Standing Powered Wheelchair Evaluation: Considering All of the Client's Goals 23/04/2021 It's easy to look at power wheelchairs with a standing function and be amazed by the technology. After all, the opportunities an independent, mobile standing position can offer a client, from functional, clinical, and social emotional standpoints, can be life-changing. But we must also consider what our clients need the PWC to do when it isn't standing, and how postural needs change between standing and sitting. Keep Reading
The Importance of Power Wheelchair Base Dimensions and Turning Radius 23/03/2021 When the first mid wheel drive (MWD) power wheelchair was made available to wheelchair users, it revolutionized the world of power mobility. I can still recall the first in-service I attended on a MWD powerchair back in 2001 while working with pediatric clients in Washington, D.C. At that time, the MWD technology was still relatively new. My clients typically lived in small row homes or apartment buildings with tiny elevators where turning radius and maneuverability were essential. Providing a powerchair option with a small turning radius and more intuitive drive allowed for more individuals to seriously consider power mobility as an option for independent mobility. Keep Reading
Taking Control: Ideas for Increasing Success with a Standard Joystick 13/03/2020 One of the areas that has evolved greatly over the years has been the way in which a user accesses the drive control of the power wheelchair. The creation of alternative drive controls such as head arrays, switches, mini-proportional joysticks, etc. have all opened up the world of independence through power mobility to individuals who are not able to use a standard joystick. However, there are some circumstances in which utilising a standard joystick is preferred for a variety of reasons. Keep Reading
Adjustability in Power Rehab Seating in the Clinic 08/01/2020 As a member of a seating and mobility team in Long Island, New York, one of the more frustrating occurrences was delivering a wheelchair to a person who waited through the incredibly long justification, approval, and ordering process only to find out that the person had physically changed and the frame of the power wheelchair needed to go back to the dealer to be adjusted. Keep Reading
How high can I go? 09/07/2019 Since visiting many services around the UK revealing the new QUICKIE Q100 R, I frequently get asked how high can it kerb climb and how can I kerb climb consistently? As manufacturers, we always state in our owner’s manuals, brochures and website the maximum a chair can climb a kerb. However the challenge for our customers is that this is conducted in a controlled environment - dry floor, indoors and a clean obstacle. For clients however, there are many variables which affect them when using a powerchair and these variables inevitably can affect the success of climbing a kerb regardless of the powerchair they’re using. Keep Reading
