Help With WheelChairs

If you or loved one needs to buy a wheelchair, you will find a wide variety of wheelchair types and you need to make the most suitable choice for yourself or the person you are buying for. Also you need to think about how and where you are going to be using the chair.It used to be that the only type of wheelchair available was the manual wheelchair but the technology today in wheelchair manufacturing has allowed more advanced wheelchair models such as power or motorized wheelchairs and electric wheelchairs.

Before you buy a wheelchair you need to understand the different types of wheelchairs and their features. Below are some important considerations to make when you buy a wheelchair:

First, determine the style of the wheelchair based on the user's physical condition and need. A standard manual wheelchair is ideal if the user can propel himself or herself easily; or if they have an attendant to push the wheelchair. If the user has some difficulty in doing this, you may opt to buy a wheelchair with a lightweight construction. These two types are recommended for people who are less than 300 pounds.

For those weighing more than 300 pounds, it is suitable to buy a wheelchair that is heavy duty and extra wide, also known as a bariatric wheelchair. A reclining wheelchair is recommended for those who use a wheelchair for long hours or those who need to maintain a prone position. A transport wheelchair is for occasional wheelchair use. It is lightweight and can fit in the car's trunk. However, it cannot be hand-propelled by the user but instead someone has to push it or the user can move it with his feet.

Seat size is another important thing to consider because you do not want to buy a wheelchair and then later find out that the user cannot fit at all. The depth, width and length of the wheelchair must accommodate the size of the person. Sitting on a measuring tape is a good way to get the correct seat width. Add 2 inches on both sides.

The most common type of wheelchair used is a manual wheelchair. This type of wheelchair requires human control to propel them. There are three types of manual wheelchair. These are the self-propelled wheelchair, attendant-propelled wheelchair and the wheelbase.

The self-propelled type of manual wheelchair has big rear wheels measuring 20 to 26 inches in diameter and resembling bicycle wheels. The user can move the manual wheelchair by pushing the hand rims, which is a round steel tube located on the side of the wheels. Expert users can easily control the speed and turning as well as have the ability to balance the rear wheels doing a "wheelie".

A single-arm drive enables the user to turn either left or right while the two-armed drive enables user to move forward or backward on a straight line. Another type of wheelchair commonly used is a lever-drive wheelchair. This type of chair enables the user to move forward by pumping the lever back and forth.

There are several types of manual wheelchairs that are designed for medical purposes. There is also a wheelchair made specifically for sports like the ones used for playing basketball. It can allow the user to move forward while dribbling the ball.

An attendant-propelled manual wheelchair is designed to be pushed by an attendant using the handles behind it. The back wheels are often rimless and are usually smaller than the self-propelled manual wheelchair. This type of wheelchair is normally used for moving patients to a different location like in hospitals and airports. Specialized wheelchairs are available in airlines and these are designed to fit the airplane aisles and seats.

Wheelbase chairs are platforms that have wheels with specially-made seating systems for patients with complex postures. This is made by taking a cast of a patient's best seated position and then molding the shape from the foam. Afterwards, the seat is framed and attached to the wheelbase.

There is a wide variety of wheelchairs to choose from and the prices also vary considerably. Lightweight wheelchairs are more costly compared to entry-level, tubular chairs. This type of wheelchair is commonly used by people with long-term ailments and disabilities. The more expensive ones in the market are the ultra-light chairs that have fabricated seats, accessories and other special features.

As the name implies, an electric wheelchair works with the use of electric batteries that generate power to run the motors, belts and other gears. Compared to a manual wheelchair, an electric wheelchair has more power and speed and there are different features and styles that you can choose from.

Most electric wheelchairs have fixed frames, which mean that they are not foldable, but there are a few foldable models. Modern electric wheelchairs are lightweight so they can be lifted quite easily. The tires of an electric wheelchair can be solid, pneumatic or semi-pneumatic. Just like in a manual wheelchair, the front wheels of an electric wheelchair can be small caster wheels with bigger rear wheels or all wheels can be small caster wheels.

The brakes of an electric wheelchair are controlled by a joystick or some other interface. This wheelchair has an automatic break feature that engages the break when the unit is not moving or switched off. An electric wheelchair can use different types of batteries such as rechargeable lead acid or sealed wet batteries. Battery chargers are included in your wheelchair purchase.

An electric wheelchair has a control system that manages the speed of the unit as well as the braking and turning functions. The interface of the control system is usually a joystick but other models have pushbuttons, trackball, tillers or voice-activated devices as controls. This is to accommodate a wide range of physical restrictions. Common features that you can find in an electric wheelchair are tilting, elevating and reclining seats.

Before buying an electric wheelchair, the physical condition of the user is evaluated first. The user must have good vision, sensory level and mental health. Physical deformities are also considered as well as their ability to transfer from the wheelchair and the duration of daily use.

In addition, check if the home and workplace of the user is accessible to an electric wheelchair. The user's vehicle should also have enough space to accommodate the unit because, as mentioned above, most of these units cannot be folded and while they can be disassembled, that task can be tedious. Also, the cost of maintenance of an electric wheelchair is high, not to mention that the unit itself is very expensive with prices ranging from $3,000 to $12,000.

If, with the doctor's recommendation, an electric wheelchair is necessary and there are no problems with the above-mentioned concerns, prepare to make a truly valuable purchase.

The wheels of the wheelchair play an important role than one would initially think. Wheelchair wheels greatly influence the comfort of the ride and amount of maintenance the chair will need in the future. There are some people who greatly consider the aesthetic considerations when choosing wheelchair wheels. Normally, these tires are made from gray rubbers, which are specifically designed to avoid leaving scuffmarks on the floors. This type known as pneumatic tires can be unlikely found on bicycle stores.

Wheelchair wheels are equipped with inflatable tubes much like that of the bicycle tires to effectively provide a more cushioned ride and the efficient ability to squeeze through different obstacles. And like other tires, it can also be easily punctured with a shard of glass or a tack carelessly strewn on the floor or road. However, the possibilities of punctures are far greater in power chairs than the mechanical ones. The possibility alone can put a rather grim scenario, since flat tires would mean leaving you stranded someplace that may be far from your home.

Solid rubber tires are a great alternative to pneumatic wheels because it is resilient enough to withstand even the toughest ride. While pneumatic wheelchair wheels are known to wear down easily and requires regular replacements, with solid rubbers you need not worry about deflated tires and constant replacements. However, like other products that initially seem too good to be true, the solid rubbers also have it share of drawbacks. The primary ones would be the fact that you will probably feel every bump when riding along unpaved surfaces. This is certainly a small trade off given the fact that the average frequency of wheel replacements is around every 2-3 times a month for heavy users. However, there is now a new variation that has reached compromise of providing comfort as well as the durability one would require. There are now some available solid rubbers with a rubber insert, which is used to replace the pneumatic inflatable tube. This type of tire does not need to be pumped up and filled with air that results to the fact that it cannot possibly be deflated. For people using manual wheelchairs, it has been reported to provide a softer ride and power wheelchair users have also taken to liking this new product. So you might want to consider buying one for yourself too and solve the problems with constant deflation and bumpy rides.