Centre of Gravity of Wheelchair
User
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Be aware of your
Centre-of-Gravity when you first start using your
wheelchair.
Many activities require the wheelchair user to reach, bend
and transfer in and out of the wheelchair. These movements
will cause a change to your balance, centre-of-gravity, and
weight distribution of the wheelchair.
When reaching, leaning, bending sideways or forward, it is
important to use the casters as a tool to maintain stability
and balance. Finding your proper position is essential to
your safety when using a wheelchair. In the beginning
you will want to use the casters to help maintain your
balance and stability. Practice conducting a variety of activities
such as bending, reaching and transferring in and out of
your wheelchair. All of these movements will cause a change
in weight distribution of the wheelchair.
To determine and establish your particular safety limits,
practice bending, reaching and transferring activities in
several combinations in the presence of another individual
BEFORE attempting active use of the wheelchair. Once you are
more comfortable, you will be able to use your wheelchair
more safely.
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Bending Backward
.
When you need to reach for
something by bending backward, you will want to position
your wheelchair as close to the desired object as possible. Use the casters so they extend away from the drive wheels to
create a long wheelbase (Refer to Figure 1 for illustration). Reach back as far as your arm will
extend without changing the position you are sitting in.
Please do not bend your wheelchair backwards as you may tilt
the wheelchair and falls.
Bending Forward
.
Please be careful
for this. Firstly, you will always want to keep in mind that
you will never want to attempt to reach for an object if you
have to position yourself forward on the seat of your
wheelchair. This can be dangerous.
Instead, you will want to
position the casters and extend them away from the drive
wheels, then engage the wheel locks before reaching forward
towards the object.
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Figure 1: Casters extend away from the
drive wheels to create a long wheelbase |
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Tipping the Wheelchair
.
When trying to tip a
wheelchair, a helper should grasp the back of the wheelchair
on a non-removable part. Do inform the wheelchair occupant
before tipping the wheelchair and ask him to lean back for
added stability. Be sure the occupant’s feet and hands are
clear of all wheels and/or any other pinch points.
Moving through Curbs
.
You should only move
through curbs with the assistance of another person.
It is
important for you to develop your own safe technique that is
best suited for your abilities with the aid of your
healthcare professional. Curbs, steps, and stairways are
dangerous obstacles that confront the wheelchair user.
When
you encounter these obstacles, try to find a way around them
by using curb cuts, ramps or designated disabled elevators
now available in most areas.
Preventing Accidents
.
Tipping and falling
are the most common accidents of wheelchair users.
For
example, you can fall from making your wheelchair go to
fast, unlocked brakes, slippery surfaces, the sitting
stability of the user and hitting a large bump with one
wheel causing the wheelchair to become unbalanced.
To avoid
tipping and falling, the tipping lever should be secure when
needed and you should be mindful of your speed around tight
corners and on tough surface. Wheelchair safety is most
important!
Safety Tips for Wheelchair
Users
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Do NOT force your
chair down or up staircases, slopes and inclines.
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LOCK the brakes
before getting out or into the wheelchair.
The power should
be turned off for motorised wheelchairs before transferring.
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Lift up or adjust
the foot rests and arm rests if needed before transferring.
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Attach flashy
items such as flashing taillights and flags to your
wheelchair so that other pedestrians can see you easily in
the dark or at night.
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Service and
replace the casters regularly. If your are experiencing a
side to side motion while going at high speeds this is a
sign it needs replacing.
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Adjust
and program your motorised wheelchair settings
so that you are comfortable with the speed.
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Do not
go out in rainy weather. Wheelchairs can lose
traction and the controls of a motorised
wheelchair can get wet.
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Avoid
having a large heavy bag or items on the
back of the wheelchair.
This can cause the
wheelchair to tip backwards during transferring.
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Fall Prevention
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Don’t over stretch
or over reach for an object - you may tip over the
wheelchair.
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Avoid leaning
forward - You may tip yourself out of the wheelchair.
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Lock the brakes
before trying to move out of the wheelchair.
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Avoid sliding or
positioning yourself too far forward on the seat.
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Move any foot
rests out of the way to avoid tripping on them during
transfer.
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Outdoor Use
.
Certain wheelchairs
are designed and manufactured for outdoor uses.
However, you
will always want to be careful and avoid some surfaces and
weather conditions that may not be friendly to wheelchair
movements.
Sandy surfaces should be avoided as much as
possible. Even a paved sidewalk with a small amount of sand
scattered on it can cause your wheelchair to become
unbalanced, spin around and tip over. This can happened
suddenly, and especially with motorised wheelchairs.
To prevent this from happening,
avoid the sandy surface by going around the area.
Also
avoid any puddles and wet surfaces.
Splashing through a
puddle with your motorised wheelchair can cause the whole
wheelchair to become wet, slide, spin, tip and fall over.
You may prefer to avoid the wet surface and skirt around the
area instead. If it is raining outside, proceed with caution
and at a slow pace.
When using outdoor ramps, always inspect
the condition of the ramp for uneven surfaces, slippery
areas, holes and other obstacles in your pathway to the
ramp. If you are approaching a ramp, you can ask someone to
take a closer look for you before you attempt to use the
ramp.
Travel Tips for Wheelchair
Safety
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Take photographs
of your wheelchair and accessories with your smartphone or a
camera that has date/time logged, to capture the condition
of your wheelchair your trip starts. This record may be
useful when disputing damages with the travel companies.
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Inspect and
service your wheelchair before any trip.
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Do remove leg
rests and accessories from your wheelchair before handing it
over to the staff.
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Alert the travel
company staff that you are a wheelchair user when making
reservations.
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Gather all
wheelchair travel information, rules and regulations you
will need to adhere to during your trip.
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Carry
the contact information of a wheelchair repair
shop located close to your destination for
emergency purposes.
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Bear
in mind that wheelchair users are allowed to
board the plane first and may be the last to
depart the plane, so do prepare enough time, of
at least 2 hours between connecting flights.
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Conduct research and book flights with airlines
that are wheelchair-friendly. Many budget
airlines are not wheelchair friendly, some even
charge wheelchair users a handling fee.
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Prepare to have your wheelchair completely
inspected at the security gate.
This includes
non-removable pouches and even your seat
cushion.
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Inform
Customs / Security agents at the security check
of your limitations.
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Maintenance and Servicing
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For dependability
and longevity, keeping your wheelchair in top condition is
essential. Depending on how much you use your wheelchair you
will want to at least provide maintenance once a year.
If
you use your wheelchair frequently you will want to make
sure the battery is always charged and visit a repair shop
at the first sign of any problem with your wheelchair.
The
repair shop technician will discuss a service schedule with
you based on the amount of use and your lifestyle.
Service
is important for wheelchair safety.
Do take more caution
in servicing and replacing common parts, such as arm rest
joints, safety seat belts, arm rests, leg guards, seat
cushions, back support cushions, front wheel assembly and
rear wheel. For motorised wheelchairs, you have to take note
of the batteries, joysticks, central processing unit
controller and cable, motor assembly etc. Motorised
wheelchairs would require more attention due to more moving
parts and mechanism.
Article contributed by:
Cedric Soh,
SeniorCare, Online
Elderly Care Retail
Store
Dated: October 2016
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