subject: Can You Accessorize Your Wheelchair Accessories? [print this page] The fact that wheelchairs are a boon to the mobility impaired is without doubt. This does not mean there is not still room for improvement in this field, nor in the area of wheelchair accessories.
There are too many people in the world whose contributions we would have had to do without if they were confined to their beds as in days past. Where would physics and its understanding, even by laypeople, be without Stephen Hawking, as just one example.
Wheelchair accessories come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. They are everything from items that attach, or at least should attach, to the chair for the support of the patient.
Wheelchair accessories make the chair a more useful part of the day-to-day operations of those who serve the mobility impaired. Or even those who are generally mobile, but due to procedures, regulations, or both need to be transported in a wheelchair, rather than under their own power.
Wouldn't it be terrific if there were a transport chair designed with all these needs in mind?
People being transported via wheelchair fall under two general categories. The first category is those who are permanently, or at least long-term, unable to get around on their own even with crutches or prosthetics.
The second group is made up of people with full to limited mobility who either cannot walk long distances - malls, airports - or who are in a hospital or other care center where health and safety regulations require that much of their movement be in a transport wheelchair guided by a second person.
Both of these groups can have similar needs regarding wheelchair accessories. They may need to have their legs elevated, require seat belts, IVs, or oxygen tanks, just to name a few.
The third side of this coin is those who own and operate the hospital or transport wheelchairs. While their first concern is the client, they therefore also require places for oxygen tanks and IVs, as well as seat cushions and safety belts.
They have additional needs, such as maximum use of space and anti-theft devices. Because wheelchairs are wheeled and generally designed to be folded up and put in a car, there is a tendency for them to leave institutional areas, seemingly under their own power.
Therefore, a chair that has a specific IV pole and oxygen tank holder, elevateable leg rests, seat belts, and a cargo area below the seat and cushions is incredibly desirable. One that has all these wheelchair accessories and anti-theft mechanisms such as locking stands with coin return or equivalent mechanisms for "dispensing" of the chairs and that cannot be steered by the passenger, is like a dream come true.
When such chairs also come with better warranties than many standard wheelchairs and a slew of other safety features as well as several attractive colors, it is a wonder that not every institution on the planet is using them already. The cost savings alone through reduced theft is enough to bring a smile to any accountant's face.
