Height -adjustable worktops and cupboards deliver freedom from limitations of disability

Some 21 per cent of Australians - or more than one in five people - have some form of disability according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The total includes a rising number of younger and older people who are mobility impaired, who may

- Have walking or standing limitations that require them to sit while working

- Use a mobility aid such as crutches, canes or walkers

- Or use a wheelchair

In the past height accessibility has compelled many such people to become dependent on others for even basic functions such as making meals and working independently on benchtops, says Enware Caredesign, specialists in maximizing the independence of people with disability.

“Today, the guiding philosophy is that impaired mobility should not limit a person’s life opportunities. When younger and older disabled or frail people cannot use kitchen facilities because of height or reach problems, the trend these days is to redesign the facilities around the person rather than require the person to adapt to the facilities.”

To enhance the safety and comfort of the physically handicapped and their carers, Enware Caredesign now offers an expanded range of Pressalit Care manually or electrically driven lifts for kitchen worktops, wall cupboards and, most recently, free-standing tables and work surfaces.

The height-adjustable lifting units help create a safe and ergonomically correct working environment in small as well as large areas, ranging from kitchen in private homes to shared facilities in shared residential, workplace and care environments.

Worktops can be adjusted vertically 300mm. Wall cupboards can be moved diagonally, both vertically and forwards. From its highest position, the cupboard can be moved 430mm downwards and 180mm forwards.

The latest lifters for free-standing surfaces – adjustable over 300mm and supporting lengths up to 3000mm – can be used in rooms where walls may not be strong enough to support wall mounted lifters, or in boardroom and educational applications. 

Safety features include shielding (unobtrusive plates and pressure-sensitive safety bars) designed to prevent injury in operation. These incorporate the extensive experience of the Danish-designed Pressalit Care ranges of kitchen and bathroom products, which are designed to a philosophy that impaired mobility need not limit a person’s life.

Thanks to their well-conceived design, Pressalit Care’s worktops and wall cupboards can be height-adjusted electrically or manually to cater for varying physical abilities. In the height-adjustable working environment standing and seated users, including wheelchair users, can work comfortably and safely.

The unique lifts, stylishly contained within telescopic legs and behind cupboard fittings, enable people of different stature and physical capabilities to adjust the height of worktops and cupboards, so they can carry out as many functions as possible without assistance, whether standing or seated.

The functional and robust design, actuated by simple and safe switching equipment, also enhances the comfort and safety of professional and voluntary carers as well as kitchen workers, caterers, teachers, nurses and relatives, who often perform a major share of kitchen work. In shared kitchens and private shared homes, height-adjustable solutions provide the added advantage that users can participate in working and other joint activities irrespective to differences in mobility and physical ability.

The height-adjustable mechanisms, onto which the worktops and cupboards of the users’ own choice are mounted, can be used in the following applications:

- Shared Housing

- Private homes

- Health care facilities

- Aged care facilities

- Rehabilitation centres

- Educational facilities

The modular lifts can be incorporated into a virtually limitless range of standard and custom-fabricated cupboards and worktops, permitting professional and private users to combine them with the furniture of their choice, taste and professional requirements. The lifts can comply with both OHS and personal needs without needing to have any institutional feel at all.