Spending time in the great outdoors may prove challenging for individuals with mobility issues or physical limitations. Accessibility may be impeded out in nature which makes mobility aids and equipment viable and safe ways to enjoy it. Consider the many health benefits of the outdoors and your diverse options for overcoming accessibility issues.
There are numerous advantages to spending time outside in nature, but some people may have less opportunity to enjoy it than others. Issues surrounding accessibility and safety can impede those with physical disabilities or mobility issues from enjoying outdoor green spaces. If you want to enhance and increase your access to these natural sites, consider mobility aids that can improve accessibility.
First, a few of the health benefits of spending time in the great outdoors include:
Holistic Health
The vitamins that you get from the sun can help improve immunity to many different illnesses and viruses. Additionally, according to experts, spending time outside is good for your heart, blood pressure, and even eyesight!
Sleep Hygiene
The fresh air and sunshine that you get from being outside can improve your sleep. It’s true; spending time outdoors can help to reset your sleep cycle, so you awake feeling better rested.
Brain Function
Who would think that being outside helps your cognition, but it does! Spending time outside in nature can make you more creative, improve your memory, and make you sharper mentally, which can manifest in better academic performance for students.
Mental Health
Being outside increases the production of dopamine, which makes you feel good, and that contributes to mental health and wellbeing. Experts say that spending time enjoying the outdoors leads to less stress, better memory, helps treat ADHD, and just puts you in a better mood.
Life Quality
Who doesn’t want to improve their quality of life, if possible? Spending the equivalent of two hours outside weekly, walking, sitting, or other, can improve the overall quality of life, according to experts. This time spent outside enhances a sense of well-being, so you feel more satisfied and content with life.
So, how do you take advantage of these perks if you have physical challenges or mobility issues that impede accessibility to outdoor spaces? The answer may lie in mobility solutions to suit your distinct needs. The best way to determine what could be useful is to meet with a qualified mobility professional to learn more.
Use these mobility aids and tools to help you enjoy time outside safely:
Portable Ramps
When you think of the challenges that await outdoors for those with mobility challenges, rough or steep terrain is probably on the list. A ramp is an excellent solution but these are permanent fixtures, so it limits your options.
On the other hand, a portable ramp is an easy and effective tool to keep in the trunk of your vehicle or on your porch to utilize as needed. These can be unfolded and used with ease while also being convenient to transport to other locations that may be difficult to access. Plus, portable ramps are affordable. Talk to a mobility retail professional to learn more!
Pool Lifts
Do you have a pool? Do you get the opportunity to swim? If you have not been able to fully enjoy your pool, a pool lift may be key in making it far more accessible for you to use. Pool lifts raise and lower the user, so they are not at risk of slippery transfers on slick surfaces.
Furthermore, a lift protects and provides safety for anyone giving assistance or aid to the user. That is, the use of a lift of any kind helps to protect caregivers from injury which is a significant risk for individuals in the field. Get back in the water and enjoy the therapeutic benefits of swimming with your own pool lift; talk to your medical providers to find out how.
Vehicle Lifts
So, what about driving? The challenges of driving a vehicle begin with where and how to stow mobility aids like walkers and wheelchairs when you get behind the wheel. Vehicle lifts make simple work of getting in, out, and accessing mobility equipment with ease. These are life-changing aids that can put you back in the driver’s seat and on the road.
There are many other mobility aids that can help you navigate outdoor terrain, and that is quite affordable, too. From wheelchairs and scooters to a wide range of walkers, consumers have a wide range of options to choose from.
If mobility issues or physical challenges are preventing you from getting outside, talk to the team at Pacific Mobility. We offer a wide range of quality mobility aids and equipment to enhance quality of life for anyone who would benefit from mobility assistance. Call or visit today!
President, Husband, Father, Grandfather Graduate of UC Davis- Bio Sci Major- Go Aggies! Jeff has extensive experience in all of Pacific Mobility’s products and services, and specializes in accessibility products as well as stairlifts, ceiling lifts and custom wheel chairs. His hobbies include spending time with family, gardening, mountain biking, exercising and off road motorcycle riding.
24 years as Owner/President of Pacific Mobility Center – selling, installing, and servicing stairlifts, porch lifts, ceiling lifts, pool lifts, handicap ramping, specialty wheelchairs, scooters, power wheel chairs, and other power mobility devices
Certified Environmental Access Consultant since 2008
Licensed General Contractor since 1998
Certified Aging in Place Specialist since 2016
Board Member for Home Access Professionals
Member of Association of Members of the Accessibility Equipment Industry (AEMA)
