER CROSS mission to help those in need find a lower cost solution to products that increase their independence. http://www.silvercross.com/Media/CarolScooterAudio.aiff

Ageing in Place – Vision 20 Years Ago Being Realized.

“I formed SILVER CROSS to give families the opportunity to find lower cost solutions to their home health care equipment needs.  What I saw in 1993 was that vendors simply offering new equipment with very few options. In other words, they were getting business by default.  It just made sense to try and recycle home health care  equipment. For the first few years, it was difficult in determining what was economically viable from a business perspective to offer to clients with recycled equipment. Demand always seemed to out  way supply. But over the years, SILVER CROSS has evolved to the most consistent source of recycled equipment in North America. We do not satisfy all requests..  but simply more than anyone else.  More locations are necessary to cover most of both USA and Canada. It my goal to continue to expand our bricks and mortar locations through franchising so that most people in North America have options to solve their desire to maintain their independent life style as they enter their senior years.” Bob Harvey, Founder – SILVER CROSS

Increased Demand for Recycled Health Care Equipment

There have been three major trends in the media for the past few months:
1. Many countries in the world are concerned with attempting to balance their budgets.
2. Health care costs will continue to rise as the population ages.
3. The government’s ability to fund health care equipment will be substantially reduced due to budget constraints.
The demand for recycled health care equipment will increase dramatically as government spending decreases over the next few years. Bottom line is that more and more families will need to pay for their own home health care equipment needs in the near future. Many products like stair lifts, power chairs, scooters, vertical lifts, patient lifts and rollators have a life span of 10 years. The average user’s needs of these products change on the average every 3 years. The core of the SILVER CROSS mandate is to organize the recycling of home accessibility and mobility equipment so that health care professionals and families can obtain the products they need to maintain their independence and lifestyle.

Making The Right Choice In Bath Lifts

Of all of the things that can happen to an individual in their lifetime, nothing can be more disheartening than finding out that they need to shop for bath lifts in order to help them maintain a somewhat normal lifestyle while still being able to enjoy living at home.

For many people, surrendering their freedom is simply not an option. When you, or a loved one, find out that it is time to get the help of bathlifts or even a reclining bath lift, it will help ease your mind to know that there are a wide variety of incredible options for you to choose from. As a matter of fact, there are a lot of wonderful handicapped equipment lifts on the market today that are top of the line.

The great thing about bath lifts is that they can help you in the bath if you happen to have a difficult time either pulling yourself up or even getting in and out of the tub. Because there are a variety of handicaps and illnesses that people suffer with today, it is important that you shop around to make sure that you find a drive auto bath lifter or reclining bath lift that is just right for you and your needs.

Once you find pick through the bath lifts available on the market, you can get into your normal swing of things at home!
Hundreds of thousands of people suffer from injuries due to falls and slips in the bath or shower each and every year. Bath lifts are there to help patients avoid such painful injuries and lengthy recovery periods.

On the other hand, if you already have a disability due to a health issue or accident, then one of many bath lifts on the market today could be just the thing you need. Whether you decide upon a Clark bathlift or one of the models of Beluga bath lifts, you are sure to be amazed at just how much easier your life can be.

Elderly and disabled people alike can benefit from the help of a drive auto bath lifter or reclining bath lift. When it is time to bathe, you simply assume a seated position on the device. Once seated the bath lift will then lower you into the bath where you are free to relax and enjoy your bathing time. As you finish your bath, you can then raise yourself back up and exit the bathtub without risking any injury due to a slip or fall. These handicapped equipment lifts, the Clark bathlift and Beluga bath lifts are a wonderful alternative to pricy walk in bathtubs.

A reclining bath lift has a wonderful component that will allow the patient to recline in the tub. This option is very desirable for many patients, especially when they have limited mobility, hindering the ability to rinse their hair and so on. In addition to the convenience that bath lifts provide, this type of lift is just right for giving you the added option of spending a little bit of extra relaxation time while you bathe. This is a great feature, as any physician or physical therapist will tell you that water therapy is an incredible way to help soothe sore muscles.

As you shop, be sure that you take the time to read over all of the features for each one of the bath lifts that you are interested in. Portable bathlifts and inflatable bathlifts are just a couple of the versions of handicapped equipment lifts that you can choose from on the market today. Once you find the product that you think fits your needs and lifestyle, you can then look into just what is covered by your health insurance or Medicare. The dealer or medical equipment representative should then be able to help you decide what your best options are for payments, etc. as you make your final decision on a bath lift.

Recycled Stair Lifts Solve Problem

A client in the Orangeville area  live in a back-split house. Aces was required for three areas in the house – the basement where the laundry room and the  study/rec room for the husband were located, the main floor which included the kitchen, living-room and the front and rear entrances into the house, and the bedroom floor. Each of these areas was accessible by stairway and with advancing age and declining health, the stirs were becoming increasingly difficult for this couple to manage. In addition, being on a fixed income, finances were restricted.

Accordingly, the clients contacted SILVER CROSS and it was determined that two straight stair lifts were required. The client initiated an application for funding assistance through the Ontario March of Dimes “Home and Vehicle Assistance Program”. Unfortunately, their application was denied through an over-subscription.

Upon learning of this, SILVER CROSS proposed a two recycled straight stair lifts as a way provide this much needed equipment and at a reduced cost that allowed the clients to accommodate this within their budget.