Step Stool
The usual solution for helping someone to get on/off the sofa or to get in/out of bed might be standard NHS step stools but given the client’s height the platform on these stools is too high for her to step onto and the support handle is also too high for her to reach. A particular challenge was to provide a step stool to allow the client to continue to access the kitchen worktop and sink. The use of a child’s plastic step to climb up to a kitchen chair placed side-on to the units was becoming increasingly unsafe and the area had to continue to be usable by her aged parents.
A Kitchen helper platform (designed for a child) is too narrow for the client to be able to use comfortably, therefore a bespoke design was necessary.
The solution
To solve the problem of getting on/off the sofa and getting in/out of bed standard NHS step stools were disassembled, the legs and handrails reduced in height and the elements re-joined. Further developments were required to produce a stool for use in the kitchen. This included: a dual-step unit constructed of MDF with non-slip rubber sheet attached, painted and edged: two handrails; rubber tyred castors mounted onto a wooden subframe and fitted with spring mounts so that when not in use the unit lifts and can be wheeled easily out of the way (elephants’ stool principle).
The benefit
The adapted kitchen step stool provides the client with much more independence and avoids major construction upheaval in a house shared with her parents. The stool provides a safe solution to her ongoing needs
- Skills involved:
- Issues Addresses:
- Activities Helped:
- Location:
- Solution:
