LogsOnFire
New member
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2018
- Messages
- 2
- Reason
- Friend was DX
- Diagnosis
- 11/2018
- Country
- US
- State
- MA
- City
- Cambridge
Hi all,
I'm trying to help my friend and his main caregiver find a better wheelchair option. The general idea is that they would love to find a manual/foldable option that has some kind of neck support and decent cushioning. Right now, he has a basic manual wheelchair on loan. It will work to get him from point A to point B, but it has no neck support, which he really needs, so it's not good for sitting in for any length of time. And it takes so much work to make multiple transfers that it means he's basically isolated in his room and confined to his bed. If he had a comfortable and supportive wheelchair, he could conceivably do things like go to the living room and hang out there, or go out on the porch, etc. They want something manual because they want it to be foldable and portable and relatively lightweight (so they could toss it in the car - he can still move around on his own a bit and sit up in a regular car seat), although I know there are foldable electrics as well. I'm going to suggest that they schedule a wheelchair eval with a PT to look into something longer term that insurance would pay for, but I understand that can take awhile and honestly, they need something now and would be willing to just buy it. My friend is 5’8”, maybe a little more, and very thin. If it matters (though I'm not sure it does for this particular question), he has a feeding tube and a trach, and is often on a vent. They'd want something appropriate for his size, with neck support and good cushioning in the back and seat. I've found some stuff online but I could use some advice or guidance from folks with first hand experience.
Thanks so much.
I'm trying to help my friend and his main caregiver find a better wheelchair option. The general idea is that they would love to find a manual/foldable option that has some kind of neck support and decent cushioning. Right now, he has a basic manual wheelchair on loan. It will work to get him from point A to point B, but it has no neck support, which he really needs, so it's not good for sitting in for any length of time. And it takes so much work to make multiple transfers that it means he's basically isolated in his room and confined to his bed. If he had a comfortable and supportive wheelchair, he could conceivably do things like go to the living room and hang out there, or go out on the porch, etc. They want something manual because they want it to be foldable and portable and relatively lightweight (so they could toss it in the car - he can still move around on his own a bit and sit up in a regular car seat), although I know there are foldable electrics as well. I'm going to suggest that they schedule a wheelchair eval with a PT to look into something longer term that insurance would pay for, but I understand that can take awhile and honestly, they need something now and would be willing to just buy it. My friend is 5’8”, maybe a little more, and very thin. If it matters (though I'm not sure it does for this particular question), he has a feeding tube and a trach, and is often on a vent. They'd want something appropriate for his size, with neck support and good cushioning in the back and seat. I've found some stuff online but I could use some advice or guidance from folks with first hand experience.
Thanks so much.