Statement
COVID-19

COVID 19 Statement

These are exceptional times. With Coronavirus – COVID-19 - we all face an unprecedented global challenge. The Stiltz Group continue to review activities on a daily basis to ensure we comply with safety directives at all times. At the same time, we look to balance this with providing the expected levels of service and support to our customers while being mindful of minimising risk for all concerned.

We are acutely aware that our customers tend to fall into higher risk categories, whether due to age, or as a result of pre-existing medical conditions. Therefore it is all the more important for our current and future customers to maintain their safety and independence at home with the help of their homelifts; this contributes towards the current policy of social distancing, especially important for seniors and those with compromised immune systems. Reduction of accidents within the home at this time will also help minimize the burden on the increasingly stressed healthcare system.

We are keen to ensure those who need new homelifts installed and those who require their lifts to be serviced, can expect these activities to take place without fear of risk to their health. There are multiple online resources that will guide you to assist in providing a safe workplace for your employees and help protect the customers whose home you visit. Two we would recommend are:

CDC - click here to visit
OSHA - click here to visit

We are in this together and are standing by to offer you as much support as possible during this challenging time. If you have any questions, concerns or doubts about anything, please contact your territory manager or the technical services team and we will do our best to assist.

Sincerely

Mark Blomfield

President

Request your free Stiltz lifts brochure or Call 610 443 2282

The cost of installing a home elevator or stair lift in your home when the stairs become challenging costs less than four to six months of assisted care living according to research by a Massachusetts interior designer for the American Society of Interior Designers Foundation.

Lisa Bonneville, an East Coast interior designer who specializes in issues of accessibility, has looked into the main factors which cause older people to feel that their beloved family homes have called time on them, forcing them to pursue a more suitable residence for their mobility and safety needs.

Bonneville’s ASIDF-funded research compared the costs of accessibility upgrades, including health assistance in the home, with the cost of assisted living facilities, finding that once someone requires eight hours of care per day, the cost is comparable to living in assisted care.

The research continues to say that eight hours per day is a lot of care: most people who need care require far less, and so in making adaptions to the home, not only can people stay in their own home, that extra money can be saved as a result.

In her day job, Bonneville helps homeowners by assessing their physical needs and finding ways to adapt their homes to enable them to keep living in them even with limitations. The key issues, she says, involve external access to the house, getting from floor to floor, and making kitchens and bathrooms accessible for specialized needs.

Speaking to Forbes, Bonneville explained that people often thought making changes to the home would be ‘expensive’ and so often think that the only option is to move out to a smaller or adapted property, or into care. But actually, she insists, it is important to look at comparative costs.

“Some changes are not costly at all, such as widening doorways, putting in grab handles and creating flush thresholds. Even sinks can easily be converted to accommodate a wheelchair,” she is quoted in the article as saying.

Bonneville maintains that larger construction projects and adaptions, including for example mobility aids such as residential elevators, should be looked at against comparable costs. She adds: ‘Elevators and stair lifts can cost less than four to six months of assisted care living.”

She cites that most often it is the stairs that make people move. Physical decline or a mobility issue make the climbing the staircase a dangerous undertaking, often rendering a whole floor out of access.

Even in one-story houses, sunken living rooms, steps leading to the front door, or doorways too narrow for walkers and wheelchairs can make a once loved home inhospitable for anyone with physical limitations.

But Bonneville argues that most issues can be overcome and states the importance that homeowners are given the option of staying in their home and community.

“If you love where you live and don’t want to leave your family home, it’s well worth getting a professional to design it to work for you. The costs of moving into a facility are greater than just the financial costs – they include leaving your neighbors and local friends, your garden, and all the things that bring you comfort and support.

“Planning ahead, means you can stay in your home even when you can’t climb stairs any more. It will save you time and money – and will bring peace of mind. All in all it puts you back in control, your house should never tell you when it’s time to leave home.”

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