Rv entry for person on walker

[georgelesley]

DW wife is coming to live with us. She and us wish to continue to use our motorhome. Mom is 94 and uses a walker and we are wondering if there are any ideas how to get her up and down the steps. DW and I can assist her so the use of a walker for that purpose would not be needed

Just wondering if any neat, foldable, storable ramps exist or any other neat ideas. Putting in a lift is not feasible because of space. The top of the stamps is 27" high

We are thinking of moveable step pads to make each step about 1/2 normal rise. One of us would steady her and the other would move one pad at a time and raise her up a bit at a time. Any other ideas?

[dandubois3360]

My wife uses a walker. I'm sorta amazed how little info is on the forums (this and others) or online in general for handicapped or mobility impaired folks with regards to RVing... We want a toy hauler since many have 2nd bath in garage and we can carry a golf cart to tool around without walking. I'd LOVE to get the side patio as well since the DW (once she gets in the rig) is not going to want to leave it more than once a day due to the stairs...A lot easier to work the walker onto either the side or rear patio and get some fresh air and scenery. However the side patios usually come with only the really long rigs and the few I've seen that are on shorter rigs just don't work for us. Therefore have been looking for some kind of "portable patio I can set up alongside the side of the rig ... very few options .. unless (bizarre) you look at portable stages ... yup.. even have siderails and stairs... just gotta find one at the right height and be able to store in garage and rig all by my lonesome.. A "lift" for the main door is something I need to look at as well... As for the bedroom stairs.. she claims she will simply "crawl" in and out of the forward area... hmmmm

[georgelesley]

Thanks for all the posts. From all the suggestions made here, I checked out all and found more. DW and I have narrowed it down to two and will firmly decide very soon. Both are motorized chair lifts with all the mechanism inside the coach.

We took the point made here that this is not an area to be cheap. So in the end it will cost some serious $$ but the sale of her house is what is making it all possible anyway, so fair is fair that we should use some of it to make her last days happy and comfortable. She is so looking forward to traveling with us again, which she did when we fulltimed about 10 yrs ago.

If we do not do this for her our RV'ing days will be over as long as she lives with us. So, for all of us, this is the right move. Who knows, one of us may need it as well in a few yrs.

[BobsYourUncle]

I have toyed with the idea of getting an elderly, limited mobility senior into a TT for a while now.
The ramp is out, too long, no place to store it, need a handrail etc.
Other ideas I've had are crude at best.

I recently came up with the idea of utilizing a mini scissor lift. When all the way down it is maybe 8 inches high, not an unreasonable height to assist the user getting on to. 2 side rails could be fabricated for user stability while in use. Then while one person helps the user to stand in place, another operates the lift, raising it to floor level where they simply step in through the door. If there is a gap, a filler panel could be hinged to the lift to fold down to close the gap. The RV steps would remain retracted for the use of the lift.
Of course it would have to be securely blocked in place on the ground so it didn't move.

This is just an example of what I was thinking of. 100 to 300 bucks. Very doable.
Some are manual, some hydraulic or electric.

Being a bit of an inventor, I am always trying to come up with solutions to specific things.

Just a thought and suggestion....

[TyroneandGladys]

We have found that sitting this up just below the bottom step makes a world of difference. Platform step Also using these braces make the RV steps more stable.

[Dutch_12078]

At times in past years we've had either my wife's sister or our then teen aged granddaughter traveling with us, both then wheelchair bound. A Hoyer Lift worked well for transferring them from standard chairs or scooters outside, to the narrow transport chair we used inside the coach. We used a hinged sheet of 5/8" marine plywood on the ground by the stairs to give the lift a solid surface to roll on. The more difficult task was getting either one on and off of a shower chair for bathing in the tight confines of the RV bathroom.

[Canadian_Rainbi]

As was suggested above, one of our FMCA friends has added half height blocks about 1/3 of the step width to the right side of the entry steps. She is wheelchair/scooter bound but can enter and exit the rig with his assistance.

[georgelesley]

Wow, thanks guys. Lots of choices. The Coach Lift looks like the Cadillac of the bunch and is priced accordingly. We wil take tiger4x4 advice and see what she can do first.

I did have a ramp idea. I could put a ramp on the ground and the other end on a large platform or stool like a stairway landing. She could then stand there and I could move the ramp to the entryway or to another platform higher than the first. I could run the ramp parallel to the mh and then angle to the entry as needed. Tedious and time consuming, but much cheaper!

[Tiger4x4RV]

georgelesley wrote:
...Mom is 94 and uses a walker and we are wondering if there are any ideas how to get her up and down the steps. DW and I can assist her so the use of a walker for that purpose would not be needed....
We are thinking of moveable step pads to make each step about 1/2 normal rise. One of us would steady her and the other would move one pad at a time and raise her up a bit at a time. Any other ideas?

I have mobility issues, but can get myself up and down the steps with good assist handles firmly attached to the RV. Backing down/out is easiest for me.

I can stand for short times, just cannot walk far without rollator or cane. When people have tried to help me up or down in various settings, those well-meaning but unskilled attempts have resulted in some strained muscles or other smallish injuries to either me or them.

Maybe try out Mom's abilities on the actual MH steps before buying any new equipment? If she can haul herself both up and down, with one of you below as a spotter but not touching her, that would be best.

[the_bear_II]

I installed a Burr Handi-Lift on our 5th wheel when my 90 year old Dad became wheelchair bound. He still enjoyed RVing with us and we enjoyed having him.

The lift made it a breeze to get him in and out of the RV. Here's the website:
http://www.burractuators.com/lifts/handy_lift.htm

I'm a shade tree mechanic and weekend DIY projects around the house and RV. The lift took a weekend to install. I did have to reinforce the wall where it is mounted. The total cost was around $1500 about 6 years ago. I spoke with someone who had one installed and their total was around $3500.

We also ended up using a bedside commode for my Dad since there are steps to get up into the bathroom in our 5th wheel.

Another option depending on the height you have to raise her is to use a Hoyer Patient Lift. I used one to get my dad up into our truck and another RV'er started using one instead of the Burr Handi-lift because he needed it for the truck and the trailer to get his lady in and out. It was just easier to use the hoyer to move her from one vehicle to another. You'll see the Hoyer Patient Lifts on Craigslist for about 300 used but in good shape.

[azrving]

Thanks Charles that is what our friend must have. Lift seat

[K_Charles]

Coach lift makes a seat that might work

[azrving]

A friend of ours has a unit similar to what BB posted but it's a seat that raises up and swings into the doorway. It bolts to the outside of the rig and I'm guessing it was $1,000 or $2,000.

[garyhaupt]

Man..that is a good question. There must be many with similar thoughts. I guess the biggest things is going to be the money. A lift is far safer than most anything else..and it's not just the going up..she has to come down too. I was trying to 'see' a ramp' type affair and that just doesn't work. You'd need 15 ft of ramp to get a gentle enough angle and again..she has to come down. I am thinking a lift...but at 94..that's a big chunk of cash.

Another thing that comes to mind is her stability. You can't have her taking a header off any kind of mickey-moused lift. She needs to be sitting down for the lift..up or down.

Good luck.


Gary Haupt

[BB_TX]

They do make narrow lifts specifically for motor homes. Not cheap, but much easier than unloading steps, moving them around, and reloading them.

Here is one.

Here is another.