Once upon a time, being confined to a wheelchair provided a person two options; develop sufficient upper body strength to transport yourself, or employ another person to wheel you around every day. Needless to say, not every wheelchair bound person has a healthy and functioning upper body. Very few of us have the finances to pay for a professional attendant, and it is even more unlikely to have a husband, wife or child with the time and abilities required to be an attendant. Fortunately, today we can acquire a motorized wheel chair that permit us to preserve our independence without curtailing another person’s.
Motorized wheelchairs are maneuvered by specialized joysticks, so you only need the use of a single hand to guide the chair. These wheelchairs are routinely more maneuverable than normal wheelchairs, seeing as the rider doesn’t need to extend their limbs out past the sides of that chair. The motor enables motorized chairs to offer mechanical postural supports, including power tilt and recline. These functions allow the user to alter their position regularly enough to halt pressure sores.
A few models of motorized chairs are designed to bring the user to a standing position which lets them move around standing rather than seated. Motorized wheelchairs come with more tire and powerbase choices, and normally have spring suspensions, which permit them to handle unpaved surfaces easily. While carrying a motorized wheelchair in a wheelchair accessible van, a motorized chair is made to be strapped to the vehicle and used as a regular car seat; a feature which is not available with the majority of non-powered wheelchairs. You may also need a wheel chair lift.
Motorized wheelchair have several issues, by the way. First, they are extremely heavy. These chairs are run by powerful batteries which weigh a good amount without any help, and when this weight is added to the well-built suspension in addition to the remaining support frame, you could own nearly 300 lbs of equipment before the owner is actually in it. Thanks to the standard poundage and bulk, even travel power chairs are not too user friendly to go through an airport with, and when you need to disassemble and pack these kinds of chairs, you will probably want the help of a second person.
As expected, motorized wheelchairs could also be very expensive. They will run between $1600 and $7500, while in some situations, Medicare can pay for nearly 80% of that investment. Quite a few retailers are very happy to aid you in completing the Medicare paperwork, fortunately, and often they will submit the paperwork for you.
Motorized power wheel chairs & lifts could be great options for folks with severely limited mobility who choose not to limit their activities. These chairs are made to provide any user the mobility and independence required to maintain an active lifestyle.
