Wheel Chair Suggestion Pls

[luvsvacations]

I will be traveling with my 20 year niece. She is about 4'5" and 100 lbs. She has Downs Syndrome and tires quickly. I am looking at renting a wheel chair for her but they all seem so heavy and bulky. Is there something that can be rented that is lighter. She has no problems walking - just slower and as I said tires quickly.

Thanks for your help

 

[KPeveler]

Check out the wheelchair rental companies listed in the FAQs at the top of the page. There are one or two which rent pediatric wheelchairs (which will be much more comfortable than adult ones) and there are also ones which rent Special Needs Strollers - some of those should be large enough to hold her.

If you do rent a stroller that is not obviously a wheelchair or a Special Needs stroller, you should stop at Guest Relations and get a GAC to allow you to use the stroller as a wheelchair in the queues.

 

[scdak]

I will be traveling with my 20 year niece. She is about 4'5" and 100 lbs. She has Downs Syndrome and tires quickly. I am looking at renting a wheel chair for her but they all seem so heavy and bulky. Is there something that can be rented that is lighter. She has no problems walking - just slower and as I said tires quickly.

Thanks for your help

I would also suggest looking into using a transport chair, it does not have the large rear wheels and has to be pushed rather than having the option of the person using the chair roll it themself but they are light weight. I bought one for my mother that weighs less than 19 lbs total, and it worked great for our trip in December. I am not sure if rental agencies near Disney have them but I know we have rented one at a medical supply store in our hometown in the past. I decided to purchase one last year knowing that we would be using it many times on future trips and it was less than $150, which was the same as renting one just a few times. If you are driving its not too space consuming. If you are flying its a godsend in the airports, it can be gatechecked when you board just like strollers and once you arrive at your destination its ready to use as soon as you get off the plane.

 

[luvsvacations]

Thank you for the suggestions - I will look into all of them -

 

[clanmcculloch]

When I was researching chairs for DD10 (she was around 4'8" and 80lb at the time) for a trip, it was explained to me by a rental company that we didn't want a pediatric chair but rather a 16" chair. Pediatric chairs are for much smaller kids. The 16" chair was great. Just to give you a feel for the size, here's a few pictures from different angles of her in the chair. You can see that her knees were just past the end of the seat which is what you want. The arms were probably higher than ideal for her body but she was comfortable so that's what mattered. I had to do the majority of the pushing because DH is 6'3" and I'm 5'4"; the handles were a comfortable height for me but DH had to lean when he'd push so it was less comfortable for him.

 

[luvsvacations]

Thanks for the pictures. I think the 16" will work. I thought there might be something out there - with smaller wheels and lighter. But that will work...

THanks again

 

[WheelieBigDisFan]

Thanks for the pictures. I think the 16" will work. I thought there might be something out there - with smaller wheels and lighter. But that will work...

THanks again

If you are looking for a wheelchair with smaller rear wheels consider something like the chair on the far right of this page. It is called a transport wheelchair and must be pushed by a second person, the person in the chair can't self propel at all.

I have never rented from Randy's or any other company in the Orlando area (I am planning my first trip to the World right now) but have read many good things on the DIS about them.
Mandy

(sorry, I can't post the link yet...I will post a dummy post after this to get my post count up...Mods...silly rule.../rant)

 

[WheelieBigDisFan]

With that said, I think with her short height and low body weight she might do fine in a pediatric wheelchair and/or special needs stroller. The young girl in a chair above is still in an oversized chair. I would have desired a shorter seat (pelvis is tilted back and she is leaning back to have back on backrest), shorter (or no) armrests and a lower back.
However, pushing a "hospital grade" wheelchair of any size will be harder than pushing an ultra lightweight wheelchair such as one that is custom fit for that person. I will post a picture of my ultra lightweight wheelchair with the next post.

 

[WheelieBigDisFan]

With that said, I think with her short height and low body weight she might do fine in a pediatric wheelchair and/or special needs stroller. The young girl in a chair above is still in an oversized chair. I would have desired a shorter seat (pelvis is tilted back and she is leaning back to have back on backrest), shorter (or no) armrests and a lower back.
However, pushing a "hospital grade" wheelchair of any size will be harder than pushing an ultra lightweight wheelchair such as one that is custom fit for that person. I will post a picture of my ultra lightweight wheelchair with the next post.

http://randysmobility.com/randys/Wheelchair_pricing.html (Transport chair is the one on the far right)

Below is a picture of me in my personal wheelchair. My current wheelchair (pictured) is too long in the seat and pushes my feet off the footrest, and is also too wide. I am in the process of getting another wheelchair that will have a better custom fit.

 

[luvsvacations]

Thanks for that info - more of what I am looking for. I will give them a call on Tues.

 

[WheelieBigDisFan]

I think you will like them. They are much easier to transport in b/c they don't have the HEAVY large rear wheels. Regular hospital grade wheelchairs with large rear wheels, footrests, armrests, etc weigh in around 50 lbs. The transport chair will come in closer to 20 lbs. If you think she might need one, see if they have a chair with a seatbelt they can attach. This way if she gets so tired that she becomes a limp noodle she doesn't risk sliding out of the chair. If that is not an issue for her, don't worry about it.
Good luck and have FUN on your trip!
Mandy

 

[luvsvacations]

Thank you Mandy, I will give Randys Mobility a call tomorrow and ask about the transport chair.