applying for a new wheelchair

[binkyboots]

well, dh has currently a fairly basic chair, it's incredibly heavy (tones my arms up a treat though), clunky to fold and hard for him to self propell, it was given to us because (when we first got it) he was using crutches to get around and the chair only occasionaly.

Now the balance has shifted, he uses his chair for grocery shopping, days out, most anywhere he goes really.

he's prone to pressure sores, needs an extending leg rest to keep his left leg raised, we need to apply to the mobility centre for a new chair, any tips on makes we should be looking at?

something lightweight, easy to fold... perhaps could even be used for a begginer to wheelchair sports (something he's expressed an interest in)

thank you guys!

 

[SueM in MN]

The therapists at the center will be able to help since they can actually see/examine your DH and know what is available in your area.
The 2 most common manufacturers of lightweight manual wheelchairs in the US are Sunrise Medical and Invacare and both also sell in the UK.
My DD has always had Quickie manual wheelchairs (made by Sunrise) and her power wheelchair is an Invacare.

Here's a link to the Sunrise Medical UK website. Sunrise makes Quickie and Breezy wheelchairs. I don't know if this link will work, but it's a link to the Quickie and Breezy option book, which shows the things that are available for those wheelchairs. They show 2 types of elevating leg rests, articulating and elevating. The therapists/equipment people will be able to tell you which options are available for the wheelchair that most fits your DH's needs.
Sunrise also makes lightweight sports wheelchairs, but the problem with those for your DH is that they have one piece fronts - not able to put elevating legrests on those.



My DD is at high risk of skin breakdown. She has used a Jay gel cushion since she was little with good results. That is also made by Sunrise Medical, but you can use it on any brand wheelchair - she has one for her manual wheelchair (Quickie) and her power one (Invacare).

Here's a link to the Invacare UK site. I can't find a page that lists the options, but there must be some availability of other footrests.

I know there are other wheelchair companies that market in Europe, but are not common in the US. Hopefully, some of the UK/European posters can help with that.

 

[BillSears]

I have a Quickie 2 with a Jay Active cushion. They're great for me!

I have standard swing away footrests but I'm sure you can get the elevated ones for it too. The chair plus cushion weighs 37 pounds total. I'd guess the cushion is about 5 pounds of that, that gel is great but is alot heavier then foam.

 

[Sue & Co.]

Hi,

I have a Breezy wheelchair supplied by the NHS. It is light enough for me to be able to lift in to the boot if I am on my own, following my assessment the therapist specified certain of the customisations and it is the most comfortable wheelchair I have used. I assume the NHS wheelchair service is similar north of the border!

The only downside was that it took 11 weeks from being told I would be assessed to receiving the chair.

Sue

 

[SueM in MN]

The only downside was that it took 11 weeks from being told I would be assessed to receiving the chair.

Sue

That's actually not too bad.
My DD's last wheelchair took about 12 weeks from the time it was approved until we received the wheelchair. Then it was wrong and it took many corrections to get it right. By the time she actually had the correct wheelchair with the correct seat in the correct size, it was just 2 weeks short of being a year from the time the chair was first fitted.
(Just want to mention that is not necessarily typical in the US; my DD has a very long narrow seat cushion and needed a very custom custom seat. Instead of verifying whether or not the measurements were correct, the company just assumed they could not be and made the seat to the specifications they thought must be right (3 times).

 

[binkyboots]

wow, that must be light, dh's current chair weighs, hmm... 40 lbs I'd guess, lol, it feels like it after a long day at any rate.

we've called our local mobility centre for an updated assesment, bit of a wait, but hopefully we'll be sorted for our next trip (off to skye this summer)

 

[GroovyWheeler]

I have a Quickie 2 also, and it took approxamately 3 weeks for the paperwork to be processed, and it to be ordered. Having a comfortable cushion in a wheelchair, is a big plus, especially if your husband is going to be spending some time in it. Plus, the Quickie 2 is so light in weight, that it's easy for my mom/caregivers to pick up, and put into the trunk/rear of a car/van. It makes their backs entirely grateful, especially when they themselves, have health issues of their own, most of them orthopedic.

When I first got my manual wheelchair, the cushion it came with, was made out of foam only-no gel (it was a Jay Combi), and because I couldn't walk at all, at the time, I got various pressure sores on my tailbone. The good thing was, when my mom and I went to Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, for my hip replacement surgery at Rochester Methodist Hospital, the physical therapist at the rehab. unit, recommended a Jay 2 with gel/foam. That worked for a while, up until 2 years ago, when I was beginning to feel a lot of discomfort and pain from the cushion, so I wound up switching to a Jay 2 Deep Contoured.

I have one in both wheelchairs, and really like it. I have a solid drop-seat base in my power chair, and a sling seat in my manual wheelchair (for the cushion to sit on) and can hardly feel any back/hip pain when sitting for long periods of time, in either wheelchair, as I had with my previous wheelchair cushions.

Samantha

 

[SueM in MN]

That worked for a while, up until 2 years ago, when I was beginning to feel a lot of discomfort and pain from the cushion, so I wound up switching to a Jay 2 Deep Contoured.

that's the same seat that my DD has in her manual and power wheelchairs. She also has a Jay 2 Deep Contour back.
Her manual wheelchair is a Quickie GP (which would not work for the OP because it has no way to elevate the footrest).