Home Modifications For Elderly or Disabled

Home Modifications for elderly or disabled people can have a huge impact on quality of life. By modifying and adding automatic doors to your home to increase accessibility and mobility you are ensuring you regain and keep your independence at home.

Action Auto Door specialise in home modifications for elderly and disabled clients and are experts in automatic doors. We work with licensed builders to assist with any other home modification needs.

We provide installation services across Australia- New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, ACT, South Australia, Tasmania and Northern Territory

Home modifications for elderly or disabled can be as simple as adding a handrail in the bathroom or a ramp to your front door. They can also involve complex structural changes and modifications that require the input of occupational therapists, architects and builders.

Automatic doors in commercial buildings are commonly seen in shopping centres and businesses. People think of automatic doors in the home and the first thing that comes to mind is a garage door opener.

We can automate all doors in your home whether that be a garage door or the front door of your home to make entering a simple and fluid process.

Automating your door takes away the need for a traditional key for entry. This improves access for people in wheelchairs and walking devices and those that may have trouble using a traditional key to lock and unlock their front door.

We can supply a range of solutions to automatically open your door.

These include: handheld push buttons, keypads, smart phone applications via Bluetooth or WIFI, wireless card readers that open when you are within range of the doorway.

All of these options have been tested and are proven to be secure and safe. Allowing the elderly and those with a disability to feel safe and secure at home.

Automatic door openers can not only be added to front entry doors but also internal swing doors and internal sliding doors. All doors have the ability to be automated in your home to provide freedom of movement and independence.

Home modifications for the elderly or disabled do not always need to be complex or expensive. There are many government grants and initiatives that may assist with funding of your home modifications

Home Modification funding programs include:

National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) – Funding available for those under 65 with a disability

Department of Veterans Affairs – Mobility & Functional Support (DVA) – Home Modifications may be available to eligible veterans

Accident-Compensatory Insurance Schemes – If you are covered by a compensatory scheme as a result of an accident you may be eligible for home modifications

Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) – Home Modifications may be covered for those over 65+ who are eligible.

State-Based Funded schemes – State programs may provide funding for home modifications for the elderly or those with a disability.

Action Auto Door are an NDIS Registered Provider and work closely with occupation therapists, support workers and self-managed NDIS participants to ensure the best outcomes for independent living.

Contact us for more information

Automatic Door Entry Systems- What Do They Cost?

Automatic Entry Door Systems come in a range of options to suit your needs and budget. We look at what your options are when it comes to Automatic Entry Door Systems and how much you may need to budget. Contact us for further information regarding specific costs for your home or business. We install Australia Wide.

Residential or Commercial? The first question is whether the Automatic Entry Door System is for your home or for a commercial building. While the same Automatic Swing Doors Openers can be used on a residential or commercial doors there may be some requirements that differ that could increase or decrease the cost of your Automatic Entry Door System.This includes the weight of the door, whether it is a fire door and the accessibility.

Is Power Available? If an electrician is required to install power near your Automatic Entry Door System this can often lead to an increase in cost. If the power is already accessible near the door this can be cost saving as there is less labour involved.

Type of Door – Costs can change depending on the type of door that is being automated. In the home you may be looking to get your Front Entry Swing Door automated this would require installation of an operator like the Ditec Dab 105. If you have sliding doors in your home there are a range of options to automate these entry doors. Automatic Entry Door Systems are a great addition to homes for the elderly or disabled as they allow easy entry and movement through the home. In commercial businesses Automatic Entry Door Systems are used in a range of settings. We can help price options for disabled toilet door entry systems, sliding door entry systems, swings doors, gate openers, boom gates and garage door openers.

Quality – Like with any product there are a range of Automatic Door Entry Systems on the market. If you want a cheap product from overseas or a more expensive product from one of the bigger retailers prices can range from $500 to hundreds of thousands. If you are looking for a quality product that has been tested to stringent European and Australian standards yet is still affordable Action Auto Door can help. Contact us today and we can help you pick a quality Automatic Entry Door System that suits your needs and budget.

Action Auto Door is a Registered NDIS Provider and installs in all Australian States and Territories

Wheelchair Door Width Australia – What are the Requirements?

Wheelchair Door Width Australia -the building codes state that the doorway must:

clear the opening of a doorway on a continuous accessible path of travel
shall be 850 mm when measured from the face of the opened door to the doorstop (as seen in below picture)
Where double doors are used, the 850 mm minimum clear opening shall apply to the active leaf.” (AS 1428.1-2009. 13.2)

This means that the wheelchair door width in Australia required from the side of the door to the frame is 850 mm as shown in the picture.

To work out the size of your doorway you need to consider door hardware as well.

Depending on how the door is hung in the frame, door thickness, door handles and hinges you will need to add this on to get the clear opening required.

The Australian Human Rights Commission also show what needs to be taken into account when considering wheelchair access in design.

Is it a requirement to automate wheelchair access doors in Australia?

This comes down to each door and the setup. A number of standards come into play depending on if it’s a toilet door, entry door, fire rated door, fire exit door, commercial or residential.

You then you have to look at the hardware on the door itself like the door handles, door closers and locks.

If the door exceeds the maximum force required set out in the standard, you can over come this problem by installing an electric automatic operator to swing or slide the door.

The standard states:

AS 1428.1—2009 13.5.2 Design and performance

(e) For doors other than fire doors and smoke doors where a door closer is fitted,

the force required at the door handle to operate the door shall not exceed the

following:

(i) To initially open the door. …………………………………………………….. 20 N

(ii) To swing or slide the door …………………………………………………….20 N.

(iii) To hold the door open between 60° and 90°……………………………..20 N.

Depending on the setup of the disabled access door it is often a good idea to automate them and add privacy wall mount controls.

This then allows anyone in a wheelchair or with a disability to open the door via a push button and lock the door via the inside push button for privacy.

We believe that this is a positive design feature. It ensures that those with impaired mobility can live more positively knowing that they have easier access when visiting a bathroom or moving through commercial buildings.

Action Auto Door has extensive experience in disabled door entry systems and work with local builders to widen doors in homes and businesses to meet Australian Standards. For more information on wheelchair door widths in Australia and automating your disabled access doors contact us today.

Why You Need An Automatic Swing Door Opener

Automatic Swing Door Openers are useful additions to your home and business .We tell you why it is important to install an automatic swing door opener for ease and functionality.

1.Easy Access

If you look around you will notice automatic swing door openers are everywhere. Working in a hospital most doors are automated so patients can be wheeled from ward to ward safely. An Automatic Swing door opener makes sure this happens quickly and easily. Shopping centres, offices, bathroom doors, factories all have automatic doors for easy access. Entry doors in the home can also be automated to make access in the home easy.

2. Safety

Automatic Door Openers in Australia must meet quality standards and work on fire doors. Ensuring you are getting a product that is safe and compliant and will allow safe entry and exit from a building in case of a fire. Automatic swing door openers allow parents with prams, customers with trolleys, and those that are injured or frail to move about a business or home safely.

3.Elderly

About 50% of the elderly in Australia have mobility issues. Opening front doors of the home can be difficult. Automatic Swing Door Openers can make life easier for the elderly or frail. A door can lock and open by wireless or with the push of a single button. This allows those with mobility issues to be able to live independently and safely longer.

4. Disabled Access

Automatic Swing Door Openers are an important home modification for those with a disability Over 4 million Australians .have a disability and many would like to be able to live independently at home. Installing automated doors in the home can allow greater freedom and independence.

5. Legal Responsibility

Building and discrimination laws state that businesses must provide the best possible access to their services and buildings.

If you have heavy and difficult doors to open it may be your legal responsibility to automate these doors to ensure easy access for all.

For more information contact us today!

NDIS Home Modification- Automatic Doors and Automation

As part of your National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) plan you can request funding for a NDIS Home Modification to help maintain a safe and independent life at home. Automatic Doors and gates can be funded under home modification and assistive technology categories in your NDIS plan .

Action Auto Door are an NDIS registered provider and install automatic doors and gates in homes through out Australia. With extensive experience in NDIS applications we can help you with the right information to ensure you gain funding through the NDIS.

Who To Contact In The Planning Stages?

Your first point of contact is to set up a planning meeting with a local service provider and explain the importance of receiving your home modification funding in your NDIS plan.

Your NDIS funding relies on setting goals and having these approved. In order to receive NDIS home modification funding you must set out a goal in your plan. For example “ It is very important for me to continue living independently and safely in my home”.

Once your plan is approved by the NDIS you will require a qualified occupational therapist to perform a home assessment and discuss what you need.

What Home Automation Modifications Can Be Approved?

A common home modification example for the elderly or disabled is “I cannot lock the front door of my home as I cannot turn a key “ – this example would relate to ensuring your safety and an automatic swing door opener could be installed. It would open the door automatically via a device , remote, RFID, app on tablet etc and the door can be locked all the time.

This might be used in conjunction with a video intercom that can also release the door from a different room, a video intercom could be used these can also work with tablets and phones. There are also options to completely automate your home allowing you total freedom from the interface of your phone or tablet. Lights, music , shutters , gates and other fixtures can all be automated.

Contact us today as a NDIS Registered Provider we can help with any home modification questions. We provide automatic door and home automation services across Australia.

What is the best Automatic Gate Opener?

We often get asked what is the best automatic gate opener for my home or business? There are a few things to consider but it really comes down to the site/property and the conditions.

Your 2 main options are an Automatic Sliding Gate or an Automatic Swing Gate

Automatic Sliding Gate Openers

Advantages:

Automating a sliding gate is normally cheaper than a swing gate
Sliding gates don’t get affected by wind like swing gates
Take up less space on your driveway when opening and closing

Disadvantages:

Main issue is having the space in one direction of the gate posts, you need the width of the gate plus 30-40cm.
You might have room to do a double sliding having half the width plus 30-40cm on each side, this does mean two motors and two gates, however.

Automatic Swing Gate Openers

Advantages:

If you have a single gate you only have one gate and one motor, this means less cost on the installation.
Advantage to the double gate is that they take up less room, the ark/swing of the gates is less.
They are less affect by wind than a single gate
The weight of the gates is split so less stress than a single gate.

Disadvantage:

Usually more expensive to install as double the motors and you need to get power to the other side of the driveway to power the second motor.
The image shows the swing of a single (blue) or Double (red) gates.

If you do have a choice then the best automatic gate opener to choose is a sliding gate opener. There is less stress on the gate as the weight is on two wheels rather than on the gate post and hinges.You might not have room either side of the opening to run the gate along or the driveway is uneven to run the gate track on if this is the case that an automatic swing opener is for you and works just as well.

For more information and help on choosing the best automatic gate opener for your needs contact us today!

Automatic Door Opener – How Do They Work?

Below is a video of a recent install that shows an Automatic Door Opener in operation using the Ditec Dab105. The automatic door opener is being operated via a remote control, you can see me pressing it in the first time the door is opened.

This is the basics of how we install an automatic door opener and automatic door closer.

1)First we install the Ditec Dab105 and mount above the doorway, this holds the motor and control board.

2) In this video the standard strike plate on door frame ( see below for image of a strike plate.) was replaced with an electric one.

3) The FES20 electric door strike, allows the electric door motor to release the door lock by an electric pulse. The flap on the electric strike releases so the door locks tongue can get past it and let the door open automatically.

4) The door can open freely and will stay open between 5 to 30 seconds. We can set this up for your specific requirements.

5)The electric motor drives the door open and then the spring/motor pulls the door shut and locks the door. In most cases the existing locks will still work as they did before via key and handle from the outside and by the handle on the inside.

I hope this gives you some understanding of how an automatic door opener and closer works. We specialise in automatic swing door openers for residential and commercial requirements so please don’t hesitate to contact us for more information or check out our range of operators