Power wheelchairs are especially useful for individuals who are unable to use a self-propelled or standard wheelchair for whatever reason. They may also be used for individuals who must travel long distances, allowing them freedom and mobility without becoming excessively fatigued. Electric wheelchairs may also aid oxygen-dependent patients who use heavy oxygen tanks and prefer to drive with oxygen secured to the chair or frame. These devices provide greater independence and self-reliance for the user.
What Are the Types of Electric Power Wheelchairs?
Many different types of wheelchairs are available to meet patient needs. Electric wheelchairs are designed differently for children, older adults and bariatric users. Pediatric power chairs are designed specifically to meet the needs of smaller riders. Adult chairs vary in the amount of power, seat size, drive wheel position, construction materials, adjustability of the seat, arms, and footplates, as well as many other features. Bariatric riders may use heavy-duty electric wheelchairs that are equipped with stronger frames and extra-capacity motors. Below is a chart of the major types and their purpose.
Types of Power Chairs and Their Purposes
- Pediatric/Youth: Pediatric chairs accommodate smaller individuals and children.
- Standard: Standard wheelchairs meet the needs of the majority of mobility patients.
- Lightweight/Portable: Lightweight Portable electric wheelchairs offer foldable designs and/or easy disassembly for placement in a car trunk for easier transport. Portable electric wheelchairs also tend to be lighter in weight than standard wheelchairs, which makes them ideal for travel.
- Heavy-duty: Heavy-duty power chairs are constructed with stronger materials, have more powerful motors and feature powerful batteries to support bariatric patients.
- Reclining: Reclining chairs accommodate patients with hip issues, orthostatic hypotension, prevention or treatment of pressure ulcers and improving blood circulation.
- Tilt-In-Space: These power chairs provide therapeutic positions for neuromuscular disease, edema, pressure ulcers, postural hypotension, back pain and fatigue.
- Outdoor/Beach: Outdoor power wheelchairs are ruggedly designed with suspension, extra-large tires, gripping tires and better drive wheel placement for rough terrain.
- Power Assist: Power-assist wheelchairs are easy to disassemble, are lightweight, highly portable and accommodate patients with some self-mobility functions. Adaptive kits are available to convert standard wheelchairs to power-assist chairs.
- Elevating: An elevating power chair raises patients to standing heights for easier socializing and to better conduct business.
How to Select an Electric Wheelchair
When choosing a power chair, it’s important to take the lifestyles and comfort levels of the users into account, as well as the performance factors that are needed for daily use. Additionally, drive wheel factors may be considered to accommodate outdoor use or unique issues, such as sloped terrain or rough-road handling.
Chair Selection Factors:
- Comfortable seat size with appropriate width and depth
- Swivel chairs for easy ingress and egress
- Swing-away armrests for easy ingress and egress
- Adjustable armrest heights
- Adjustable seat heights
- Adjustable footplate heights
- Reclining backs
- Headrests
Key Performance Factors:
- Top speed
- Maximum distance
- Turning radiuses
- Maximum climbing angles
Drive Wheel:
- Weight distributions
- Centers of gravity
- Stability
- Turning radiuses
- Negotiating obstacles
- Negotiating slopes
- Rough-road handling
With so many different powerchair options on today's market, some might feel overwhelmed with the selection process. In reality, however, having a wide range of options and choices is better for the patient. These options allow mobility patients to choose the best automatic wheelchair for their specific needs. In addition to the factors briefly mentioned in the chart above, there are eight key factors to consider when choosing the best electric wheelchair for a patient’s needs. These factors are listed below:
Selection Criteria
- Weight Capacity: Ensure the power chair meets a patient’s weight requirements. Heavier or bariatric patients will need to choose heavy-duty power chairs that are bariatric-friendly.
- Dimensions: Measure doorways and compare figures to ensure the power chair will fit.
- Drive Wheel Position: There are three different drive wheel position options. Each offers pros and cons.
- Battery Range: Individuals with long outdoor traveling needs will require larger battery output for longer-range travel.
- Speed: Some patients prefer faster power chairs. Consider the top speeds when choosing an electric chair.
- Distance: Determine distances that will be traveled; match that figure to the power chair. Not all electric wheelchairs can accommodate longer distances.
- Turning Radius: Turning radius considerations are vital for those who need to negotiate tight spaces. Tight kitchens and similar spaces require a tighter turning radius.
- Portability: Size, disassembled weight, ease of disassembly/reassembly and folding capabilities are all critical factors for transportability. Individuals who travel often will want to consider portability when making an electric chair purchase.
- Adjustments: Modifying the seat, footplate and controller is important for proper fit and comfort.
- Adaptations: Specialty power chairs like reclining or tilt-in-space can help get the best fit.
Drive Wheel Configurations
Drive wheels are placed on electric wheelchairs in three different locations that significantly impact the chair's mobility performance. The locations are respective to the chair. There are front-drive, rear-drive and mid-drive wheelchairs. Each position offers certain advantages but also incurs some disadvantages. These details will be explained separately below.
Front-Drive
A front-wheel-drive electric chair has its drive wheels in front of the seat. This positioning offers the advantage of greater stability over uneven or rough terrains. Front-drive chairs are less prone to tipping. Unfortunately, front-wheel drives tend to fishtail at higher speeds.
Rear-Drive
A rear-drive chair positions the drive wheels behind the seat. Rear-wheel positioning in electric chairs offers better stability at higher speeds. However, the turning radius increases on the rear-wheel drive motorized chairs. Steep hills often cause the chair to tip backward. For that reason, rear-drive power chairs may require anti-tipping accessories to prevent accidents.
Mid-Drive
Mid-drive wheelchairs position the drive wheels under the seat. This setup offers the best center of gravity to prevent tipping. It also offers the shortest turning radius. However, mid-drive chairs perform poorly on rough terrains and can sometimes become stuck; the drive wheels may spin due to inadequate contact with the ground.
Portability
Portable electric wheelchairs are difficult challenges for manufacturers for two separate reasons. First, power wheelchairs are heavy. They require four to six wheels, a battery pack (or two), a motor, a frame, a chair, a control system, brakes, anti-tippers, accessories, etc. All of these components add weight to the power chair. Second, motorized chairs tend to be bulky and require a significant amount of space.
Attempts to decrease the weight and bulkiness of electric wheelchairs often result in less stability. To conquer these hurdles, some manufacturers have divided the chairs into sections that can be disassembled and reassembled. This method provides for easier lifting and storage in a car trunk. However, these sections still often weigh over 50 pounds each. One solution is to add a folding function to the power chair. This method decreases the amount of space that is required for storage and transport. Finally, one solution that falls outside of the motorized chair itself involves attaching an external carrier to the vehicle that will be transporting the chair. Below are links to additional details for these portable power wheelchairs.
How to Get the Best Power Wheelchair Fit
Selecting Electric Wheelchair and Lift Chair Accessories
Once one has a good idea of what the power chair user needs, selecting the right wheelchair accessories is the next step. These supplemental power chair accessories should align with the user’s lifestyle and specific preferences. In addition, any applicable safety considerations should be taken into account when selecting wheelchair accessories. Will the patient need a safety seatbelt to keep them from falling out of the chair? Will an anti-tip accessory be needed for additional stability? If the patient will be eating from the chair often, a wheelchair table accessory may be necessary. Patients who have difficulty transferring to or from a bed or toilet to a wheelchair may need a transfer board system.
Wheelchair accessories also include cup holders, cushions, umbrellas, trays, anti-tip add-ons and swivel footrests to make the power wheelchair experience more safe and comfortable. Vitality Medical also carries replacement parts, such as wheels, at discounted prices.
If customers are looking for an accessory or replacement part that is not seen on this website, please reach out. Product specialists are available seven days a week via live chat or by phone during business hours, which are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. MST. Email is available 24/7. Vitality Medical’s goal is 100% customer satisfaction with each and every order. Enjoy fast delivery on all orders and easy returns if a product does not live up to expectations.
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