Walking is not a wish these days, thanks to technology. The meaning of walking is a little bit different for people with disabilities. A power wheelchair is a tool that gives the feeling of freedom to go everywhere to people who have walking problems for various reasons. A manual wheelchair can help those people who have a problem with their legs. However, a powered wheelchair is suitable for people with special needs, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), and Spinal cord injuries because this group of people has lots of challenges moving the wheelchair losing lots of energy, and finally, making them exhausted. What are the differences between a power wheelchair and a manual wheelchair?
Power wheelchair or manual wheelchair
- The manual wheelchair is foldable and light in weight, but the power wheelchair is more massive than the manual one, and it’s not foldable.
- A manual wheelchair needs powerful arms to move the vehicle, but a power wheelchair needs no arm to make it move.
- A manual wheelchair is less expensive than a power wheelchair.
- People with MS or Spinal cord injuries can barely use a manual wheelchair, and they need a system that solves their problem with moving weak arms and hands.
So, which option is better?
Making decision
Before making any decision, it’s essential to know why to buy a power wheelchair and which type is more appropriate for the conditions. These questions must be asked:
How is the person’s ability to move around?
The person’s mobility to walk, sit, stand up, or move the chair’s body is essential to choosing the right manual or power wheelchair.
How is the tolerance of doing?
How much does it take for a person to tolerate something like sitting, walking, or standing?
How is the balance of the person?
It is about a person’s balance and steadiness when he or she is sitting, standing, or walking. A wheelchair can be helpful for people with balance impairment and balance disorder.
What is the person’s weight and height?
Is the person short or tall? Because a person with a very short height cannot use a power wheelchair in a big size for tall people with high weight. Every person should use a proper manual or power wheelchair based on their condition. There are manual and power wheelchairs for kids too.
How are the person’s sight, perception, and cognitive ability?
A power wheelchair needs perception, cognitive ability, and sight. If someone is visually impaired or mentally impaired, not manual wheelchair or power wheelchair is helpful.
How much money is considered to buy a powered wheelchair?
Power wheelchairs are more expensive than manual wheelchairs. But, manual wheelchairs cannot be used for every kind of disability. In some cases cannot move their arms quickly, or they are not strong enough. So they need some powerful automatic vehicles to move them around.
Another important thing is the way that the powered wheelchair or manual wheelchair will be used. How is the hose? Is there any place for moving in and out smoothly? There is a lot to consider. It’s not just about the vehicle itself. The way to move, the vehicle weight, and the person’s ability to move are essential too. Is the wheelchair going to be used indoors or outdoors? How far is the person going to use a powered wheelchair? Is it going to be used all day long or just for a short amount of time? Does the person need to travel short distances or long distances with this vehicle?
Knowing all these things is essential because missing each of the items above can challenge the user. Besides, items like age, medicines, tiredness, and physical conditions can affect the making decision process, and considering all the things to make the best decision is recommended.
Wheelchairs can take you anywhere because they are designed for different places. The only thing that matters is that you should know where you want to go with your vehicle, beach, road, home, or even mountain. And choose the best option based on the situation to have an incredible journey ahead.
Be with us on Wednesday’s article, and powered wheelchair features.
