Does anyone know a good brand of a power wheel chair!

Guys we are thinking ahead to when our injured neighbor(Steve) comes home. My son John and some friends are building a temporary ramp down to the garage floor. They have already turned a room downstairs in the house into a bedroom for Steve. They already have a hospital bed and the other stuff need for care of someone with limited mobility. That includes a electric lift that will enable Carol to lift Steve in and out of bed by herself. It kinds of looks like a fork truck. LOL

We have an older church member that has an extra rough terrain four wheeler type of electric wheel chair for when Steve can get out and about but it is made for the rider to be setting up with his legs bent in a normal setting position.

What I am meaning is some type of powered chair that Carol can use to move him around in the house or up the ramp. He would need on that would hold both his legs straight out. He can set up. The powered one I have seen are more for people that can set with their legs down in a normal setting position. I am wondering about one the is more like a standard wheel chair but just with power assist or something.

Steve is much bigger than Carol is. He is not fat but he is over six foot and would be over 200 lbs. She maybe 5 foot 2 or 3 and would not break 110 LBS by much. So I think she will have issues getting him up a ramp into the house.

They made sure the ramp is at the correct slope. It has a switch back in it to keep the grade fairly flat. I just thought some type of powered chair would make it easier on them.

So do guys have any ideas???

If you could figure out a way to put a small electric winch at the top of the ramp it could go through a pulley and then connect to the backside/bottom of a normal wheelchair and she could just push a button and he would be pulled up to the switch back. Then unhook the pulley, turn the chair and keep pulling. Wouldn't be terribly expensive either.

I don't know where they get them, but the V.A. Hospital had wheelchairs that the nurse walked along and guided but were battery powered so they don't have to push them. That's what they wheeled me around in last month when I was in there. Don't know if this helps or not. By the way, has there been anywhere set up to send money to help Steve yet? Please let us know if there is, I'd like to help out and I'm too far away to help in any other way. Keith

JD,
Here is the deal, an electric chair for inside is usually paid for my insurance or medicare. Insurance and medicare usually doesn't pay for outside chairs. Outside chairs cost mega bucks.

I kept my mother's inside chair, because there is no resale value when an insurance will pay for a new one. From experience, I would not want any chair that is controlled by a joy stick. They are a pain in the butt to drive when one wheel catches something like a rug. However they can turn on a dime. I would want a chair that I can control the steering, no joy stick.

If you lived near Terre Haute, I would loan you my mother's chair. I'm keeping it for that someday when someone in my family needs it.
George

I found a Hoveround on crg list had to put new batteries on it. I think that could be fitted with supports for his legs. This chair has enough power to haul my wife through the Louisville zoo steep hills. It is heavy enough to sit still when he is getting in and out of the chair, most wheelchairs tend to move around and the caretaker ends up holding the chair instead of the paient.

JD,
You mentioned an issue getting a person up a ramp in a chair. Most people build ramps that are too steep. They should only rise 1 inch per foot. So if you have a rise of 3 ft to your house, the ramp needs to be 36 ft long. Most people make ramps to short to fit the space they have.
George

We haver,t had trouble with the joystick but never saw anything else.

I know a large man who recently got 3 wheel chair from the VA that has a bicycle type steering. He uses his for inside and outside on a hard surface, no grass. Also seen 4 wheel outside chairs that has mechanical steering.

I've used both types, joy stick and mechanical and would want Mechanical steering if I had a choice.

As for batteries, they are the weak link. Shop around on the internet and there is a wide range of prices for replacement batteries. My mom's chair needed batteries. My sister in Florida got a pair installed for around $100. Other places wanted a fortune.

I have mom's chair on a mechanical timer to charge the batteries for 30 minutes a day. Keep the batteries charged or replace them.

We moved my mom to assisted living Wednesday and she needed a power chair or scooter...Looked at the local health stores and saw them up to $8,000 (Of course those were the high end Cadillacs, a few were more like 2,700 to 4,000))...Looked on Flea bay and saw the same or cheaper chairs out the ying yang, $350 to $1000 would but them all day...A buddy had a Sonic like new hardly used perfect condition, picked it up for $250.

MORAL OF THE STORY SHOP AROUND. Old folks buy them NEW cuz medicare pays a big part, then they die and thE relatives cant get rid of them, THERES ALL SORTS OF THEM LIKE NEW ON THE SECONDARY MARKET WAS MY EXPERIENCE....

ORRRRRRRRRRR be a good citizen and go out buy a new expensive unit and let taxpayers foot the bill (or even pay for it yourself) and that creates jobs and grows the economy......

John T

Check with your local American Leigon post. Ours takes donated medical equptment and loans it out to people in need.

JD -
Try to get one with power recline. With recline,pressure is relieved on one's bottom and reduces the possibility of "pressure sores" which are to be avoided by any neans. My wife's last wheelchair had that feature,joystick controls and was one with a short wheelbase that was so much more manoeuvrable in confined places.

is there anyway to adapt the chair from a sitting position? maybe using metal T clamps on the down tubes, build a small platform out front for his legs, and brace it off the foot rests, might need to add a small weight on the rear of the seat area to compensate for his legs being out in front of him instead of in the sitting position in order to keep the chair stable, just an idea having not seen the actual chair and how its made

Check with your local Goodwill, they have some rental programs, and I think, for vets, they are free. Our local one had a new looking power chair, that originally sells for $3600, for sale for $500. I have seen them sell for as little as $150, at estate auctions. Sounds like you have some local willing helpers, I bet you will find a chair, and engineer a good ramp, and leg brace.

Go talk to a 'medical supply' place.They can help.When Susan was so sick and faceing paralasis,we checked with one of those places-very helpful.Plus the hospital and the physical therapy dept can provide some rescourses.Call a nursing home,sometimes there are chairs available there.

Well guys let me try this again.

1)We have a power outside chair that looks like the one in the picture. It will work fine as soon as he is out of hard leg casts.

2) The ramp is actually flatter than the Fed rules are for them. We have 24 inches of raise and the ramp is 30 feet long with a switch back in the middle. They built it inside the two car garage. That way everything is under roof so snow/ice will not be an issue. Carol has a lot of room for their Mini van. They will not need two vehicles for some time.

We have already found a lift she can use to put him into the van. Their van has removable seats and we found a company that makes a wheel chair lock for that model. So we have that covered.

So the poster that talked about the powered chair he was in at the VA is what I am looking for. I have already tried the local suppliers and Vet associations. They have the type like we already have. We are finding many of the things we need from people that no longer need them. Have been watching all of the ads in the Eastern half of Iowa. The DILs have been really watching that like a hawk.

As far as a fund. I talked to Steve and Carol yesterday when I went down to see Steve in person. They both WILL not even think about taking outside money. They told me that the disability insurance and the health insurance they have are the top end plans. So the bills look to be largely being paid. They also said they have emergency fund of one year's living expenses just for this type of thing. They really have their house in order!!!

I had to really talk long and hard to get him to even keep his cattle. He was wanting to just sell them now so no one had to do any chores.

Steve's family is just his "Mother". Carol's parents I do not know at all. I have met them maybe once. It seems like they have the means to help if Steve and Carol need it. So that is all of the news I currently have.

PS they are talking about Steve coming home late next week after his surgery sites heal some. It looks like he is doing pretty good compared to how it looked New Years Day.

friend runs unit on tracks,that unit will go anyplaceand turns 360 i think he said was in 3000range,he also sell them i believe will get info if that would help

Watch your local Craigslist. Amazing how many are for sale in out area of winter visitors. The Gubba Mint buys them for a patient, the patient passes on, the family has no use for it and puts it up for sale......usually real cheap because the quickly discover the don't bring much because there are so many available.
Replacement batteries are readily available on line from various sources and are not all that expensive and many times will ship to you free.

You are to be commended for your role in Steve"s recovery. Neighbors like you make the world a great place. Here are some suggestions from long time personal experiences with recuperation, lifts, and power wheel chairs.

Power wheel chairs, unlike scooters, are assembled for each individual, longer seat "pan" for taller people, narrow "pan" for petites, many, many other specs. The legs straight in front, as many have mentioned, requires special balance considerations. I would expect insurance to cover the chair, in much the same way it is covering his hospital bills. It is a category called durable medical items.

At the hospital, there are helpers with Steve"s care, but at home those helpers disappear, and reliance on the equipment increases exponentially. Do not settle for a manual chair. With all the considerations, leg casts, physical size, etc., a manual chair will suit the insurance company fine, but not live up to the real world of recuperation.


An power chair can be fitted with an additional "attendant"s joy stick" on the back, and that is probably how the VA has them set up, so either the patient from the armrest, or the attendant from behind, can steer. I think many come with that feature. The joystick can be set by the supplier at high or low sensitivity to accommodate the patients abilities.

Get an electric wheel chair that "Tilts" (the whole seat, leg supports and back of the chair tip as one piece and allow the patient to remain in right angle sitting position, head goes down as feet come up) AND "Reclines" (only the back tips away from the seat, and allows the patient to more-or-less lay flat in the chair). As someone pointed out, "Recline" helps avoid pressure sores. "Recline" is also useful, and probably NECESSARY to get Steve in and out of the chair with his legs remaining straight. Reliance on home equipment increases exponentially once hospital helpers are gone.

Please know (as your doctors and therapists know) the exact, and I mean EXACT, wording of the prescription for the wheel chair will make all the difference in getting it "approved". Find an experienced rehab doctor or therapist who knows the "code words" the insurance company will be looking for, and be sure to ask your doctor to use them. It is so much easier to have it worded correctly the first time, and to get what you really need than it is to be denied and try to re-submit, and go thru all that hassle.



PS It is great they have a hospital bed and a room ready. Getting away from the hospital is a big step, and the less it looks like a hospital room the better. Make it as normal as possible. Face the bed toward a window if you can. Put a welcome sign on the door. Keep the coffee pot on. Have a comfortable visitors chair. Encourage visitors. Avoid white sheets.

PPS Did I mention the need for "Recline"? Just picture in your mind a patient in a lift sling, legs in casts, and trying to get the patients hips in a right angle so you can slide his seat in the wheel chair seat that is also a right angle. The Recline feature may be hard to convince them that it is needed, but you will thank your lucky stars that you have it many, many times over.

For a chair that will be used outside, make sure you get it from someone who will also service it. Stuff breaks. And you can't just buy parts. Parts only come thru authorized providers who also install them.
I'm on my third power chair. 2 Quantum Jazzy 1420 and a Jazzy Select HD. I can't buy parts to fix it myself. The company won't sell them to a user. And I can only get service from the place I got the chair from.
As far as ramps go, my chair will climb a steep ramp or incline.
Watch your turning radius. I can't use my chair in the house because the
hallways and doors are too narrow.

Pooh Bear

http://www.pridemobility.com/

Will a wheel chair with his legs extended go around corners into the doorways he needs to pass through?

I am not sure if it will. What I am thinking of is more of one where Carol would be operating it but it would assist her in getting him up the ramp.

She maybe able to get him up the ramp fine with just a regular wheel chair but I have pushed/pulled people up ramps and it is hard work an I am twice her size.

Power wheelchair information and comparison from the Reeve foundation. No axe to grind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJQU4UheZjk

I was just over at ebay looking at tractor parts and I just thought by chance I'd look at chairs.

This is an expensive chair new, used, much cheaper that would probably do all you need. Just trying to help.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Invacare-FD...pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item25796b14b3

With YT connections might be able to get it out of Texas without shipping charges.