Choosing a wheelchair for elderly is a delicate decision. Whether you make the purchase for a relative, or you are going to use it, yourself, the purchase decision might be a bit frustrating, no doubts.
The good news is that the market is full of optimal options you can choose from. Though, when not considering the individual person’s physical health and spirit, the finally selected model might not be the right one.
Of course, if there’s an accompanying disease or chronic condition, it is always a great idea to listen to the doctor’s piece of advice. Hence, a therapist or the personal GP might not be willing to name a concrete brand or manufacturer in order to avoid collision of commerce interests.
Due to all of these, as well as to our personal devotion to the mission to serve you as top guide masters in selecting the most comfortable and budget-friendly alternative for walking aid, we would like to offer you a bunch of helpful tips to use when making your purchase.
We will try to be as simple and understanding as possible because the key is to at first get the essence of the entire selection trip and then, to make your personal purchase. So, please, don’t be shy or lazy, but instead, read the following bunch of tips that will help you to choose the right and the best wheelchair for elderly right away:
1. Meet the different types of wheelchairs at first. Note that some of them are specific as they can be suitable for people with a disease, rehabilitation program recommendation, chronic condition, disability at a young age and etc. Though, almost all common types of wheelchairs come with models specifically for the elderly.
– Power wheelchairs are the electric wheelchairs and they are suitable for elderly people who have no one around to push the walking aid. These models are very contemporary, with lots of additional extras like flexibility and faster speed. In addition to these, the power wheelchairs are recommended for long-term use, which means they are solid, durable and trustworthy on uneven surfaces.
– Hence, do not underestimate the manual wheelchairs. First of all, they are quite budget-friendly and second of all, if the patient has an assistant or relative around all the time, the pushing is going to seize the inconvenience when moving. Plus – the pushing process will be also easier as the manual wheelchairs are in 80% of the cases lighter than the power models.
– On the other side, when it comes to the most solid and strongest models of wheelchairs for the elderly, seniors prefer to use rear wheelchairs. These models act very positively on the still-young spirit a senior has as it gives high speed, too.
– Portable wheelchairs are also very nice options for the elderly. In European, Australian and American continent seniors prefer to spend their maturity around nature or even on trips around the world. This is why such an option can save lots of traveling and luggage storage problems.
2. Basically, the level of comfort is the most important feature a senior will look for when using a wheelchair whether for life or for long-term. This is why testing the wheelchair before paying is a must. Though, don’t worry to use the online stores for such a purchase as today’s e-commerce policy lets you try and test the product before providing the payment for it.
3. If the senior prefers the power wheelchair, the technology for changing/replacing or charging the power system should be as easy as possible. Please, don’t forget elderly people are not that keen on the latest technologies and sometimes, they are not even familiar with them, so keep this tip of simplicity in advance, if you want to buy a wheelchair for elderly for someone else.
4. All adjustable features a wheelchair comes with are welcoming for seniors. What we mean is simply to look for wheelchairs for elderly that provide the chance for height adjustment, the possibility to change and replace the cushion pads, as well breathing seat material, smoothly walking replaceable tires in the pack and so on.
5. There’s another feature you should be looking for when going shopping for a wheelchair for elderly – enabled pressure management. As elderly people in most cases sit on the wheelchair for a long period with the difficulties in shifting the body weight, there’s a big possibility to lose the ability to always find the right posture. So such an option in the overall wheelchair interior is a must for reducing the risk of bruises and pain.
6. Don’t overestimate the head support, either. To be more specific, try to find a wheelchair for elderly, which comes with tremendous reinforcement for the spine, neck, as well as head. In addition to these, any extra for the head support is a must, no doubts.
7. Let the footrest and let the wheelchair model for elderly you select provide this convenience. An availability of foot place is a good extra you should count on when considering the comfort zone on the walking aid, too.
8. But taking care of the wheelchair when you use it literally all they long is also a thing to have in mind. The easy maintenance is something all elderly people would need if they basically live alone or experience the company of assistance in rare cases.
9. Try to find a wheelchair that comes with insurance. Additional services like home visits for repairs are preferable, too. This is how the patient isn’t going to feel embarrassed to call a relative to help him or her out if the wheelchair gets broken again. Of course, getting a wheelchair that seems eternal and will never damage is the best option, but accidents happen and everyone, including seniors in wheelchairs, should be ready to face them properly and wisely.
10. The ergonomic arm pads are comparatively new in the whole list of innovations traditional wheelchairs have been recently added with. This is why sometimes, not all seniors are going to be familiar with them. It is a good thing to take the benefits of these additional extras as they bring some fine comfort round the whole day.
11. The lightweight is something all seniors who need wheelchairs will appreciate. It doesn’t matter if they are going to travel with it or use it only as far as to the home garden zone. When it comes to seniors, it is a normal thing for their bodies to become weaker and having additional weight to bear shouldn’t be a thing to deal with.
12. A reasonable tip for choosing the best and most convenient wheelchair for the elderly is not to take the price as the most important feature during shopping. Try to select a model which comes with a competitive price that isn’t at the expense of the quality.
13. When choosing the wheelchair for the elderly it is a must to consider the lifestyle of the individual patient. Some people will use it mostly in the outdoors, while others will prefer the quiet and peaceful atmosphere of their own homes. In all cases, getting two pairs of wheelchairs isn’t a must as the difficulty of transferring from one to the other is an additional inconvenience that should be better and possible to get avoided. Look for a wheelchair that meets all the senior’s expectations and requirements.
14. Seniors usually love having storage solutions on their vehicles, including in their homes, as well as inside the interior of the wheelchairs they use. Basically, a place for some snack, a drawer for the medical products they take on a scheme, as well as a piece of some good reading form the normal volume of the storage the wheelchair should be able to meet and accommodate.
15. Last, but not least, another good extra is to find a wheelchair for the elderly that is provided with solid and reliable protection against bad weather conditions. Unlike younger people, who are able to react faster on an accidental storm, rainy day or snow, seniors prefer to have a solution for each of them in advance. Well, to be honest, no person will refuse having such, when it’s possible, right?
It doesn’t matter if the senior just tries to retire comfortably at home or he/she has some more exciting plans for the most golden and mature years of life. Buying the right and the most comfortable wheelchair for the elderly should be an agenda task if you are the senior’s relative. And if you are the one, who’s going to use it, please, do your best and get the most modern and convenient model you can afford as you actually worth it and deserve it!
