Modular Aluminum Wheelchair Ramp Rental in Calgary

Who this rental is for, and when it is needed

Most modular ramp rentals are tied to a date. A spouse is being discharged in a wheelchair after a stroke or an amputation. A parent’s hip fracture means a walker for months and no safe way up the front steps. A family is bringing someone home for palliative care and needs a way to get a wheelchair in and out. In each case the ramp needs to be in place before the person arrives, and nobody wants to pour concrete for a need that may last a season.

Others rent because the need is uncertain. Recovery may take three months or it may take a year. The house might be sold. A permanent ramp might be built later, once the family knows what they want. A rental ramp covers the gap without committing the home to anything, and because it rests on base feet, it can be set on a driveway, a walkway or level ground.

Ramps also serve people who do not use a wheelchair. Someone with a walker, a heart or lung condition that makes steps exhausting, or poor balance on stairs may find a gentle ramp with handrails easier and safer than steps. Scooter and power chair users need one too, and for them the mobility device’s own slope limit is the figure that governs the design.

Choosing the right one

Start with the rise. At 1:12, every inch of rise needs a foot of ramp, so a 10-inch rise needs about 10 feet of ramp and a 20-inch rise about 20 feet, with platforms added on top of that. A rise of 15 inches is a 15-foot ramp plus a platform at the door. For a gentler slope, which Alberta’s earlier barrier-free design guide described as safer and less strenuous, use 1:20: the same 10 inches then takes almost 17 feet. Above about 20 inches of rise, the ramp grows past our standard 10- to 20-foot runs and may need a turn, so phone us to plan it. EZ-ACCESS notes that a rise over 30 inches may need an intermediate platform.

Then choose surface and width. The 36-inch solid surface suits most manual wheelchairs and walkers; the 48-inch width gives a wider power chair or a helper walking beside more room. Expanded metal gives grip through its diamond openings, and the solid ribbed surface gives a smoother roll; in a Calgary winter, both need snow cleared promptly. If the step you need to get over is only a few inches, such as a single sill or a sunken room, you do not need a modular ramp at all: a threshold ramp is the simpler fix.

Paying for the rental

Ramp rentals are usually paid privately. Coverage for ramps varies a great deal between plans, so ask your insurer whether a ramp rental is eligible, whether a doctor’s or occupational therapist’s written recommendation is needed, and whether they want a cost estimate before installation. Because every ramp is laid out for the house, we give you a written quote with the ramp length, platforms and handrails listed, ready to send if your insurer asks for a cost estimate.

If the need follows a workplace injury, talk to your WCB-Alberta case manager before booking, because WCB requires adaptive equipment to be pre-approved. If you are renting while you wait for a longer-term solution, such as a permanent ramp or a move, keep each monthly receipt; plans that reimburse rentals generally want an itemized receipt for every period claimed.