If you’re in the market for wheelchairs for a disabled member of the family, there are certain things to consider before plunging headlong in the purchase. Will you be using it exclusively indoors? If that’s the case, then a lightweight full-frame non-collapsible wheelchair can save you money as they are often the least expensive among your options.

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.