What is Active Wheelchair?

Active wheelchairs are usually for people who have experienced a spinal cord injury, or a younger person who uses a wheelchair frequently or for most of the day. An active wheelchair is usually lighter than standard wheelchair. 

6 Questions to Ask When Choosing an Active Wheelchair

1. Have you used an active wheelchair before?

Active wheelchair is only recommended for people with good upper body strength and truck stability because you are self-propelled and need to have the strength to push yourself along. 

For first time wheelchair user, we suggest you to test out the wheelchair before committing to anything. 

2. What do you like and dislike about your current wheelchair?

• How comfortable is your current chair?
• Do you have any problems with maneuverability?
• Is it too heavy for you?
• Is it a rigid or folding wheelchair? Is that works well for you?
• Is the wheelchair size suitable for you? 

3. How will you be using your wheelchair?

Think about your day-to-day life and what you want to be able to do in your new wheelchair. Will you be:

• Mainly indoors or outdoors?
• Travelling long distances?
• In the city or countryside?
• Using it for sports?
• Sitting in the chair all day?

 4. What is your medical condition?

To maximise support and comfort, you need to think about any medical conditions that may be affected by prolonged sitting or self-propelling. As your condition progresses, you can add things to your current wheelchair to assist you. For example, add a pressure relief cushion, upgrade to a better support backrest, consider a power assist device, etc. 

5. Do you want a folding or rigid wheelchair?

Rigid wheelchair is lighter and has higher performance because it constructed from fewer components and moving parts. On the other hand, folding wheelchair is compact, with easy-to-use folding mechanism. Side-to-side folding minimizes the folding width and maximizes ease of transportation.

6. Have you got any personal preferences?

Most of the active wheelchairs are customisable according user's requirement and preferences. Components that you can select including:

• Backrest
• Armrest
• Footrest
• Colour
• Seat
• Castor wheel
• And many more

Need some advices or help? Contact our product specialist today at 📞+65 62544070

References:

7 Questions to Ask When Choosing an Active User Wheelchair
What to Look for in A Wheelchair for Active People