subject: How Wheelchairs Can Help Reclaim Your Independence [print this page] Some time ago, I was helping a friend through some difficult times. I saw less and less of her, and she seemed to be feeling in pretty low spirits. Actually if I were to loose the ability to do basic things in life, stuff like getting to the post office, or even going to get the mail, I think I'd be a little down too.
If you find yourself in a situation like my friend for whatever reason, whether it's because of your health or your age or your weight, then you need to do what she did. She's happier now than I have seen her in years.
It didn't happen overnight, but once she accepted that she had to have a wheelchair, that was the first step (no pun intended). To her it was almost like getting a wheelchair was like conceding defeat to her illness. With some gentle nudging, she finally started to soften to the idea. We both checked out the various models available online, and she started to actually get excited.
It didn't take us long to find out about power wheelchairs and scooters of all kinds like the jazzy electric wheel chairs and everything available for it. We also found out about lightweight wheelchairs, and motorized wheelchairs. We were not disappointed at all. These wheelchairs had a lot of features, and were attractive too. The more she looked at what was available, and what accessories you could get with it, my friend became more and more interested. The Jazzy electric wheel chair was what we finally decided on after looking through all of the power chairs available. She didn't have any trouble picking out a color, but she couldn't make up her mind about which accessories she wanted. After some time though, she eventually settled on a basket, and a cupholder.
When her chair finally was delivered, she had to make some adjustments. Learning how to navigate at first took a little trial and error. She got into a few sticky situations that we still laugh about to this day! But in a short time driving her Jazzy electric wheel chair became second nature to her, and she didn't even have to think about it.
Because she was able to do stuff on her own now, without having to ask other people for help, she has regained a sense of pride and dignity.
