When a stairlift might not be right for you

Change is good, as the saying goes, but to what extent? You or a loved one should not have to move because of a simple flight of stairs. Your home is where memories are made, moments are cherished and life happens. Those stairs can easily be conquered now with a Savaria stairlift. And a stairlift solves the problem for many, but aging in place may come with future challenges.

Perhaps you or your loved one will need a walker or wheelchair in the future.  The Savaria Telecab provides mobility today and tomorrow.  Travel two levels in your home to overcome even complex staircase with curves, turns or immediate landings; or to accommodate a wheelchair or walker. The Telecab has many of the benefits of an elevator, but without the complex construction. Unlike a traditional elevator, no hoistway is required because it travels through a floor cut-out, along the provided rail system. If you’re facing a mobility challenge today, you may want to consider an investment that takes you where you want to go for years to come.

You can visit Savaria’s website for more information on the Telecab.

One billion reasons to deal with accessibility

According to the World Health Organization, there are one billion people with disabilities in the world. With that, there is a possibility that one in every seven people around you may have some form of disability; just to put that into perspective.

You must be wondering why this figure is so big or what constitutes a disability? According to the study, “two thirds of disabilities are non-communicable disease such as cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cancer. Nine percent is attributable to conditions resulting from infectious diseases such as measles and polio, and a similar percentage is due to injuries sustained in motor-vehicle crashes, falls and so on.” (The Globe and Mail). What’s more, the aging baby boomer population number is growing and increased accessibility issues are looming. Disabilities used to be associated with purely health problems but it is also the possibility of having being denied opportunities.

So what does this all mean as a society? It means that we need to come together to acknowledge these issues by promoting opportunities for preventing disabilities such as safety training, making buildings, homes and public places more accessible for everyone and by being sensitive to the needs of those who do have them. Companies such as Savaria and eSSENTIAL Accessibility are making a push to ensure the most amount of accessibility in day to day activities or online. For information about the report and interviews take a look at the article from the Globe and Mail or the United Nations, for more information on how to make your home or workplace more accessible check out www.savaria.com and for online accessibility, http://www.essentialaccessibility.com/

Possibly more golf, bridge and bingo for Canadians?

Canada’s aging population consistently been growing over the past 3 decades. Are people getting older faster? No, but a combination of factors is driving this growth including:  aging baby boomers, an increased life expectancy and a decreasing fertility rate. For the exact statistics and statistics by region, have a look at Human Resources Canada’s statistics on the aging of the population.

“Age in place” rather than worry about your place

Seniors face increasing worries these days including where to live after retirement, fluctuating gas prices, health issues and dwindling savings. Downsizing, or moving to a retirement home is often not what many want; preferring to stay in the place they have long called home. Referred to as “Aging in place”, many seniors are seeking out ways to stay where they are by making home improvements to accommodate a variety of health conditions or general mobility challenges.

Changing doorknobs to levers, adding a stairlift to overcome the barrier of stairs, or renovating bathrooms to make them more accessible are all ways of modifying the home to suit the changing needs of older adults. The web is becoming more populated with great ideas and resources including these sites:

Kohler (bathrooms)

Savaria (stairlifts)

Aging in the Home (general information)