Wheelchairs are not only a means of transportation, but more importantly, they can go out and integrate into community life to maintain physical and mental health.
Buying a wheelchair is like buying shoes. You must buy a suitable one to be comfortable and safe.
1. What should be paid attention to when purchasing a wheelchair
There are many kinds of wheelchairs, including manual wheelchairs, electric wheelchairs, full lying wheelchairs, semi lying wheelchairs, amputation wheelchairs, etc.
The main differences between wheelchairs are:
Manual wheelchair and electric wheelchair.
The specific concept will not be explained, it is literally.
Many people buy electric wheelchairs as soon as they arrive, which is convenient and labor saving. But this is actually a mistake. For people who just sit in a wheelchair, they are not familiar with the control of wheelchairs. It is not safe to buy an electric wheelchair.
Therefore, it is recommended to buy a manual wheelchair first, get used to it, and then change to an electric wheelchair after you are familiar with the control of the wheelchair and the feeling of sitting on it.
Now let's talk about the purchase of wheelchairs from the aspects of tires, spokes, cushions, backrests, armrests,etc.
01. Wheelchair tires
Wheelchair tyres are divided into solid tyres and Pneumatic tyres .
Solid tire is better than no inflation, which is convenient and worry free. However, due to the lack of cushioning, it will be bumpy outdoors, and is more suitable for indoor use.
Pneumatic tyres are similar to bicycle tires. They have a good shock absorption effect and can be used indoors and outdoors. The only disadvantage is that they need to be inflated regularly. It will be inconvenient for the elderly to live alone. (I would like to appeal to you that no matter how busy you are, you should always go home and have a look.)
02. Electric wheelchair VS manual wheelchair
The electric wheelchair is labor-saving and convenient. Especially when going uphill, if you rely on your hand alone, you will be tired. It is very easy to use the electric wheelchair.
However, due to the addition of electric motors, batteries and other accessories, the weight of electric wheelchairs has also increased. If you live in a small high-rise without an elevator, it will be troublesome to move up and down the stairs. And the price is quite expensive. In addition to the reasons mentioned above, the electric wheelchair is recommended as the second wheelchair.
03. Backrest of electric wheelchair
The backrest of the electric wheelchair is divided into three different heights, high, middle and low. Each height is suitable for different people.
The high backrest is suitable for people with poor upper body stability. The high backrest of the wheelchair can be used to support the body and increase stability.
The low back wheelchair has less restrictions on the upper limb of the user, and the shoulder and arm have more room to move, which is suitable for people with low spinal injuries.
The standard backrest wheelchair is between the two, which is more suitable for people with unchanged legs and feet.
04. Size of wheelchair
The first thing to consider when buying a wheelchair is whether you can enter your home. This is an important reason that many people tend to ignore.
The electric wheelchairs developed in recent years are more user-friendly and can be folded.
In particular, for some electric wheelchairs, the old motor is generally horizontal. Even if it can be folded again, the volume is still relatively large. For the new electric wheelchairs, the motor is designed vertically, and the folding volume is much smaller. See the following figure for details.
In addition to the overall width of the wheelchair, to sit comfortable, the following dimensions:
01. Width and depth of the seat
02. Distance between the seat to the pedal When measuring the width and depth of the seat, there must be a certain margin, you can find a chair with a back at home, let the wheelchair users sit on it.
03. Other accessories Other accessories for the wheelchair include: motor, battery, hand holding, brakes, universal wheels, cushions, etc. Judging the quality of a wheelchair, mainly from the design and materials can be seen.
Here's more about the motors and the battery.
Wheelchair motors are mainly divided into: brush motor and brushless motor.
Brush motor refers to, the motor has a brush inside the motor, the electric energy into mechanical energy, the brush motor is the basis of all motors, it has a fast start, timely braking, smooth speed regulation in a large range, relatively simple control circuit and other characteristics.
But the brush motor has large friction, large loss, large heat generation, short life and low output power.
The brushless motor has low noise, smooth operation, long service life and low maintenance cost, so it is recommended to buy a wheelch
Post time: Dec-15-2022
