Everyone deserves to get around their home with ease and comfort. Though if you're a person with limited mobility, have family members with different mobility capabilities, or care for someone who requires easier access, you are already too well aware that most homes these days are not necessarily equipped to offer safe access. Ramps are often the go-to for overcoming stairs and other elevated areas such as porches, but they are simply not suited for everyone or every home, and they tend to take up a lot of space.
Fortunately, the PASSPORT® Vertical Platform Lift and its features are designed to make things easier!
This innovative lift is lightweight and easily installed in a wide variety of spaces. It can easily fit into any pathway, porch, interior lifted floor or just about any entryway space that is raised up. After all, just because you or someone you know has limited mobility, does not mean you need to limit where you go! This is where the lift got its name; it’s the PASSPORT to your next destination.
Read on to learn more about why PASSPORT Vertical Platform Lifts are useful for persons with limited mobility and how a simple installation can quickly transform lives for the better. Whether your mobility needs involve a wheelchair, walker, or simply an alternative to stairs, this platform lift has you covered.
How the PASSPORT Vertical Platform Lift Works
Unlike traditional elevators, the PASSPORT Vertical Platform Lift and its features easily fits in most homes. The lift comes with a 24-inch low-sloping entry ramp that accommodates most wheelchairs, scooters, power chairs, etc., and can be assembled on either side of the platform for more convenient access. Once the passenger is on the lift, the ramp raises up and acts as a safety gate as long as the lift is in motion. This will prevent accidental roll-off for mobility device users and will also help make standing passengers feel more secure.
In addition to its general design, the easy controls are also responsible for how PASSPORT Vertical Platform Lifts are useful for persons with limited mobility. The lift comes with a convenient control box with large, easy-to-operate "up" and "down" buttons, specially optimized even for those with limited arm and hand movement. That said, it also comes with a wireless remote control for further operational possibilities.
Easy Installation
Your mobility needs shouldn't have to wait, and so this lift can be installed very quickly and conveniently. The lift comes already wired with "plug 'n play" automotive-style connectors, making for relatively straightforward connectivity to your home.
The PASSPORT lift is also built out of aluminum, making it the lightest home lift on the market today and the preferred model by many professional access equipment installers and electricians. The lift can also be uninstalled and transported with you to your new home if you ever move.
With turn and straight configurations, you can select the lift that will fit the layout of your space the best. The concrete that the lift will sit atop will just need to match the requirements of the model you do end up deciding on.
Lifting Heights and Specifications
The PASSPORT is fairly compact and fits most entryway vertical spaces, with heights ranging from 44” to 120” tall. As your height needs may change over time, the lift may be re-adjusted to various specifications within the height restrictions of the model that you purchased.
The lift can hold up to 750 lbs., which is impressive considering the equipment itself is actually about 300 lbs lighter than other steel lifts of comparable structure.
Safety Features
Safety is a top concern of the makers behind the PASSPORT Vertical Platform Lift. The unit is independently tested to assure quality and approved for product safety. Specifically, it is ETL certified which means that it has been tested and approved (found to meet or exceed national safety requirements) by Intertek, an OSHA-recognized testing laboratory.
As mentioned above, the lift's ramp folds up and acts as a safety gate / barrier. There is also an undercarriage safety pan with obstruction detector that takes less than 15 lbs. of pressure to stop the lift. If the lift is stopped due to an obstruction, it will still be operational in the upward direction, but the object or obstruction must be cleared to resume downward travel. There is an emergency stop button on the control box as well.
Additionally, the lift's electrical connectors are waterproof and are specially designed to not corrode and lead to mechanical failure or dangers. Installing on a porch or elsewhere outside? Not a problem. The platform lift has an optional durable synthetic rubber weather guard that protects the base of the PASSPORT from the outdoor elements.
Because the unit is DC-powered, the lift can run approximately 20 complete, fully loaded cycles on battery power alone. This is incredibly useful if a power outage were to occur.
Overall, this platform lift has numerous benefits to someone with limited mobility. Having one installed in your home can truly be life changing.
Want to learn more about how PASSPORT Vertical Platform Lifts are useful for persons with limited mobility, or do you have other mobility needs? Contact the experts at EZ-ACCESS today to learn more about our wide range of other accessibility products.