There is a ‘urgent’ need to make mobility products more attractive as older people are refusing to install them in their homes because they ‘spoil the décor’, a think tank has warned.
The Centre for Ageing Better says pensioners felt that the stairlifts, hand rails and ramps which are currently on the market ‘echo hospitals’ and ‘medicalise’ their houses.
The organisation says older people who are struggling to live independently at home are putting themselves at risk by delaying adapting their homes until they are at ‘crisis’ point’.
Dr Rachael Docking, senior manager at The Centre for Ageing Better, said: “Elderly people are delaying securing home adaptions because of their clinical appearance and negative associations with vulnerability and loss of independence.
“The design of equipment offered is often practical rather than attractive. They are adapting their behaviour rather than adapting their home. There is a urgent need for positive messaging about home adaptations and a wider understanding of their benefits.”
Dr Docking also said manufacturers and retailers need to ‘sell inclusively designed products’ and ensure these are ‘available and visible in the mainstream market’.
Three companies which are attempting to revolutionise the way people move around their homes are Stiltz Home Lifts, Lifton Home Lifts and Aritco Home Lifts – all of which offer a range of ‘through the floor’ lifts.
At the Homelift Experts, we work with all three brands, and are here to recommend the right domestic lift for you based on budget, size, style, whether space is required for a wheelchair and if a multi-floor lift is needed.
Once you have chosen your home lift, our Homelift Experts team will work with you to ensure the your list is installed as quickly and as smoothly as possible.
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