And my comment was too long for LJ, so here is the rest:
In the meantime, Venice in four weeks' time arrrgggh. Finding a chair that can cope better with cobbles would be good. bigger wheels? But lightweight and transportable also necessary. Arrgh indeed! I have never found a chair that could cope with cobbles. Huge amounts of pain through the bumping (wheelchairs are not known for their smooth suspension), and hideous lurching as the wheels tip around on the cobbles. Or twist and spin sideways. Sitting in my comfortable office chair, I imagine the jolt I'd feel if the floor on one side suddenly dropped by an inch and half the chair thumped down onto it. Now repeat, in random directions, twice a second. And that's what it's like going over cobbles in a wheelchair ;-) A trick for the pusher to see how smooth the ride is, is to get the sitter to hold a glass of water and watch how turbulently it sloshes.
Wider tyres are better for bumpy surfaces (think "mountain bike" rather than "road bike"), the best bet for Venice may be to hire an electric wheelchair while out there. There may be an organisation which can help with resources for wheelchair-using travellers. Who would be pushing her in Venice? You, or would she rely on fellow travellers?
Don't take an electric chair on a plane! Do ask for wheelchair assistance at the airports. This will save prolonged standing in queues with people bumping luggage into her.
And I think this is quite enough for now! Do let me know if you'd like to borrow my old chair, or to talk about chairs. I live in Cambridge, so just up the road from Ilford.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2006-01-27 11:22 am (UTC)In the meantime, Venice in four weeks' time arrrgggh. Finding a chair that can cope better with cobbles would be good. bigger wheels? But lightweight and transportable also necessary.
Arrgh indeed! I have never found a chair that could cope with cobbles. Huge amounts of pain through the bumping (wheelchairs are not known for their smooth suspension), and hideous lurching as the wheels tip around on the cobbles. Or twist and spin sideways. Sitting in my comfortable office chair, I imagine the jolt I'd feel if the floor on one side suddenly dropped by an inch and half the chair thumped down onto it. Now repeat, in random directions, twice a second. And that's what it's like going over cobbles in a wheelchair ;-) A trick for the pusher to see how smooth the ride is, is to get the sitter to hold a glass of water and watch how turbulently it sloshes.
Wider tyres are better for bumpy surfaces (think "mountain bike" rather than "road bike"), the best bet for Venice may be to hire an electric wheelchair while out there. There may be an organisation which can help with resources for wheelchair-using travellers. Who would be pushing her in Venice? You, or would she rely on fellow travellers?
Don't take an electric chair on a plane! Do ask for wheelchair assistance at the airports. This will save prolonged standing in queues with people bumping luggage into her.
And I think this is quite enough for now! Do let me know if you'd like to borrow my old chair, or to talk about chairs. I live in Cambridge, so just up the road from Ilford.