If you’re living with a health condition that affects your ability to stay mobile, it may be time to think about investing in a wheelchair to help increase your independence and confidence inside and outside of the home.
Complete Care Shop offers a wide choice of both manual and power chairs from many trusted brands, such as Quickie, Kuschall, TiLite and Permobil, which are designed to suit a variety of personal requirements. For selected wheelchairs, we also offer a free home wheelchair assessment service that helps you get a wheelchair custom-built to your measurements and needs.
Choosing the right wheelchair for your needs is a big decision – something which needs to be considered carefully and discussed with a professional to understand what type of wheelchair can offer you the best support.
Your own abilities, environment and clinical needs are important factors to think about – not only should your new wheelchair support your individual needs so you are safe and comfortable, but it must also fit in with your way of life and ideally help you to live more independently.
In this guide, we will explain the different types of wheelchairs available in an effort to help you figure out how to choose the right wheelchair for you or your loved one.
Manual wheelchairs can either be self-propelled or attendant-propelled, meaning that they rely on the person using them, or an attendant supporting them, to push the chair along.
The main difference between the two chairs is that a self-propelled wheelchair will include large back wheels with push rims, enabling you to control the wheelchair yourself, whilst an attendant-controlled wheelchair, such as the Deluxe Folding Wheelchair, will typically have smaller back wheels.
They both include handles at the back of the chair that enable them to be pushed by someone when required, as well as arm and footrests that help you to maintain a supported position in the chair.
It’s important to remember that you will need a certain degree of core and upper body strength in order to manoeuvre yourself around in a self-propelled wheelchair. If you have reduced strength in your upper body, then a powered wheelchair may be a better option for you.
The obvious difference between a power wheelchair and a manual wheelchair is the way in which it is operated. Whilst the movement of a manual wheelchair relies on the power of the person pushing it, power wheelchairs are battery-powered and are typically controlled with a small joystick by the user of the chair.
Power wheelchairs are designed for comfort and include a supportive seat, armrests, footrests and often a headrest. Most power chairs are custom-made to ensure maximum comfort and performance by enabling features to be added or altered to meet your own personal requirements.
Depending on the wheels and overall design, some power chairs are designed mainly for indoor use, whilst others are suitable for outdoor use on grass or pavements. Some power wheelchairs, such as the Q500M Sedeo Pro Power Wheelchair are ideal for use both inside and outdoors.
A power chair can offer you even more freedom than a manual chair by allowing you to move around safely at up to 8mph and travel further afield, with some battery ranges boasting 30 miles or more. Some power chairs also include the option to add functions such as chair raisers, seat recline or a seat tilt, that enable you to have improved social interaction, comfort and pressure relief.
If you've decided on a manual wheelchair, one of the things you'll very likely find yourself looking at is whether you need a folding or a rigid one. While many people initially think a folding frame would be best, it's a choice that definitely needs some extra thought.
Folding wheelchairs, as the name implies, are wheelchairs that can fold for easier storage and transportation. They can sometimes be heavier than a rigid wheelchair with the folding mechanism adding up to 2kg to the weight, mainly as they tend to have more parts that move to allow the chair to fold.
Rigid wheelchairs tend to be lighter than folding wheelchairs (although not always). They can also still fold for storage and transportation, but they fold in a different way. They're designed to keep up with more active lifestyles as the sleek designs tend to be more energy efficient as they have fewer moving parts, so you can go further with a single push.
Hopefully, by now you have a better understanding of how to choose a wheelchair for you or your loved one. We also have a wide range of wheelchair accessories and clothing available to shop.
If you are in further need of help and advice on choosing the right bath lift for you or your loved one, please do not hesitate to contact us. Our team of occupational therapists are available and ready to offer you expert advice and ensure that our products are the right fit for your needs and home environment. At Complete Care Shop, we are always happy to help.
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