Frequently Asked Questions

Why Install An Elevator Into Your New Home?

You can enjoy the freedom to access every part of your house without worry of having to move. Choose the home design of your dreams without any limitations or stay in the house you’ve made a home forever.

Can A Home Lift Be Installed In My Current Home?

Yes! We have several residential elevator models available that can be fitted right into an existing closet. We can build a shaftway in your home that goes up through existing closet space or we can build a shaftway in your garage that goes up the exterior side of your rooms and opens up into a convenient area in your living room, bedroom or any room in your home.

While we also provide lift systems for new construction homes, building one that goes into your current home is actually quite do-able! We have professional contractors and installers that can work around the existing blueprint of your home creating a convenient way to stay mobile if you have recently become disabled or unable to climb stairs. Many of our customers also consider it a savings when they compare it to the cost of moving and buying a new home.

Can Home Modifications Support Accessibility In All Areas Of The Home?

Yes they can in all of these areas:

  • Main Entrance Area
  • Bathroom
  • Bedroom
  • Kitchen
  • Laundry Room
  • General Areas
What are Porch Lifts?

A Porch Lift is a cost-effective accessibility solution and provide easy access to porches and areas with steps or uneven elevations. Perfectly suited for people using wheelchairs and can be installed indoors or outside whether in a residential or commercial setting.

  • Residential & Commercial Porch Lift
  • Provides easy access for the physically challenged
  • Safe and reliable – works in both indoor and outdoor applications
  • 750 lb. capacity, non-skid platform surface
  • Recommended for tight spaces when there isn’t sufficient room to install a ramp
  • Promotes independent living
  • Rental options available for short-term use
  • Preowned options available
Will my body get dependent on Oxygen if I use it continuously?

No, Oxygen is not addictive at all. A large number of patients express their concern regarding this and try to decrease the time they are on Oxygen or totally avoid it.
Supplemental Oxygen is prescribed because the lungs have become weak due to condition like COPD and the 21% Oxygen of air is now not sufficient for lungs which results in low level of O2in blood.
In order to make lungs feel like as if they are exactly in a normal healthy environment, they need some extra Oxygen so that the Oxygen exchange with blood is exactly same as it would have been with normal healthy lungs.

Can I use more Oxygen than prescribed?

No, using more than prescribed oxygen can cause Oxygen toxicity/Oxygen poisoning in the body which has many harmful effects like damage to eyes, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), alveolar damage, destruction of neurons , etc.

Is it alright if I use less than prescribed Oxygen?

No, you should use Oxygen exactly as prescribed by the physician. Using less than prescribed Oxygen can cause low levels of Oxygen in blood which can further cause poor memory, irritable mood, poor cognition, shortness of breath, headaches and much more.

Using less than prescribed oxygen for longer periods of time also deteriorates lung’s health and causes the disease to grow.

How much Oxygen is ideal for me?

The ideal amount of Oxygen is decided by your physician; he does it by carefully analyzing your ABGs. In most cases, the goal is to keep your Oxygen levels above 88% which after prescription is monitored using Oximetry. In healthy individuals, ideal saturation of Oxygen in blood is 95-99%.

Do I also need to keep an Oxygen Cylinder at home if I am using a concentrator?

It is recommended to keep an Oxygen cylinder as a backup source. After all, concentrator is a machine and any machine can fail anytime.

What are the common sources of Oxygen for therapy?

There are mainly 3 sources of Oxygen for therapy:

Oxygen Concentrators: Machines that concentrate Oxygen from room air. Just need a power source to work.

Oxygen Cylinder: Compressed Oxygen in a cylinder – Conventional way of Oxygen therapy.

Liquid Oxygen: Usually used in central supplies of hospitals. Liquid oxygen is stored in freezing cold tanks and allowed to boil at 90.188K (-186.92°C) to release Oxygen gas.

What are the common Oxygen delivery systems that can be used?

Do not confuse Oxygen delivery systems with the Oxygen sources listed in the previous question. The Oxygen delivery systems are used to deliver Oxygen from sources like Oxygen concentrators or cylinders to nose or mouth.

The most commonly used delivery systems are Nasal Cannula and simple Face Mask. Some of the other Oxygen delivery systems are reservoir cannulas, trans-tracheal catheters, non-rebreathing face masks with reservoir and one way valve and venturi masks.

Which is the best Oxygen Concentrator brand for me?

All brands are good, the most important thing is that the Oxygen Concentrator you are planning to buy should carry some international approvals like FDA, CE & ISO.

The second most important thing is that the specifications should suit your requirement. The parameters you can consider to compare different models of different brands can be flow rate, battery backup, alarms (especially low purity of Oxygen), weight, power consumption and portability.

Can I use a portable Oxygen Concentrator while sleeping?

Yes, Portable Oxygen Concentrators (POC) can be used while sleeping. Note that POCs have 2 modes: Pulse mode and Continuous mode.

In Pulse mode, POCs will work as long as you breathe through nose and that too with sufficient pressure to trigger a breath in the machine. It is recommended to use POC with high sensitivity as during sleep the triggering pressure of each breath drops.

For sleep, continuous mode of Oxygen is ideal because while sleeping, there are chances that patient may not breathe through nose all the time which means if patient is breathing through open mouth then there are less chances of activating a pulse mode concentrator.
However, you must consult your physician before using a particular POC for sleep.

I feel that Oxygen coming out of the Oxygen machine is not as effective as that from a cylinder. What should I do?

You feel this because the temperature of Oxygen coming out of the machine is exactly the same as room temperature. However, this is proven that effectiveness of Oxygen from both the sources is virtually the same. What you need to see is the Oxygen saturation in your blood and you can check this using an Oximeter.

When do I need to use a humidifier bottle?

The purpose of humidification is to provide moisture which makes Oxygen therapy comfortable; if not used, can cause dryness in airways of nose and throat. Usually, use of humidifier is recommended in continuous flow of more than 3 LPM.

My Portable Oxygen Concentrator (POC) doesn't have humidifier connection. What do I do?

That may be because your POC is a pulse flow only POC. In Pulse Flow, Oxygen is delivered only when patient inhales which doesn’t cause dryness unlike continuous flow of Oxygen, therefore, humidification is not required.

However, if your Portable Oxygen Concentrator has continuous flow option then you need to talk to your equipment provider.

What kind of water should I use in humidifier? How often should I clean it?

It is recommended to use clean drinking water for humidifier as after all you are going to breathe through it. There is no hard and fast rule for cleaning but there is no harm in having good daily cleaning practices just by rinsing through fresh water and replacing the water in the bottle.

Should I use a nasal cannula or a mask?

Most people prefer nasal cannula as it doesn’t look medical but most cannulas have a limitation that they are effective for flows up to 6 Litres Per Minute (LPM). There are special cannulas for higher flow (you may check with your equipment provider).

However, if you get rashes in your nostrils by use of cannula or if your flow requirement is above 6 LPM then a simple face mask is used by most people.

Can I use all Oxygen Concentrators with CPAP or bi-level devices?

All the concentrators with continuous flow can work with PAP devices. All stationary/home concentrators have continuous flow but some portable models have just pulse flow mode. Pulse flow is not suited for use with PAP devices.

ACCESS ABILITY Home Medical Store has a Beautiful showroom in Cudahy To Serve You!

Corporate Office And Store
Cudahy, Wisconsin

1995 E Norse Ave
Cudahy, WI 53110
Phone: 414-486-6249
Fax: 414-486-5728