subject: Transport Chair | Where Would We Be Without The Wheelchair? [print this page] The wheelchair is probably one of the most important inventions ever. This is not to deny fire, indoor plumbing, or ice cream their places in history. But without the wheelchair, the world would be a sadder, colder, and less cognizant of physics than it is.
This is because without some form of this exceptional device - which has been around for at least a thousand years in one form or another - many individuals who have contributed significantly to society might have been unable to. Especially for a person with an active and agile mind, being trapped in the confines of one's bed, or even one's home, is debilitating.
Time for a New Kind of Transport Chair
Nor should the ways in which wheelchairs have improved and even saved the lives of people of all levels of genius be ignored, especially as it has become increasingly possible to customize the models. However, all this amazing progress has failed in one crucial area, which can be as vital to an individual's health and well-being as much as the best racing wheelchair
.
People rarely stop and consider that hospitals, airports and other facilities that are responsible for transporting people may be much better able to serve them than with a model different from those designed for independent movement and individual ownership. While the "one size fits all" model has long been abandoned in the case of chairs made for personal use, the same cannot be said on the corporate level.
Transport Chair Costs Are Not Always Obvious
One of the less obvious ways that traditional models of wheelchairs impact patients, clients and passengers is through their cost. Every organization has a budget, increasingly, a small one, with which it must meet all needs -- staffing, client care, equipment etc., -- and the greater a share of this budget one item eats up, the more sacrifices have to be made in another.
The unfortunate truth is that standard wheelchair models are not necessarily attendant-friendly. In a facility where the chair's occupant must be transported by an attendant, rather than under her own power, this increases costs in insidious ways.
Every time the attendant strains a muscle lowering a patient backwards into a wheelchair, or has a long day of hunching over inconveniently placed handlebars, she is one day closer to having to take time off to heal from the strains. This may involve medical treatment the company must pay for, but even if it doesn't, there will be times when her efficiency is down because she hurts. There needs to be a wheelchair design that avoids this.
The Cost of Wheelchair Theft
By the same token, chairs that are built to be moved by the occupant and easily folded up for vehicle transport are prone to theft. This in turn leads to buying lesser quality chairs in order to reduce replacement costs, but ultimately increases them, because those chairs that are not stolen wear out faster.
All of these costs add up to reduce quality of service along the line. The good news is that new transport wheelchair is on the market that is extremely theft-resistant and equally equipped with features. This includes side loading and ergonomically placed steering that cut down on both short and long-term costs. This adds up to an equipment and personnel savings that can be folded back into customer care.
