Wheelchair use and Artificial Lawns

Does your backyard require a fair amount of maintenance? Mine does. I find I’m forever raking up leaves, mowing the grass, trimming the edges, removing the weeds. Then there’s always those few patches of lawn that receive a little more foot traffic, and when combined with a little bit of rain can turn into your own private swamp, particularly over the wetter months.

Have you ever stopped to think about how someone who is wheelchair-bound manages these types of labor-intensive chores? Probably not. Issues such as a muddy backyard are a minor inconvenience for able-bodied people like you and me. But for an individual who is wheelchair-bound, they are extremely difficult. The outcome of possibly getting bogged down in your own backyard is far worse than a few muddy footprints. Unless people bound to a wheelchair have dedicated paths, access to this area is extremely difficult.

You might think that this would require that their yards would then need to be paved or concreted. But then this would become a bit of an eyesore, and essentially transform their yards into a carpark, no longer providing the enjoyment and relaxation that many of us would get from visiting our own gardens.

There is a relatively simple solution to the issue at hand: artificial grass. With almost no maintenance required, synthetic grass is the ideal way to get around the issues. This means an immense reduction in the amount of maintenance required on the yard, as well as a reduction in the amount of visible hard surfaces such as concrete tiles and pavers.

There are many premium synthetic grass products available that are based on actual naturally occurring grass varieties, so it makes it even easier now to match the replacement grass to that which originally inhabited the area. The main differences being that this grass will remain nice and green all year round, not suffering from bleaching from excess sun exposure. It won’t require, fertilizer, watering, or mowing to retain its appearance. Weeding is almost non-existent, so you no longer need to worry about the use of pesticides to keep the lawn looking its best.

Although the upfront costs have been known to be high in the past, these products are not quite as expensive as you might think. This is especially the case when you consider all the associated costs to continually maintain your grassed areas. If you need to pay to have someone perform all the tasks such as watering, mowing, weeding, raking, fertilizing, or applying pesticides, the costs add up quickly. If you compare these costs over the expected life span of an artificial lawn you will find that they quickly exceed the price of a new synthetic grass installation.

It can be laid on almost any surface, just if it’s relatively flat. That means that it doesn’t only need to be laid to replace an existing lawn. It can also be applied to all manner of locations such as a path, patio, driveway, ramps, or landings. It not only gives these areas a more luscious feeling, but it also provides a protective layer that is resistant to weather, animals, wheelchair tires or even those on a car! This means you can say goodbye to any muddy spots, dips, or holes, meaning that those bound to a wheelchair can quite possibly navigate their entire yard. This in my mind makes this choice simple, by providing access to few simple pleasures that so many of us take for granted.

Article source: https://article-realm.com/article/Society/15337-Wheelchair-use-and-Artificial-Lawns.html