A wheelchair lift serves the purpose of a personal assistant for a physically disabled person. Without a wheelchair lift, a physically disabled person has to depend on someone to move within the house or to travel outdoors. Wheelchair lifts used for residential purposes are referred to as residential wheelchair lifts.

A residential wheelchair lift saves manual effort and time. It offers safety and independence to the handicapped person, thereby providing peace of mind to the family members. It makes the disabled person stress-free and happy and facilitates working on some job or other. Wheelchair lifts help in independently getting objects that are out of reach.

Residential wheelchair lifts are of different types. Other than the manual wheelchair lifts, there are two types of wheelchair lifts. They are hydraulic and electric wheelchair lifts.
Electric wheelchair lifts are cheaper than hydraulic wheelchair lifts. An electric wheelchair lift is driven by a gear or a belt. Gear driven electric wheelchairs are easy to maintain and are noise free. But they have more of a chance to wear out. They are available in two specifications, AC and DC types. A DC operated electric wheelchair lift can work even during power failure.  Electric wheelchair lifts can be connected to telephone jacks or automatic (mechanical) door openers.

Hydraulic wheelchair lifts do not require electricity to operate. Therefore they can be operated even during power failure. Hydraulic wheelchair lifts make use of fluids for smooth movement and are safer to use. Even though hydraulic wheelchair lifts are expensive, it is advisable to buy these than go for electric wheel chair lifts. A residential wheelchair lift is a blessing for both physically disabled persons and their caretakers.