The Right Wheelchair For Your Child

The Right Wheelchair for Your Child

By Joseph Parish

The modern wheelchair will come in a variety of diverse sizes and shapes depending upon the purchaser’s specific requirements. When choosing a child's chair, it can be very problematic as there are countless variables which need to be taken into consideration. Here I have outlined a few tips for which I hope you can use when selecting a child's wheelchair.

Assess your child's Specific requirements

One of the most significant factors for the selection of a child's wheelchair rests firmly in the specific requirements of the specific child. Several questions are quickly brought to mind such as what condition is the child's general health, or does the child need considerable physical support. Are they very active? When considering the type of chair to obtain for the child each of these questions will impact the particular type of chair for which you will need as well as the features which you will want to incorporate in the selected chair.

An example would be with the electric wheelchairs which are extremely sophisticated. These chairs are not only controlled by a joystick type device, but also provide adjustment of things such as the seating position, with a mere touch of the buttons. This is a useful feature for a child, which may get pressure sores or may need to have their seat adjusted frequently to remain comfortable.

The use of the joystick feature during the wheelchair operation will provide a sense of independence to the child who is suffering from limited mobility. Consequently, for the child who has considerable upper body mobility that does not actually need head or back support, then the manual wheelchair may be a better choice.

The lightweight sports models are extremely maneuverable even by hand, and provide an active child with tools to enable them to contribute fully in the majority of physical activities including many sports. They are lightweight and very simple to transport contrasting with the electric wheelchair models which are very heavy and can't be folded and quickly positioned in a vehicle trunk.

Make sure that you use extreme caution when you are purchasing a child's wheelchair.

It stands to reason that the price will not be the most important factor when you are considering a wheelchair which best matches your child. The main point here is that it meets the child's needs as completely as possible while achieving the most mobility for them that they can get.

When considering a child's wheelchair should you consider the need for a power chair, the motor must be sufficiently powerful so as to carry your child through their day at sufficient speeds to maintain the same pace as their peers. This is particularly important when they are running or playing and it must have battery charging duration sufficient that one would not have to recharge it more than once daily.

Of equal importance is the understanding that the child must be able to safely maneuver the wheelchair properly so that he or she does not injure themselves or others. As with any other powered vehicle type the powered wheelchair is not some sort of toy and should be treated with respect to avoid injury.

Today, many of the children's wheelchairs will have the ability of the chair to grow and expand as your child begins to grow. As an example, you could begin with lower speed controls for your child and as he grows you could exchange these controls for different powerful ones.

Purchasing your child wheelchair

Since a wheelchair is considered a medical device, it is normal to realize that they are not cheap especially the electric versions. Even the manual chairs can easily run approximately $2000 dollars and up while the electric wheelchairs are considerably more expensive. Due to the cost of these items should you be unable to pay for one there are several programs in effect that help you to obtain one which will best fit your child's needs regardless of your financial status.

If you are interested in further information on these programs feel free to contact a wheelchair manufacture and they will happily assist you and at the same time help you complete any of the formalities necessary in order to obtain a chair for your child.

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