Wheelchairs and Transport Chairs

[Guest guest]

Barbara and Janet:

You are both on the same sheet of music. A Transport Chair is what seems to

fit the bill in the near term.

Do either of you have any thoughts on the manufacturers of the ones you

used? Or on special features? Since my first email, I have seen one in a

store made by Medical Depot for $300. It looks quite substantial.

does anyone else on the list have any wisdom to share on Transport Chairs?

Message: 10

Date: Thu, 13 Dec 2001 11:13:57 EST

From: kmcrae@...

Subject: Re: First Wheelchair Purchase

The chair you are talking about is called a transport chair. It has small

wheels and is designed to be pushed by the caregiver. We found that the

regular chair with the big wheels was not good for us most of the time

because if ken were able to push himself, he could walk. If he needed the

chair, he couldn't push on the wheels either. Our first chair was a regular

one, and by some misstep, the Supply house never sent it in to Medicare. In

fact they could find no record that we had ever had it. So, we were able to

get Medicare to pay for the transport chair. Our doctor had to write the

prescription the way the supply store said, but Medicare did pay. It folded

easily and was very lightweight. It also went through narrower openings and

was generally much more convenient than the other one. The one thing you

should be aware of is that it is more likely to break down than a heavier

chair so be sure at the end of 13 months to continue to have the Medical

Supply Company own it and then Medicare will pay for all repairs. You have to

give it back when you are through with it, but if you ever need one again,

Medicare will provide it.

Barbara

Message: 6

Date: Thu, 13 Dec 2001 22:38:55 -0500

Subject: Re: Wheelchair Purchase/ Sennewald

Hi ,

We recently got our first wheelchair and I was surprised to find that I

did not have to pay anything. Medicare rents the chair for you for a

year. If I understood correctly, at the end of the year it is yours, but

if you need something sturdier you can return the chair during the year

and they will rent the other one. Whether you have to pay something at

the end of the year I do not know. We got a light folding chair that

folds quite compactly and fits in the trunk of our Honda. It does not

have the big wheels on the side that would allow Gordon to roll it

himself sometime. It weighs about 20 pounds and while that is light, I

am having some problem lifting it back in and am planning to purchase a

carrier for the back of the car. As far as comfort - he has sat in it

for up to 3 hours and said that it was comfortable, but I thought of

getting a pillow to sit on. I had the same concern about Gordon giving

up on walking, but so far we have solved that a bit by keeping it in the

trunk and not bringing it into the house. We also take the walker with

us when we go out and if not much walking is involved (going into a

friends house, etc.) we don't even take the chair out. It has opened up

many more places to us and has made it easier to do things like go to a

restaurant. Gordon sits in the chair to eat and does not have to be

concerned about whether or not he will have a problem walking when we

leave. Good luck.

Janet

Sennewald Charlottesville, Virginia