Last post Tue, Feb 12 2008 3:12 PM by elainehous. 11 replies.
I have never received "good" wheelchair training because, outside of a rehab environment, insurance is not very willing to show me how to:
- Hop a curb in my Invacare ProSPIN X4-F80 manual chair- Safely maneuver in an off-camber condition with my Pride Mobility Q6000 powerchair- Properly inflate my Varilite Meridian cushion to provide me the best contour in pressure relief
Then again, perhaps not…
Dave
I'm self taught...both crutches and manual wheelchair...Either are pretty easy to learn...never had a wheelchair accident and only "face planted " once on crutches
Joe,
Do you have a super-light 2 pound manual chair made with NASA scrap material and technology?
Surely you are riding on a TiLite something and not a "hospital clunker."
I can't transport my powerchair (no van yet) and getting around in a manual chair based on some of the terrain that the city "throws" at me, my wife is gonna have a heart attack over. Going up/down an escalator where there are no elevators is one thing but going up/down fixed steps is quite another.experience. LOL
What's always been interesting to me is that there is no "rehab" when you are in a wheelchair from very early on in life...I was born with my disability and used a wheelchair full-time from about 1st grade on.
While I've had PT, they focused on my walking and really only taught me wheelchair handling skills when it came time to figure out how to get my chair in my 2-door car. Maybe it's assumed that you'll learn those things with time (since you have alot of it in your chair growing up!) but with no one else in my family that uses a wheelchair, who would teach me? I know it does come more natural to some-I've learned what wheelchair skills I didn't "get" on my own from my boyfriend because he was much more risky than me and just figured it out through several trials and errors (falling a bunch!). I'm still not confident hopping down curbs though but I'm good pulling up them and can hop up little ones.
Kara,
While I was reading your reply, it did occur to me that if you wanted specialized driving skills for a car or off-road vehicle, you do have to pay for classes. So perhaps "driving" my chair is the same, I need to pay for the classes out-of-pocket.
Well, if that is the case, it'll have to wait. I've got a lot of other out-of-pocket expenses to pay for and DME yet to purchase before specialized chair training will be in the budget. LOL
Actually got my chair thru another source...with my insurance, I have to use a local medical supply that is overpriced (over $600 for my cheap plastic and velcro AFO braces) . Their selection of wheelchairs not in the $2000+ price range is pathetic and geared to the 80 year old population.
Well my wife used to work for the local Center for Independent Living (CIL) and they provide free wheelchairs to their clients from the International Wheelchair Foundation. Well...I became a client...Got a hot, fire engine red chair. It is very light and built for quite harsh terrains. It has oversized front wheels which I thought looked stupid at first, but the chair won't bog down on soft ground or carpeting. I did get a little coaching from CIL like always using the brakes whenever I got in or out of the chair etc
Here's the website for the wheelchair foundation: http://www.wheelchairfoundation.org/
Actually I did give CIL a fairly substantial donation
Joe
My powerchair is metallic red. That is my "little red sport-car" and the manual chair; it's bright metallic lime green in color. Unrealistic in the prices though! Almost $25K for the powerchair and almost $4K for the manual (both MSRP). For high-end rehab DME, the prices are like wow! I understand though; small demand, highly customized and all. But for folks with no insurance, that is where foundations like you mentioned are a Godsend. I actually have an older powerchair that was about $15K in 2000 that I want to donate. I see so many folks selling used DME and I can understand; in a way. Disability is not cheap and requires a lot of DME not covered by insurance. Once a person gets a new chair or passes, I guess some families just need the cash to help pay bills for their other DME needs. My old chair probably has a "street value" of around $1,000. I will look in to the Wheelchair Foundation's donor program. I've looked at local CILs but most seem uninterested in the donation. Thanks for the web address!
Off the main topic briefly...How do you hot link a url? Tried to hotlink the WCF...just got a texk line
I was gonna reply privately but then I figured somebody else is probably wondering too. Using either the "quick reply" or the "reply" function, on the same tool bar line that you see "B" for bold and just past the number bullet list button, you will see a dimmed-out chain link icon (9th icon from the left or 5th icon from the right. That is the hypertext add function. But before it becomes active, you need to highlight the word or words you want a URL tied to. Just highlight the word(s) using the mouse pointer and the link button will become active. Press the button and a new dialog box will appear to add the web address in. You can also "command" the link to either open in the same or open in a new window using the drop down selection. Once a hot link exists, you can "break" the link using the next button to the right. Let me know if this solves it for you.
Got it! Thanks
Test.... Foundation
cudachaser: Got it! Thanks Test.... Foundation Joe
Excellent!
I like to use that feature as I write when I mention something that folks may not be familiar with. That way, all the user needs to do is click on the hypertext.
Have a GREAT day!
KaraSwims:What's always been interesting to me is that there is no "rehab" when you are in a wheelchair from very early on in life...I was born with my disability and used a wheelchair full-time from about 1st grade on. While I've had PT, they focused on my walking and really only taught me wheelchair handling skills...
While I've had PT, they focused on my walking and really only taught me wheelchair handling skills...
I am in he similar boat as Kara. I have used a chair part time since I was in first grade and have never actually been taught wheelchair skills. I have been in PT all my life but that focused on my ability to walk and such. I have been using a chair fulltime since April and have had to figure out how to get around my college campus on my own and deal with things that are inacessable. All I have earned has been trial and error and watching others as I have been an outpatient patient at Shriners Hospital all my life. All I can say is alot is learned by trial and error.
