An elderly customer was becoming increasingly concerned about accidentally falling down the stairs in the middle of the night when she wished to leave her bedroom for the bathroom. She had to pass by the top of the stairs from her bedroom as she made that journey across the landing.

Although in her 90s this very independent customer knew exactly what she wanted and did shop around for a stair gate online and on the high street but all gates were for young children and not so secure as to prevent an adult crashing through should they inadvertently fall or trip against such a gate.

They were also not high enough as the customer was also concerned about falling over the top of a shop bought gate. 

This bespoke gate fulfilled the wishes of that customer and reassurances were made that it would take a very determined attack on the gate before it would give way should someone fall against it.

My thoughts at the time of fitting this was what a sensible idea. As we all get that little bit older we become aware of such potential hazards around the home, be it a stair gate, an extra handrail, a grab rail to help you negotiate some steps or even ramps if one is wheelchair bound. 

Sometimes though we are not aware of such potential hazards and it’s not until something happens or it’s pointed out that we realise.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

A recent example that comes to mind was a pathway from a customers front door to their car which is on a slope and covered in moss. When it’s wet this path becomes a death trap. I highlighted this point to them whilst doing some unrelated work in their home. The gentleman, although mobile and still driving, is not so steady on his pins and his wife needs a frame to enable her to walk any distance.

Both of them did not see this potential hazard; it was an accident waiting to happen. After some thought they realised this was a very real hazard and asked me to power wash the path.

I imagined the real world impact of a stair fall on such an elderly lady which would end up with at best a lengthy stay in hospital, or a forced requirement to move out of  her home and into a care home or at worst a fatal accident.

Please do contact me using the contact page on this site or by phone to discuss any requirements you may have, be it a simple grab rail, a stair gate or ramps.