Wheelchairs Galore Online

Ten years ago, if you were in the market for a good wheelchair for an invalid household member, your best bets are those medical equipment stores and the broadsheet classified ads offering both new and used wheelchairs for sale. These days, you have the internet where you can do your shopping right form the comfort of your home. The classified ads are still there of course, but you can also access online classified ads. If you’re in the market for good value pre-owned or second hand wheelchairs, the internet also has them.

Wheelchairs have gone a long way to where they are. Most wheelchairs go beyond the said hospital look and have combined ergonomic aesthetics with the functionality afforded by newer lighter materials and more sophisticated construction.

The conveniences allowed by direct-driving high torque motors and the advances in rechargeable batteries have found their way in electric wheelchairs for sale, both new and used.

For many invalids, owning an EPW or electric-powered wheelchair is now a necessity as they bring not only a higher level of mobility that allows the handicap to go further without tiring easily, they provide some degree of independence allowing them easy and responsive self-maneuverability that is difficult in manual wheelchairs or impossible for some.

Quadriplegics and paralytics from the neck down would not be able to navigate on their own, but with specialized devices that allow their chin or mouth to control a motorized wheelchair, what used to be impossible is now a reality.

It is to these special cases of total motor skill incapacitation that a new breed of wheelchairs has started to make their dent on the market. Called smart wheelchairs, they employ computers and sensors governed by Artificial Intelligence-based application often used in robotics.

The more sophisticated ones also have sonar, infrared and laser rangefinders to ensure the wheelchair will never have to collide with any object no matter how clumsy the rider’s control gets. They can also use small cameras to visually detect landmarks and obstacles to assist in steerage. It can be said that very soon, the most sophisticated wheelchair could very well impart near-robotic qualities to the rider.

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A short History

A lot of disabled persons take their wheelchairs for granted; little do they know that it has a rich history dating back to the ancient Chinese of the 6th century. Its invention in more recent times has been credited to no less than King Philip II of Spain. There were drawings of the king showing him in a chair with wheels, armrests and footrests.

While not anywhere near the common wheelchair we’ve come to expect, it looked more like a baby’s high chair being pushed by a nurse. But it provided the mechanical seeds for the modern wheelchair which was more an evolution from a cruder invention by John Davidson of England back in 1783.

It allowed crippled occupants to steer they way using a third wheel. During the 19th century, wheelchairs evolved where the occupant can turn the wheel with their hands. Finally in 1881, a second concentric rim was added to each wheel that allowed the rider to turn the wheel without getting their hands dirtied. 20th century wheelchairs further evolved to have more comfortable user adjustable arm and foot rests and constructed with lighter aluminum materials.

What You Have Today

You now have manual wheelchairs for sale from just about every medical stores and online merchants. They come in various sizes and sport features that attain a level of portability and ease of storage that were not possible before. Vans, cars, SUVs have wheelchair ramp tracks that can be attached and deployed to allow easy ingress and egress to these private vehicles.

In addition, you have airlines, ships, trains and buses that deploy pneumatic or hydraulic lifts that hoist wheelchair-bound passengers to access any of these modes of transport. Public parks and places, malls and buildings employ concrete wheelchair ramps with rails that make mobility a lot more convenient for wheelchair users.
Mobility gears like wheelchairs have indeed evolved with greater sophistication that when paired with road and street infrastructures as well as transportation facilities that can accommodate them, have elevated the mobility freedoms of the disabled that could not be enjoyed before.

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A Short History

The current walker was first patented by a certain Andrejs Musiza, a Latvian immigrant to the US sometime after WWII. Its pioneering design consisted of a waist-high frame that surrounds the front and sides of the user and is about a foot deep and supporting the user’s weight on 4 points on the floor. The wrap-around design was meant to protect the user from falling sideways. The basic design endured over the years with various design innovation around it such as the slant and angle, lightweight materials and hand grip designs that make them more ergonomic.

Versatile Uses

There are walker variants designed for toddlers training to walk. They are necessarily circular framed surrounding the toddler to safely support standing as they move about. There are also walking frames for children adapted for kids suffering polio or have limited leg strength or balance problems.

There are now models that use wheels casters on front or back legs or all. A walking frame is meant to be thrown a few paces in front and the user walks to it while leaning over the walker, repeating the process to reach his/her destination. With wheels, the user just glides or pushes the walker ahead instead of picking it up every time. This certainly makes it easier for invalids with feeble arms.

While walkers are often prescribed in physical therapy sessions to help recuperating patients regain a temporary loss of mobility due to illness or injury to their leg muscles, they can also figure as permanent or alternative mobility solutions for people afflicted with life-long polio.

There are also walking frames for the elderly who suffer arthritic joint problems that make walking and standing over long periods difficult and dangerous for them without assistance. Walkers give them stability and some models have attachments for bags and trays for short distance visits to the corner drug or convenience store.

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Not for Everyone

People often have the mistaken notion that second hand medical equipment exudes some kind of negative aura especially if they came from patients who have passed away using them.

For those who are squeamish about this, second disability aid may not be for them. Otherwise, a thorough disinfecting and reconditioning have been known to restore many used wheelchairs to top condition with only a fraction of the cost of new units. They provide the best value for you money.

Admittedly, not all second hand wheelchairs can fit your requirement. If they came from quadriplegics with special chin or mouth controls for control movement, they may not address the more generic needs of paraplegics who just need joysticks to navigate, and vice versa.

Considerations when Choosing

Shopping for one is no different from shopping for a used car or appliance and can bring you to a used wheelchair dealer, a private home of friends or from classified ads. Online merchants that offer used wheelchairs for sale abound. Once you’ve found the right wheelchair for your needs, be sure to check the often-used parts, like the wheels and the seat upholstery or fabric, and folding mechanism.

If they are electric powered, then you need to check for the motor condition, brakes, and the batteries. These 4-5 ampere deep cycle rechargeable batteries do not last long with repeated recharging and use. 2-3 years of use is often tops and you’d need to replace them. You can check how well conditioned the motor is by its responsiveness to the controls. A quick response often indicates good motor condition. You also need to look into the condition of the seats as well as the restraining harnesses or seat belts if still working. They are necessary if the wheelchair is for kids or those with difficulty controlling body movement that may case them to slip and fall sideways or forwards.

Lastly, check with your health insurance to get the maximum coverage. They are known to shoulder as much as 80% of the cost of wheelchairs if medically prescribed, whether new or used. Check as well with friends and relatives who have had a household member outgrown the need for one and you may end with a free used wheelchair as a hand-me-down.

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Paraplegics and feeble elderly folks consider wheelchairs and mobility scooters as their second legs just as visually impaired people consider their prescription spectacles as their second set of eyes.

When Wheelchair Rental Becomes Necessary

Patients recovering from a debilitating illness or injury that compromises their mobility can opt to use wheelchairs instead of crutches or walkers in the early stages of recovery when they are still too weak to manage.

Temporary situations like this are best addressed renting a wheelchair than buying one even if used. Online merchants abound offering wheelchair rental online. You may also consider checking with friends and relatives who have one stored away after a handicapped member who has outgrown the need. They may even lend it entirely for free.

Among wheelchair users, it is not uncommon to encounter problems that require wheelchairs to be taken out of commission for extended days undergoing repairs. This is prevalent with more complex electric powered wheelchairs where a failed motor or brakes can render them unusable or dangerous to continue using. Unless they have a second wheelchair as back-up, they may have no other option than to rent one.

The internet is full of online merchants offering electric wheelchairs rental options apart from being on sale, both new and used. Deliveries to their homes can be done and they can have their mobility support while waiting to complete the repairs on their own wheelchairs.

With a wheelchair as part of your lifestyle, there could be occasions when you need to look your best. Weddings, anniversaries or gala premier nights may require your attendance in a tuxedo or anything out of your usual denims and t-shirt.

Your overused wheelchair will certainly look out of place with you in a tuxedo. In times like these, you could rent one of those hip looking electric power wheelchairs with ergonomic seats elegantly styled with unobtrusive set of motorized wheels. Check your online wheelchair resources for an electric wheelchair rental you can enjoy for a day or two.

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Lately though, there’s a new breed of self-powered mobility contraptions. These are the handicap scooters, also known as mobility scooters. These are 3 or 4-wheeled contraptions that offer a more powerful mobility option that can take invalids to greater distances and faster travel with a maximum of 8mph – just enough to bring them safely to the corner convenience store or to amusement parks.

If you’re in the market for one, there are handicap scooters for sale online and in stores dealing with medical equipment. Don’t forget about used handicap scooters as they can provide excellent value for the money.

Who May Use Handicap Scooters

Scooters may not be for every one. Patients suffering severe neuromuscular atrophy and totally incapable of controlling and navigating one of these may expose themselves to unnecessary risks. They are better suited to disabled persons with strong upper limb muscles who can still have coordinated control over them. These scooters fall under Class 2 and Class 3 under the Use of Invalid Carriages on the Highway regulation of 1988. Class 2 types have up to 4mph and weigh less than 113.4 kg. Class 3 mobility scooters are heavier and power powerful types that can exceed this up to 8 mph and require registration and licensing with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)

Some tips on getting Used Mobility Scooters

Looking for secondhand scooters is no different from shopping for used cars and motorcycles. If you are not familiar with these, it is best to have someone knowledgeable to accompany you when shopping for one.

Things like the condition of wheels, seat cushions and fabrics, brakes, controls, wheel motors and the rechargeable batteries need to be checked and if they require replacement and should be discounted accordingly.

Most used mobility scooter dealers already who have them reconditioned and restored can command relatively higher prices than those coming from private homes disposing of one. Be aware that the latter is selling their mobility scooters on an “as is” condition and should be heavily discounted if they still require conditioning.

Second hand disability aids may not always fit your specific needs. Most of them are generic types using joystick controls that can best suit paraplegics or the elderly. If you’re patient is a quadriplegic or a paralytic from the neck down, you will need special customized controls on the scooter that may not be readily available from used items. In cases like this, shop around for the accessories you need to custom-rig and used mobility scooter before purchasing one.

Legal Mandate

With the Disability Discrimination Act recognizing the mobility freedoms of the disabled and mandating unhindered access to public places and building entrance and exit points, the demand for ramps has never been as compelling.

Where stairs are the only means of access, ramps and lifts are required. New buildings and structures where the public has access are specified to allocate ramps with rails to allow safe and easy access by wheelchair-bound invalids.

Ingress and egress points to public places, airports, buses, trains and ocean vessel terminals are mandated to have ramps and lifts for this purpose. These ramps are required to have corresponding directional and identifying signage within easy reading.

Construction specification for ramps in public places is also defined by legal fiat. Aspects like the slopes and widths as well as the requirement for side rails to prevent accidentally falling on the sides have been defined. The DDA mandates a 1:6 maximum slope for temporary ramps for caregiver-assisted manual wheelchairs and 1:12 slope for self-powered wheelchairs. Permanent ramps in public places are mandated no more than 1:15 slopes.

Increasing Mobility

Whether legally mandated or not, for households with a handicap family member, mobility ramps for cars have become a necessary transport accessory. Homes with differing elevation separating a kitchen from the living or other parts of the house, ramps are indispensable to allow a handicap family member to move around, whether on manual or electric powered wheelchairs.

Where ramps cannot be made permanent, there are portable mobility ramps available that are collapsible and portable. This is often the preferred solution for families that need to have one to allow a disabled member to get in and out of vans or cars, or enable access to places where ramps are not permanently built.

There are various types that include the more popular telescopic track type of ramps that can be custom-fitted in fans and SUVs consisting of two tracks that extend out from the vehicle to the road. There are also roll-up flexible ramps as well as multi-foldable ramps made of small panels that when deployed can bridge elevated walkways 2-6 inches high that would make it difficult for wheelchairs to traverse.

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For physical injuries below the waist sustained from accidents or wars to medical neuromuscular conditions that render the legs too feeble to walk, mobility chairs with wheels have been helping millions attain a certain degree of independent mobility that would not be possible without them.

Progressive countries like the UK have legislated mandates recognizing the mobility rights of the disabled and have implemented laws and ordinances specifying the extent of government involvement in promoting the mobility rights of the disabled. They have specified government healthcare assistance as well as the public infrastructures and building codes that allow unhampered access of wheelchair-bound invalids by way of walkway ramps and lifts that bridge elevated structures to facilitate ingress and egress of the disabled.

A Growing Market

The market for wheelchairs and scooters have grown not so much because there are now more invalids, but more on the choices offered in terms of styling and sophistication. For sure, where before, most mobility chairs for sale are generic and limited to the traditional look of wheelchairs, you now have options that bring the wheelchair to state-of-the-art mobility equipment bordering on the robotics.

Ergonomics and aesthetics have found their place in the design of wheelchairs and mobility scooters that elevate them as fashion accessory apart from being competent and efficient mobility aids.

So-called smart wheelchairs can actually think and navigate by sensors and AI-based computing software used in robotic application. Paralytics from the neck down as well as quadriplegics who have lost all limbic functions can now benefit form these special computerized wheelchairs that basically encase them with near-robotic features.

Slight facial movements picked by ultra-sensitive sensors can control navigation while infrared and laser sensors around navigate them clear from any obstruction even if the control is clumsily done. Their fuzzy logic can also learn the usual travel paths that invalid takes.

Needless to say, these computerized wheelchairs can cost a fortune and it is doubtful if Medicare or health insurance companies can cover them. It won’t be surprising that only the wealthiest families can afford them. And being new, there are hardly any used or secondhand smart wheelchairs. And for sure, they’d still cost even when used. Hopefully, over the next few years, in the same way that computers have steadily grown inexpensive, these smart wheelchairs will define the mobility aid landscape and get more affordable.

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Features of Rollators

Rollators come in two basic varieties. Those with small wheels are meant for indoor use, those with large wheels are designed for outdoor use. Three-wheel rollators are quite common in either variants. Like walkers, they are waist high and can be adjusted to support different user heights. They are meant to support your weight while providing stability when walking.

Because they are meant to support your weight and are safe to use, walkers and rollators are constructed of anti-rust aluminum weighing no more that 30 pounds for the heaviest variants. Some are rigid with different heights while others have adjustable heights. Some have portability features that make them lighter to carry and are foldable to make them easy to pack on trips or store in the trunks and closet.

Things to Consider

In general, walkers and rollators are sturdy and durable. When choosing one, make sure it has the right height so that you won’t have to bend or strain yourself to grip it with your wrist. You wrist height should be aligned with the rollator’s handle grip. In addition, get one that can support your weight as different models are specified for a range of weights that each can support.

If you plan to use an outdoor model for moving around in parks or getting to the store, there are accessories like tray baskets and bags that can be attached to it. And if price is a consideration for you, look around for used rollators. They are often disposed by patients who have regained their balance and walking strengths after using them for sometime. You can often get the best bargains and value from these.

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lightweight wheelchairs also make it less stressful for the private nurse of caregiver in moving it around the house. And for invalids who prefer independence rather than being pushed around, lightweight wheelchairs are the most maneuverable. If the invalid is a kid with relatively weaker upper muscles in the arms to navigate one, lightweight is the most suitable.

But if the most mobility is what you need which would take the invalid outdoors and visit places and buildings, then it makes sense to go for a folding wheelchair that can make it make it easy to fold away the wheelchair for convenient storage in the trunk of a car of the rear of a van. It will also help you get a portable wheelchair ramp to help your invalid navigate his way over uneven elevation apart from alighting or getting into vans and cars.

Things to Consider

With space-age materials like Kevlar and aluminum that are both sturdy and light, you can have a lightweight folding wheelchair that’s constructed like lightweight racer bikes that are as easy to carry as they are to store. Monocoque frames that are not foldable or collapsible are lighter, of course, as they don’t have the added weight of folding mechanisms. But when talking about lightweight wheelchairs, these don’t matter when the benefit of easy storage can get higher priority.

Portability is the main consideration for their collapsibility but be prepared to provide more maintenance care as there are more movable parts in them. Most folding types can be easily handled by the ambulatory-challenged person as most types are foldable from the middle which makes it easy to collapse a wheelchair like an accordion. If your patient has reasonably strong upper muscles and arms to handle a collapsible wheelchair, get a lightweight version as they address both easy storage and deployment.

Banish any misconception that lightweight collapsible wheelchairs are not as sturdy or as durable as standard steel-framed wheelchairs. They have been designed with portability and strength in mind and can withstand the rigors of daily use. Of course, there are wheelchairs of various sizes and material strengths so it would be wise to know the weight and height of the person using it as that can also help determine the right folding wheelchair dimension you need.

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