Products and services at the Marketplace barrier-free Building & Living
Among others, the Marketplace barrier-free Building and Living informs about the follwoing topics:
More safety with alarm systems for disabled people
Alarm systems for disabled people are a valuable aid that brings greater safety to everyday life and relieves the burden on supporting persons.
People with illnesses or disabilities, as well as the elderly, can quickly require emergency assistance, for example after a fall or if an illness suddenly becomes worse. Emergency call systems for people with a disability guarantee that help will come quickly from the emergency services or family members. Those affected can, for example, wear an emergency transmitter around their neck or on their arm. At the press of a button – or even if there is no actuation by the wearer – helpers receive an alarm signal, as well as information about the place from which the alarm was transmitted.
Alarm systems for people with a disability and telemonitoring for the chronically ill can mean that people with disabilities can live independently in their own home for longer, and not in a home for the elderly or a nursing home. Under certain circumstances, hospital stays are avoided or curtailed if medical monitoring is possible within the patient’s own four walls.
Whether it’s mobile emergency call-out systems or fall sensors, telephones adjusted to the needs of disabled people with large buttons, or telemonitoring, which records illness data at home and automatically transmits it to the patient’s doctor – all these facilities are examples of “Active Assisted Living” (AAL) systems.
AAL is a collective term used to describe networked technologies, products and services which make everyday life easier and which offer greater comfort and safety to people of all ages. Alarm systems for disabled people and monitoring systems for people with a handicap are some of the most well-known AAL technologies, which fulfil important life functions and which can even save lives.
AAL is currently one of the most innovative technology segments overall, and is one important part of REHAB.
Easy access to every floor with a barrier-free lift
In buildings with several floors, a barrier-free lift is essential to enable people with disabilities to live, work and participate in social activities in an unrestricted way.
A disabled-access lift offers more than just convenience to people with physical disabilities. It is usually essential as a means of accessing higher floors of a building despite physical limitations. Precise requirements are stipulated in the legislation with regard to the construction of public apartments and apartment buildings, which also apply to private building owners as an orientation and as a quality feature.
A lift for wheelchair users, people with walking disabilities and with visual and hearing impairments should have the following features, for example:
- A non-slip floor in front of the lift and in the lift cabin
- Operating buttons outside and inside the lift at a height of 85 cm
- A horizontal operating panel with large, illuminated buttons in the lift
- Labelling of the buttons with a specific size, including in Braille lettering, as well as acoustic signal tones or announcements
- A horizontal holding bar at a height of 85 cm
- A fold-out seat inside the lift
- Highly sensitive sensors for opening and closing the door
A special form of the lift for disabled people and the elderly is the inclined lift or stair lift. It is excellently suited for subsequent installation, inside and outside. At REHAB, well-known manufacturers will present their disabled access lifts and provide detailed information to building owners regarding regulatory requirements and options.
Barrier-free kitchens for individual requirements
A barrier-free kitchen offers greater safety and comfort while cooking, baking, eating or washing up. Here, the fittings must be optimally adapted to the individual life situation of the individual living there.
With a barrier-free kitchen, people with disabilities can better handle everyday situations. The opportunities for designing a disabled-access kitchen are as varied as the functional limitations of their users.
Whether it’s a kitchen with sufficient space underneath for a wheelchair, a kitchen for people with visual impairments or for older people, the right solution can be found for everyone, which guarantees the maximum level of independence in everyday life for each individual. Clever planning is essential – for new acquisitions and for conversions. In all cases, we recommend that you obtain advice from an experienced specialist company.
- Worktops, stove and sink with clearance underneath
- Height adjustable kitchen elements, particularly wall and hanging cupboards
- Extractor fan with remote control
- Low sink with pull-out spray hose
- Optimally used storage space through the use of trolleys
Different standards apply to barrier-free kitchens for disabled people with a visual impairment or blind people. Here, it must be possible to operate the electrical appliances via acoustic signals and have easily findable switches. Organisation systems inside cupboards, drawer divisions and tactile Braille lettering also play an important role.
At REHAB, visitors will have the opportunity to meet well-known kitchen companies and expert kitchen fitters. They all specialise in providing the best possible solutions for individual needs.
Greater autonomy thanks to barrier-free WCs
For people with functional disabilities, a barrier-free WC and a disabled access shower or bath tub are often essential for autonomous living.
A barrier-free bathroom makes it easier for disabled people and the elderly to maintain personal hygiene. It is also an important prerequisite for being able to continue to live independently within your own four walls for as long as possible. Depending on individual needs, the measures for a disabled access WC or a bathroom with barrier-free fittings for the elderly range from adjustments to furnishings to planning for a completely new bathroom.
Today, all elements of the bathroom can be adapted to the needs of wheelchair users, people with a visual impairment or the elderly. Sometimes, a shower stool, a shower seat or a bathtub seat, handholds next to the WC or above the bathtub can be sufficient. Furnishings can also be supplemented by a bathtub lift, a shower trolley or a shower wheelchair, raising the level of the toilet seat or a toilet chair. Often, the installation of a raised or height adjustable, disabled access WC or a walk-in shower are necessary.
For wheelchair users, washing facilities with space underneath for a wheelchair are important, as is a barrier-free, floor-level shower. If larger conversion measures or a redesign of the bathroom are required, a specialist company should be consulted, which will advise customers regarding the statutory regulations and financial allowances.
At REHAB, visitors can obtain an all-round impression of the opportunities for making bathrooms barrier-free.
Mobile and active in your own home with a stairlift
Stairlifts offer help when steps are an insurmountable obstacle for the elderly, people with a walking disability and wheelchair users. REHAB provides a comprehensive overview of the products available on the market.
Disabled access lift solutions such as stairlifts make a key contribution to barrier-free living in your own home. Users are less dependent on help from outside, the risk of injury is reduced, and the burden on family members is lessened. Many people with physical disabilities can continue to live for longer in their own four walls and avoid having to move to a new environment or a home.
Different types of disabled-access lifts permit optimal adjustment to individual needs and the existing building conditions. With a disabled-access stairlift, a wheelchair lift or a stairway crawler, height differences can be overcome almost effortlessly. There are solutions for straight and curved staircases, for outside and indoor areas. Thanks to the large number of designs, a disabled-access lift can be harmoniously integrated into the home interior.
Stairlifts are among the most well-known disabled-access lift solutions, and require a minimum stair width of 70 cm. Wheelchair lifts are also available, in the form of hydraulic lifts or platform lifts. Aside from these wheelchair stairlifts, the electrically driven mobile stairway crawler, also known as a stair climber for wheelchairs, is also an option. It is simply adjusted to fit the wheelchair and allows the user to travel up and down the stairs independently. In narrow stairwells, a ceiling-suspended wheelchair lift is a practical option.