Going to a Wheelchair

• My Story

Like all of the major turning points in the illness, I resisted going to a wheelchair, at least partly due to denial. I felt like accommodating the illness was giving in to it. When my walking became dangerous I knew I would be better off in a wheelchair and got measured for one. While I was waiting for it, I had to start using a walker. This made me feel worse, especially at work. There was something cool about using a wheelchair, but using a walker just made me feel decrepit. One thing that helped me accept the wheelchair better was when someone gave me a different perspective on it. I could look at it as an energy saving tool: it would help me use my energy for things I enjoyed instead of having to use so much of my energy just to get around.

General tips:
From my experience it doesn't matter for comfort whether the chair is manual or power. What does matter are the dimensions and positioning. Your best bet is to get a referral from your doctor for an evaluation by a physical therapist who has experience working with wheelchair seating and positioning. Our insurance paid for both a power wheelchair and a manual backup. You never know when the power chair will need repair and you will need something else. Talk to your insurance agent to see what your coverage is.

If you get a used wheelchair it probably won't fit you. Seat width and length and adjustments to the armrests and footrests are important to comfort. If you buy a used power chair it probably won't fit any better. When getting a wheelchair in the first place it's best to have a physical therapist measure the PALS and order it to fit.

If your arms keep sliding off flat armrests then you can get armrests with troughs to prevent this. A piece of foam under the elbows can prevent soreness and skin breakdown. Putting your hands and upper arms on a lap tray that's placed across the armrests is more comfortable and is a better position for breathing. A Jay seat (gel) or Roho seat (air) helps with comfort on the bottom. I have a Roho. My PT recommended a reclining back which I got. It's from La-bak. This has been very important because it lets me adjust the angle for easy head movement and swallowing.

My power chair, from Invacare, is programmable so the joystick sensitivity easily adapts to changes in my illness. It can store four sets of speed parameters and easily be switched between them so I can easily switch between parameters for high speed straight distance travel and parameters for fine slow maneuvering. I can also control the angle of recline of with the joystick.

God bless you on your journey, Wayne S. Phillips

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