Kitts Creek, a CAS managed community of 845 single-family houses and townhomes recently installed a handicap pool lift at its pool complex. Kitts Creek is a diverse community located in the heart of Research Triangle Park; minutes from Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. This community features a beautiful clubhouse and fitness facility, swimming pool, tennis courts, dog-park, open areas, and community garden for residents to enjoy and use. Kitts Creek HOA held over 40 social events in 2019, and prides itself on accommodating a diverse population by striving to meet the needs of all its residents, to include those with disabilities and physical challenges.
Swimming pools are outstanding recreational areas, but it is important to remember that not everyone can enjoy it in the same way. While we may enjoy the ability to swim in the deep end or leap off the high dive, there are those who suffer from disabilities stemming from either injury, genetics, or some other unfortunate circumstance. Finding ways to get these people involved in swimming activities is vital, but it is not always practical. The obvious solution, however, is to make use of a handicapped pool lift.
A pool lift for handicapped people is a mechanized seat that is tasked with raising and lowering a disabled or injured person into a swimming pool. This seat usually features some type of restraint to keep the individual in question from leaving the seat voluntarily or from simply falling off. The pool at Kitts Creek features a permanent pool lift that was installed on the edge of the concrete pool and will always be available.
People with disabilities were, for too long, excluded from participating in many recreational activities, including swimming. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) changed that. In 2010 the ADA set minimum requirements for making swimming pools, wading pools, and spas accessible to those with disabilities. The requirements for newly constructed and existing pools ensure that people with disabilities can enjoy the same activities— a community pool; a community swim meet; private swim lessons—at the same locations and with the same independence, ease, and convenience as everyone else. The 2010 ADA Standards established two categories of pools: large pools with more than 300 linear feet of pool wall and smaller pools with less than 300 linear feet of wall. Large pools must have two accessible means of entry, with at least one being a pool lift or sloped entry; smaller pools are only required to have one accessible means of entry, provided that it is either a pool lift or a sloped entry. With the new pool lift in place, Kitts Creek meets the standards set by the ADA for handicap accessibility.
The benefit of installing a handicap pool lift is to give everyone the chance to enjoy the water, and simply having it is bound to draw more swimmers to use the facility at Kitts Creek. If a person is able to swim using at least their upper bodies, the pool lift will be able to drop them into the water, and they will be able to swim free of it, thus allowing more residents to participate in pool activities. In addition to the health benefits, swimming is downright fun and something that everyone should be able to experience.
All healthcare professionals agree that swimming is an outstanding way to stave off chronic illnesses and those that encompass pain as a regular side effect. In addition, it is known that swimming is good for the prevention of mental illness and other negative mental conditions.. Swimming is, therefore, an outstanding and highly recommended activity for everyone whether they suffer from a medical condition or not. It is a great preventative treatment, and with the installation of a handicap pool lift, it becomes accessible to anyone who wishes to try.
No matter who you are or what condition you are in, there is no reason you should not enjoy the water at Kitts Creek!