wheelchairs and insurance question

[bkite]

Just my humble experience and opinion. A well designed 2WD AT chair will take you on 9 out 10 trails wide enough for a PWC. And there's 1 or 2 of the same 10 trails that the 4WD PWCs won't do because of a 4 foot turning radius. Forget putting a 4WD PWC in a side ramp van.

Check out my recent posts on this forum of pictures and videos of my trail riding. Also my video of climbing Mount Adams to demonstrate my enthusiasm for the outdoors.

Depending upon the progression of your ALS, how long will it be be practical to be climbing out of one PWC into another?

Another topic you touched on Kristina, is air travel with PWC. I have had a good experience doing air travel when I was non ambulatory. It takes homework and preparation, but this shouldn't stop anyone in a PWC from air travel. Further discussion of this would be a whole separate thread.

 

[lgelb]

A "normal" rehab chair will take you to the zoo and all the places you mentioned, Kristina. As for trails, we bounced over Seattle's aging curb cuts, into parks that were a mixture of mud and packed dirt, etc. I feel there is a misconception around the rehab chair's not being suitable for "unextreme" trails. The key is going backwards when you need to on slopes, and not trying to drive yourself if you can't see what's next.

A rollator with large wheels will work to help balance you on trails, if you are still ambulatory, Karen.

Larry, your wife's Quantum may simply be the wrong model. Not all rehab chairs are created equal. I disagree that you need a separate lightweight chair to get onto something that is less than a steeply-sloped trail. There is plenty of mud in Seattle, I assure you. Granted, I didn't sweat dirt on the carpet, but maybe that is because we were frequently out in the rain so it got somewhat washed off.

I just want to be clear because not everyone has the same budget. Most of us only had one power chair, most often a Permobil, which comes in mid-wheel and front-wheel drive versions, and different configurations of anterior tilt/standing capability. You do want anterior tilt. Whether or not standing is important/funded will depend on the situation.

This chair will also have tilt, recline and elevating foot rests ordered for a PALS, and can have a seat elevator as well, which you may or may not pay extra for depending on circumstances.

For someone with slow progression, an extra chair or even two for various purposes may prove a good investment, but that is by no means a given for PALS overall.

 

[Kristina1]

...and my wife's favorite, the Whill model C.

The model C works better for my wife than the EZ lite

Hi Larry, I checked out the whill model C you mentioned. Just curious, the back looks quite low. Does it truly provide enough back support for a PALS?

 

[Larrytbm]

Kristina1,

My wife is 5' tall and it is fine for her. But it may not work as well for a taller person. It doesn't have a headrest option, but it was EZ to drill 4 holes in the backrest metal plate and install the headrest from the Quantum.

Several other points, the Trilogy fits under the seat perfectly rather than hanging off the back, she can easily move the arms as needed for transfers and she or I can drive it remotely from our iphones. It easily breaks down into 3 pieces if needed for transport. And of course the front wheels make for seamless movements. She can drive it anywhere on our acreage.

Part of the issue for me with a rehab chair is not what it can do, but what happens on a trail when it gets stuck. Weighing 130 lbs, I'm not going to move a 450 lb. PWC with a 100 lb rider (or even w/o the rider). With a lighter chair, worst case, I could transfer her to the ground, break down the chair and reverse the process.

Another part of the issue is dignity and self control, my PALS has two Trilogy units, one stays on the PWC. She can get up at night and into the PWC, turn on the 2nd Trilogy, shut off the 1st and drive to the toilet. Funny thing, the screen from the unit at her feet becomes the headlight. At the mall with her daughter and grand-daughters she feels more like just one of them rather than 'in their care'. But there are so many different options and so many different needs you just learn the best you can and make your best decision.

 

[wishmobbing]

I agree with Laurie. Unless you have slow progression and the money for fun rides it's totally sufficient to have one proper PWC with tilt and a headrest. This is the chair you can use until the end, that will adapt to your needs. Pull out the headrest, if you don't need it. My PALS has a used Permobil C500 and hardly ever used the stand-up (not comedy) feature. He's progressing pretty fast and can no longer sit comfortably in a simple and light foldable manual wheelchair. Until core strength goes a manual wheelchair will get you anywhere with help. A couple of steps won't be a problem, small elevators, busses, subways, cars, much more flexible in a mostly non-accessible country like Germany. We roadtripped with a foldable chair last summer and used it sometimes even after he got the power wheelchair whenever that wasn't an option until he couldn't sit up straight without side support.