PWC advice needed

[Chincoteaguer]

Will be selecting a PWC within the next few weeks. We are remodeling bathroom for roll-in shower and are re-arranging furniture. Also having handicap ramp installed. Anticipating modifications or attachments to the PWC seems an important part of the initial selection. Any help or advice from this forum will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Romeosc]

I am remodeling for roll in shower also. We got a shower chair from local ALS clinic. Also got measured by them for power wheelchair. We put in a wood ramp last week. I also have scheduled an incline wheelchair lift to be installed to go up 3 steps (split level house)

Check with local ALS.org clinic for help. Don't waste medicare until you need the powerchair!

The people with Memphis ALS.org have been wonderful helping me out!!!!

GOOD LUCK!

 

[Chincoteaguer]

I am remodeling for roll in shower also. We got a shower chair from local ALS clinic. Also got measured by them for power wheelchair. We put in a wood ramp last week. I also have scheduled an incline wheelchair lift to be installed to go up 3 steps (split level house)

Check with local ALS.org clinic for help. Don't waste medicare until you need the powerchair!

The people with Memphis ALS.org have been wonderful helping me out!!!!

GOOD LUCK!

thanks Romeo. We have been well served by our ALS Clinic also. We have appointments in February. Can wait till then for PWC decision. Regular wheel chair is doing the job for now. Agree with waiting, however, most forum advice is to get these aids in advance of need.

 

[Romeosc]

thanks Romeo. We have been well served by our ALS Clinic also. We have appointments in February. Can wait till then for PWC decision. Regular wheel chair is doing the job for now. Agree with waiting, however, most forum advice is to get these aids in advance of need.

I agree to be prepared.....

From your screen name, are you from Chincoteague ? We installed carpet and furniture in the Hampton Inn there.

 

[KimT]

Getting a PWC can be a lengthy process so move forward now. I was able to get mine last year because I had sprained my "good" ankle and was hopping around. If you have any other medical conditions, make sure you have them added to the initial order to justify upgrades. I had upgraded arm rests, seats, and padding because I also have a dx of fibromyalgia. Also, make sure you talk to reps from more than one company and try to get the elevator function thrown in.

 

[Chincoteaguer]

I agree to be prepared.....

From your screen name, are you from Chincoteague ? We installed carpet and furniture in the Hampton Inn there.

From Chincoteague, yes. Am there now. We have a cottage on the island. My hometown and my wife's first teaching job. We have lived on a farm in Isle Of Wight county for the past 46 years but make the trip "back home" throughout the year.
Hampton Inn is impressive. We may sell the cottage and take advantage of handicap access rooms at the inn someday.

 

[lgelb]

You want to consider dimensions and turning radius of both your Hoyer-style lift and the wheelchair, because you use them in close proximity.

Home/ground features to consider and discuss with the wheelchair evaluator include slopes, thresholds, narrow doorways or tight turns (e.g. where you make an L instead of having a full circle to work with), acreage, ice/snow, thick carpet or fragile flooring.

Consider where you are going to park/charge the lift and the wheelchair.

Move furniture before you test drive anything so you have a realistic setup.

Key wheelchair dimensions are depth (including any bag you hang off the back, or a Trilogy), width (with arm rests down and any cushions) and depth when you are in the max tilt/recline you will need, e.g. using a urinal.

If in multi-unit housing, if your building has an elevator or entrance that will affect you, check those out as well.

 

[KimT]

Just a few words of advice on the remodel. Make sure there are plenty of accessible outlets in your bathroom. I had some put in the lower and middle drawers and plugged my hair dryer into one of them so it's off the counter. I also have a huge master closet so I had two outlets put in there so I can park my power chair there and also use it as a charging station for my Apple products. Think about how and where you are going to use various equipment. It takes up a lot of space but if you plan it in advance, it will be helpful to the PALS, the CALS, and any other person who helps out. Also take pictures after the remodel for insurance purposes.

 

[Chincoteaguer]

KimT; Will discuss extra outlets with contractor at meeting Thursday. Great advice. Remodel also includes removing old shower which will free a lot of space for parking PWC. Are there other places that you designate for parking PWC? My wife will probably spend a llot of her time in her new sleep/rest/lift chair. I've heard that some ALS folks like staying in their PWC?

 

[KimT]

I have a big enough bedroom that I have a space for the PWC if I don't park it in the closet. Right now I can still walk and love my lift chair. It was so worth the money and I would recommend one for every PALS and CALS. IMO, CALS deserve an untra-comfy chair as much as PALS do. Everyone who has tried my lift chair wants one. When I sprained my ankle, I slept in it.

I do find many PALS are in their PWCs throughout the day, and some even at night. It makes it easier to use iPads and other equipment if everything is connected to the PWC. I would not recommend nights in the PWC as an adjustable bed with an appropriate mattress is much more likely to be conducive to good sleep.

I ended up widening all the doors except the home office door. I'm not quite sure what I'll do with that room. My wheelchair can fit but I still have very good driving skills. That door probably will need widening if I continue to use my desktop setup.

 

[swalker]

Chincoteaguer,

My Permobil wheelchairs come with a warning in the Owners Manual that says to never charge the wheelchair in a bathroom.

I can only speculate as to why this warning exists. Perhaps it is because there is a concern that the humidity in the bathroom could cause issues with the wheelchair when it is charging.

Perhaps it is simply legaleze to prevent you from electrocuting yourself by plugging the charger into an outlet that does not have ground fault interrupt protection and then deciding to hop in the full bathtub and drop the charger in with you.

You might want to research this before committing to a remodel that provides for charging the wheelchair in the bathroom.

Steve

 

[Chincoteaguer]

Swalker: I agree about charging in the bathroom. Standing droplets of water around the charging chair could be hazardous. We have a moderately large bedroom and should be able to park the PWC there. Will also park in bathroom but probably not charge there.

KimT: Thanks for advice on PWC and your devices (IPad). Will be looking at chairs this coming Monday. Also, hoping to get our lift/sleeper this week.

 

[swalker]

Chincoteaguer,

Before heading out to look at a wheelchair, I suggest you take a look at a post I made awhile ago. You can find it by using advanced search and look for a thread with the title "Things I have learned about a wheelchair" in the Tips, Tricks, and Gadgets subforum.

In case you are not familiar with the search function, select Search from the forum menu bar. Then click on Advanced Search. In that dialog, enter the string to search for, change "Search Entire Posts" to "Search Titles Only", and then select the desired forum to search in (Tips, Tricks, and Gadgets). After that, click the Search Now button.

If you use a search string of "Things I have learned about a wheelchair", the thread I am referring to will be the first one shown (at least it was for me).

Steve

 

[Nikki J]

Here it is https://www.alsforums.com/forum/tip...6-things-i-have-learned-about-wheelchair.html

 

[Chincoteaguer]

Swalker, Nikki J;

Thanks for the link and the direct way of getting there. Great information. Swalker, it's amazing what you do with your wheelchair. My wife is thinking in-house use only for now. I suspect we will expand on this later. And as long as I have my health she will always have someone nearby when she uses the chair.