Wheelchair Accessible Construction

Every year, thousands of Americans suffer from diseases or injuries that require them to use a wheelchair. What type of impact does this have on society? If you are the loved one of one of those who must use a wheelchair, you may need to perform wheelchair accessible construction on the home to make it easier for them to move around and reach things. If you are the owner of a business, federal law may require that you make your facilities handicap accessible. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that public accommodations meet certain standards as to not discriminate against the handicapped, including those in wheelchairs.

What type of wheelchair accessible construction are you looking at? Homes as well as businesses should have wheelchair ramps, grab bars and handrails, and commercial washroom accessories. If you are helping a person with a wheelchair with their home, you will want something for them to sit on while showering, so a folding shower or tub seat will be necessary.

As far as wheelchair ramps, there are many types from which to choose. There are modular wheelchair ramps (strong, yet portable and affordable), solid wheelchair ramps (one piece ? more desirable if a permanent ramp is needed), folding wheelchair ramp (durable and lightweight for travel), and threshold wheelchair ramps (specifically designed for doorways). You will want to ensure the safety of any ramp you purchase, so as the dealer if it is ADA compliant. A slip resistance high traction surface is very important to have. You will need to ask yourself if the ramp will ever need to be carried with the individual that needs it. If so, you may want something lightweight so it can be easily moved. Many dealers offer aluminum ramps, which are sturdy yet lightweight. Check to see how easy and quick it is to set up the ramp.

One of the most important parts of wheelchair accessible construction in a home or business are bars and handrails. Grab bars and handrails are great accessories to have for those in wheelchairs, especially in the restrooms. These bars and handrails provide stability and extra support for those who need it. Handrails can also be used beside a ramp and is especially helpful if the ramp is very long. It helps the individual keep their balance and provides safety. Grab bars should be mounted securely. This involves screwing the hardware directly into wall studs or wood blocking. The ADA says that handrails must be securely anchored, mounted between 34 and 38 inches high, projected from the wall 1 1/2 inches, and the ends must be rounded off for safety.

Shower and tub seating is also a very important part of making a home ready for someone using a wheelchair. There are different types of seating including L-shaped shower seats and folding tub seats. It will probably be more convenient to have the seats mounted to the wall, rather than have seats that the individual has to place in and out of the tub.

The most important thing when working with wheelchair accessible construction is safety and security. Please ensure that all additions made are safe for the person to use and comply with ADA standards.

Beverly Walker is a retired nurse providing valuable information about wheel chairs, mobility chairs, and scooters.

Wheel Chair Consumer Purchasing Guide

Purchasing a wheel chair can be a difficult task. This article will help aid in the purchase of a wheel chair by answering commonly asked. Follow this informational guide will certainly make your wheel chair buying experience more effortless as well as enlightening. Before you buy a wheel chair ask yourself...

What type of chair do I need?

Two types of Manual Wheel Chairs exist: Standard Wheel Chairs and Transport Wheel Chairs. Standard wheel chairs are usually self operated by the wheel chair user, they also can be pushed by a loved one or helper. Distinguishable features of standard wheel chairs are they usually have two small 'caster' wheels in front followed two large wheels in the back. Transport wheel chairs are slightly different. Transport wheel chairs cannot be self operated by the user only, meaning the user can not turn the wheels with his arms. In order to propel Transport wheel chairs an individual needs to be pushed by a helper or loved one. As far as description, Transport wheel chairs look different than a standard wheel chair, all wheels on them are smaller similar to 'caster' wheels that are located on the front of a standard wheel chair.

What arm-rest types are available?

Armrests are there to provide support for an individual's arms and shoulders. Armrests are available in two lengths Full Length and Desk Length. Desk Length armrests are shorter and allow individual to move in closer to desk, table's, counters & etc. Full length armrest as the name implies are full length.

There are many different combination types of armrest but the standards types are: Fixed, Adjustable, Removable, and Flip-Back. Fixed armrests do not adjust, they also cannot be removed. Adjustable armrests are adjustable to varying heights for different comfort levels. Removable and Flip-Back armrests can be taking off or flipped backed as the name suggest, in order to allow the individual to easily get in and out his/her wheel chair or to allow for easy transfer of an individual in a wheel chair

What type of Footrests / Legrests do I need?

For leg support Footrests and Legrests are the two types of support available. Legrests can elevate and usually has a Calf Pad attached to it. This function allows an individual to raise and lower their legs, a locking feature allows for the individual to lock the legrests in a comfortable elevation position. Footrests on the other hand, gives leg support in a seated position and also do not elevate. Both legrest can have a Swing-Away option. The Swing-Away options allows for the legrest to be moved out of the way from their natural position in front of the wheel chair, to the side of the chair; which allows for a clear path to the seat of the wheel chair.

These cover most of the basic aspects which go into buying a wheel chair. Hopefully this information will help to aid someone in making a more informed wheelchair purchase. And hopefully save lots of time and effort in buying the best wheel chair that fits your need. Good luck and I hope your wheel chair purchasing situation is a great one.

How much does a wheel chair weigh?

When buying a wheel chair you will see term such as "light weight wheel chair." These are not to be overlooked; a lighter wheel chair can make the workload of a user or companion easier. An example, a wheel chair weighing 20 pounds will be easier to push than a 40 pound chair, if a wheel chair needed to be place in the trunk of a car or lifted up stairs, a 20 pound differential will save a lot of time and effort. People have different needs, comfort levels and budgets, so choose a chair weight which better fits your individual circumstances while remembering that lighter weight wheel chair are usually easier to work with

What is the weight capacity of a wheel chair?

Bariatric Products are items which are made for individuals that have a body weight more than the average population usually between 350 and 550 pounds. Most Standard wheel chairs have a weight capacity of only 250 lb - 300 lb. If the wheel chair user requires a larger chair to accommodated more weight than 300 pounds, heavy-duty or bariatric wheel chairs are probably an item you might want to take a look at. In the long run a bariatric wheel chair will be more comfortable to larger individuals and less prone to weight related breakage.

What is the size of the seat?

Seat size can be a large factor in comfort. As human our body dimension are different, especially in the hip area. Sometimes 'one size fits all' but that is not the case at all times. The standard measurement of seat size is usually in width x depth form. Wheel chairs are available different sizes but most are 18 inches wide by 16 inches deep (18" x 16"). In order to make sure that the seat will fit your body type perfectly you need a measurement of you hip. Using a tape measurer, lay it flat on a bed or chair, sit on it, then take a measurement from one side of your hip to the other(one or two inches should be added to ensure a comfortable fit). The depth of the seat should be factored in also. The Seat depth measurement is measured from the back of the seat to about the beginning of an individual's knee. So if you want a seat depth measurements follow the same steps as above just measure from your back to the beginning of you knee.

What is the height of the seat?

Seat height is one of the most important areas to ensure a proper fitting wheel chair. Seat height is usually a measurement from the floor to the top of the seat, of a wheel chair. This has to be very accurate because if the seat of the wheel chair is too low the occupants feet will scrape the ground, but if the occupants seat is too high, they will have a very have hard time getting in & out of the wheelchair. The correct way to measure the seat to floor height is to measure the length from a person's heel to there knee while the occupant sit upright. (Remember add an inch or two to account for comfort)

This information is bought to you by the staff of ionmeds.com an industry leader in the sale of Medical products including Walking Aids & Senior Aids.

Jake Reid is an author and mobility aid specialist at http://www.ionmeds.com/

What You Should Know Before Purchasing Powered Wheelchairs.

People are involved in many activities everyday. Healthy people?s body is functioning well and is able to perform and carry on the tasks quickly and easily without any limits. They can freely move and suddenly change to any direction they want.

Those people with disability can never perform their life?s activities freely since disability can either be in the form of mental or physical illness. They need assistance in order for them to successfully finish their life?s basic needs and their disability can either be permanent or temporary.

There is no problem regarding caring for the disabled since there are many kinds of care where in it will help both the patient and the care giver to lessen the burdens on their daily routines. Some equipments, devices, medical products and supplies are recommended by doctors to help the patients in their recovery. The wheelchair is the famous device aiding patients with disability.

A powered wheelchair is powered specifically by batteries, motor or electricity and is more accessible in terms of usage compared from a manual wheelchair.

Wheelchair is considered a medical aiding device. The use of it needs a thorough evaluation on the doctor?s medical diagnosis and the patient?s ailments. Wheelchair should fit the patient?s physique and doctor?s recommendation. It is not advisable for reuse and not for resale.

These are the disadvantages of a used power wheelchair:

- The time span spent for using the power wheelchair may already affect its physical make up that may cause maintenance problems.

- It might not be compatible to the new user because of different medical diagnosis and symptoms of ailments.

- Used powered wheelchair has no guaranteed warranty because warranty is not transferable to the next user.

- The mobility of the powered wheelchair may also be affected.

- Poor physical condition due to poor maintenance of the previous users.

It is necessary that you must be able to know the specific good and bad qualities or signs before purchasing a used power wheelchair.

- You must know its physical condition especially if you are purchasing online. Careful viewing of all its corners and battery box is needed. It is not properly maintained if you observe some signs of corrosion.

? The joystick bracket of the chair is bended
? The upholstery shows signs of breakage
? It contains a scuffed forks and frames
? The bearings, electronic parts and motors are already defective

- Check whether the used powered wheelchair undergoes a good maintenance.

- Be sure that the batteries are in good condition.

- If the used powered wheelchair model is unfamiliar to you, check first all its qualities before buying.

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Why You Should Consider Getting An Affordable Used Wheelchairs

If you would consider buying a used wheelchair for your weary grandma in order to save some cash, then think first about the safety of using used wheelchair models.

Used wheelchairs may give the user with a much lesser expensive choice to buy a wheelchair and you may as well learn better deals on the previous year?s models or seldom used wheelchairs to which the owner has done upgrading stuffs on the chair for a newer and modern one.

The prices of latest wheelchairs may range from a few hundred to few thousands of dollars for the newest and advanced models; a smart option can be a used wheelchair. Used wheelchairs can have important wears, shabbiness and tears even though many people provide careful maintenance of the chairs.

This article will provide you ideas on buying used wheelchairs if you decide to purchase one.

The factors that caused wheelchair users and owners find much better substitutes such as used electric or power wheelchairs are increasing health costs and limits to federal funding. Second-hand electric wheelchairs surely are cheaper compared to the recent ones but a lot of careful thinking should be made when purchasing a used wheelchair whether the manual or the power one.

Further information regarding second-hand wheelchairs are available in most advertisements on television, bulletin boards, print-ads, posters, websites, as well as newsletters and at public rehabilitation centers and hospitals or even from disability institutions. Moreover, search information for used wheelchairs can be found in classified ads sections of most newspapers and can be found also in most pawnshops.

One disadvantage of purchasing a used wheelchair is the condition of non-transferability of the chair?s warranty. Other advantages must be considered as well like the wheelchairs? technical capabilities, condition, accessories, fittings and physical proportions. It is far better to be well-informed before purchasing a used wheelchair due to available different options and several accessories for wheelchairs.

You can check on to online sites that retails used wheelchairs for an easy purchase of used wheelchairs. It?s easy but you can?t try and test the wheelchair.

Varieties of electric and manual wheelchairs including the second-hand that have undergone upgrades and that are completely customizable to accommodate your requirements are featured by wheelchair companies. Some wheelchairs feature a few number of leg, seating options and arm to best suit the customer?s broad range of needs.

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Factors To Consider When Choosing A Wheelchair Battery

The wheelchair is not merely the convenience that you should look after even though it is a great help for its users. There are various types of wheelchair styles available in the market and it has specific considerations that need to take into account.

One type is manual wheelchair and you may be familiar with its usage since it is the first one to be used by in the past.

While on the other hand, dealing with power and electric wheelchairs are of a different thing altogether. In order for it to run, you need a wheelchair battery and therefore you should consider your battery consumption.

It is quite a difficult task to choose a type of battery for your electric or power wheelchair. You need to gauge the kind of trips that you will have aside from the brand of battery.

Then you need to look into the manner of how you will use your wheelchair including the frequency of your usage.

When using the wrong battery, it tends to be stranded in the middle of your destination especially when you have a trip on rugged terrains where batteries don?t have sufficient energy to sustain the wheelchair.

Here are the lists of other considerations aside from the battery life:

? Cost
The cost of the wheelchair battery can determine its quality in most cases. A good quality of the battery can be determined by factors such as: it takes up less space and weighs less.

? Maintenance
It is in line with the cost consideration and is really hard to accept the situation if you do not properly use the battery. It is better to maximize the usage of battery life for lesser maintenance.

? Transportation ability
The capacity of the battery can be determined by this. The transportation ability also specifies the duration or length of your travel.

You must ask the dealer if the battery is already included in the package or not when buying a unit of a power or electric wheelchair. Discount can be offered in some ways.

It is really tempting to use car batteries since it is cheaper but it is not a perfect idea. Poor quality can also cause leaking of battery acid.

Be sure to fully charge the battery before taking it off to avoid damage. Battery life always depends on how frequent you use your battery. Buy a new, high quality battery if you think that it is not really doing any good.

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