Wheechairs

[westernind]

Does anyone know about wheelchairs? My mother has asked me to find out prices for 'a bog standard non motorised wheelchair'. The situation is that having lost a huge amount of weight rapidly through undiagnosed diabetes, muscle wastage means that her legs sometimes collapse beneath her without warning and she falls and hurts herself. Although physio makes things a bit better, she wants a wheelchair because she doesn't feel safe. Her arms are also not strong enough for sticks.

Finding out the basics isn't so hard, a google search brings up the Help the Aged site and Wheelchairs-R-Us(!). What I'd like to know is what makes a good wheelchair? Any review sites? She'd be pushed rather than propelling herself. 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.

PS
Do not go on crash diets, kiddies. :-(

Comments

[binidj.livejournal.com]

I got my wheelchair through the NHS and I'm perfectly happy with it since it isn't used that often and I'm strong enough to get it in and out of the boot of my car (though it's by no means a lightweight).

One point that may not be obvious at first is the height of the handles. On the rare occasions he pushes me about, the Fox always complains that the handles are just a bit too low and that he gets backache after pushing me for a while ... and he's not a particularly tall man (maybe 5'10"). So I'd recommend having someone to test the pushability of any chair she's thinking of getting.

Other than that, fat wheels for cobbles = good; large wheels for self-propulsion = very good (even if she will be pushed for the most part, there are some circumstances when she may want to maneouvre herself a little).