Wheelchair Assist

If so PLEASE read this.
My wife is disabled and has to use a wheelchair.
I have seen so many people assisting disabled people in wheelchairs in an unsafe manner that I offer some suggestions.
Most important: NEVER push a wheelchair forward over a bump (like a door sill). Always back a wheelchair over bumps because the big wheels go OVER bumps and the small wheels in front can catch on bumps and dump the person right out of the chair.
Always have the brakes on when the person is getting in or out of the chair or when the chair is resting on a grade.
If you choose not to use the footrests, make sure the patient has their feet raised enough to not get caught and dragged under the chair.
To me, this is just common sense, but I have seen so many people assisting the disabled in an unsafe manner and it makes me cringe when I see it.

unfortunally i am a recipent of a wheelchair i have illnesses that limit my walking due to pain and my husband pushes me in the store where ever we go, he is very careful when i get in the chair and get out and always looks around for distractions when we go down each aisle but i have seen ppl push others in wheelchairs and they are very careless even tho they are health proffesionals, i have seen ppl fall out of wheelchairs,fall on thier caretaker,. a 10 year old can probably take care of a disabled person better than most adults i see and yes its just common sense to look at the chair and check it out before letting someone who is disabled get in it

2006-09-14 00:55:13 by opjames

The e-motion from Alber is a power assist for manual wheelchairs. While propelling manually a sensor measures the push and amplifies it thanks to ...

No, but it would certainly be good if you had some sort of credentials. After all, it's the persons's life and independence you're dealing with, you'd better know what you're doing! Also, if the dog is not really well trained and socialized and acts "unprofessional" in public, you are not only jeopardizing the person's safety, you could damage the image of service dogs everywhere. One bad apple spoils the bunch, you know. It's taken decades to get where we are today with access privileges for service dogs.

If you are interested in learning to train a service dog, there are a LOT of good organizations out there that could use volunteers, and there are several organizations dedicated to teaching people how to train dogs for those tasks.

A lot of organizations actually teach prisoners or at-risk teens to train the dogs, kind of kills two birds with one stone by helping those people do something positive with their life as well as creating good service dogs for people with disabilities. Also, there is at least one organization that teaches people with disabilities how to train their OWN service dog.

Here are some links you might enjoy.
Canine Companions for Independence, a nationwide service dog training group that teaches at-risk teens how to train service dogs, and provides those dogs to people with disabilities.
http://www.cci.org/
The Assistance Dog Institute, in California, a fully accredited university dedicated solely to the training of service dogs. You can actually get a Master's Degree in training service dogs.
http://www.assistancedog.org/
Top Dog, in Arizona, teaches people in wheelchairs how to train their own service dogs. Also publishes books on the subject.
http://www.topdogusa.org/

2007-08-13 00:00:17 by Shasta

Price: $12.99

Extend your reach with our trigger-action gripper / grabber
Light weight aluminum folds for easy storage, but locks for secure gripping and moving
Multiple uses - wherever things are hard to reach, too high or too low

Years ago there was a news story about a man that developed wheelchair mobility assist device whereby instead of gripping the wheel rims, there are two levers to move forward, backward, or spin.

Each has a handle that when you grip it, it applies a pressure brake pad, similar to a bicycle brake, to the wheel on each side. Except when you grip it and move the lever, it moves the wheel. Or when going down a ramp, can be used to slow down.

It's a simple enough device that I could recreate, but I would rather find the original creator. I would rather not go to using an electric wheelchair, as it's not very healthy. You don't get much exercise with them.

Check with the local medical supply stores in your area. They should be able to tell you where to get what you are looking for and if something like that is available.

2009-05-10 14:55:44 by George McCasland - Dads Rights

Price: $319.00 $88.50

Swing away footrests
Comes with seat belt
Fold down back

The van is needed for a 9 year old boy with C.P

There is a grant for making a van/car driveable for someone in a wheelchair, so I don't see why there wouldn't be one for the purchase of a wheelchair accessible van. It did take my friend 1 year to be approved and get the money. I will have to call her and find out more details.

2007-10-02 20:59:06 by BritFL

I am looking for picture diagrams of a two person assist for the transfer of a person from a wheelchair to the floor and back. Are there any good websites for this?

Ok use it.-
http://www.unitedspinal.org/publications /action/wp-content/Champagne2.jpg

2008-06-19 20:06:23 by risingphoenix1106