As I have acknowledged formerly, I have been working in the community care sector over the past ten years and one aspect of this fact that has more lately been dawning on me is the fact that I have thoroughly had my perception expanded with regards to several of the many facts of wheelchairs, both manual and electric or motorized. Whether it has been working with individual clients, assisiting them with some of their more straightforward wheelchair upkeep or chatting about chairs with assorted maintenance and repair technicians, i have come to realize a thing or two and gain a better conception of how this kind of mobility device enables individuals in their own homes and out and about in the neighborhood.

Therefore what are some of the things that I have learned?

For starters, previous to starting my job I would in no way have recognized that most motorized wheelchairs make use of either a series of gears or a system of belts or sometimes even both. I had not heard of the term “power chair” before my job either, but now I know that the idiom refers to most categories of motorized wheelchair. My clients with power wheel chairs with belt drives seem to usually have had very silent chairs, but have habitually required more upkeep on them. The chairs that had gear drives were rather silent and lower-maintenance largely, but they tend to wear out more rapidly then belt drives, and seemed to grow noisier in the process.

Different chairs without doubt appear to show a discrepancy in their durability: a few of my clients have really place their chairs through the wringer but the chairs have kept on chuging along (with the right t l c when required), while others have found their chairs’ performance deteriorating over time despite limited and reasonably light use. The strength of the chair’s frame seems to be a principal aspect in determining the toughness of the chair and where it should be used; lighter frames are generally more cut out for for predominantly indoor use. The lighter design of wheel chair structure can more easily crack and the front forks of the frame can inadvertently bend. In addition, it has seemed that motorized wheel chair motors die out a excellent deal sooner when they are used greatly in an outdoor setting. The chairs that include a heavier model of framework appear to be much more stable and reliable, and those frames are outfitted to deal with more weight. Several of the newer motorized wheelchairs my clients have owned even include a type of spring suspension which provides the occupant with a much smoother ride over more irregular ground, which is excellent for those who have had more critical neck injuries to contend with. (comfort in the chair while in motion being an issue here for some)

The folks I work with seem to customarily have had three choices when it comes to the performance of their chairs: front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, and a mid-wheel drive. The front-wheel drive electric wheelchair has become more common with many of the people in my community because it offers a tighter turning function, but I have been led to believe that this is the predominant choice these days in most regions. Most of the front-wheel drive wheelchairs have a slightly lower top ( ceiling ) speed than their rear-wheel counterparts because they are known to turn too easily at higher speeds. The rear-wheel drive electric wheelchair is in all probability the more traditional and most prevalent style of chair – at least from what I have heard over time. It seems to be quicker then a front-wheel model but gives less impressive turning in comparison to the front-wheel and mid-wheel chairs. I have known a couple of folks who have had experience with the mid-wheel drive wheelchair and they have seemed to feel that the mid wheel drive provides the tightest turning of all. Nonetheless their chairs had a propensity to be to some extent erratic when stopping and starting. The mid-wheel drive has caster wheels in the rear and an extra set of anti-tip wheels in the front. This set up of wheels limits their use on more uneven surfaces.

Anything else?

Well an additional attribute that most powered wheel chairs have incorporated (at least in my experience) is either a power tilt feature or a power recline; the power tilt allows the chair’s user to tilt the entire seat assembly of the chair (including the footrest) back about 45 degrees, while the power recline allows the seat to recline right back and the footrest assembly to raise up horizontally, allowing for a much more horizontal surface. Both of these features are an useful means of allowing the chair’s occupant to relieve the pressure they would feel after sitting in their chair for any long-drawn-out length of time. (pressure to the lower regions – ie. the buttocks or even the feet is a key factor in the development of some types of pressure sores in disabled individuals)

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Tags: Belts, Care Sector, Discrepancy, Doubt, Durability, Electric Wheelchairs, Gears, Mobility Device, Motorized Wheelchair, Motorized Wheelchairs, Neighborhood, Perception, Power Chair, Power Wheel Chairs, Repair Technicians, Starters, Toughness, Upkeep, Wheel, Wringer