Motorized Wheel Chair

Electric motorized wheel chairs are used to provide mobility and manoeuvrability to those who are unable to move without assistance.  Providing mobility to persons unable to get around, electric motorized wheelchairs give a sense of independence to the individual.  Occasionally, they are referred to as power wheel chairs.

These types of chairs provide comfortable seating for lengths of time of up to a whole day.  The contoured back helps in this way making the chair a very comfortable seat.  Electric wheelchairs also come with anti-tip wheels to ensure stability and have a joystick for steering and controlling the chair.  The joystick for steering gives people with impaired balance or little upper body strength the ability to control the chair.  Used in the home, this type of wheelchair enables the individual to navigate small spaces and rough floor surfaces.

Health insurance sometimes covers electric wheelchairs.  If a person does not have the upper body strength to manoeuvre a manual wheelchair, a person will find that most insurance companies cover these types of wheelchairs.  However, if a person does have the upper body strength, they must use a non motorized wheel chair or purchase their own as health insurance will not cover the power chair.

These types of wheelchairs can be used both indoors and outdoors and come in four different types:  four-wheel drive, rear, centre, and front wheel drive.  Tracked electric motorized wheel chairs are also available.  Some wheel chairs are foldable and some are not.  Some can be disassembled making them convenient for transportation by car or bus.

Movement, direction and speed is handled by the use of the joystick on the controller.  If a person is not able to use their fingers and hands, there are also puff/sip scanners or chin controls if necessary.  The controller adds to the total cost of a motorized wheel chair.  Other functions included in the power wheel chair are recline, leg elevation, tilt and others functions as one may find necessary.

Electric power motorized wheel chairs run by four or five amp rechargeable batteries much like the ones used for outboard boat engines.  Dry cell batteries are more popular than the wet cell batteries these days.  Some electric motorized wheel chairs have a charger built in which you can recharge in a regular wall outlet.  Some of the wheel chairs also come with a separate charger.

Before buying or renting your electric motorized wheel chair, do a little research on the internet to find the model that best suits your needs.  There are also many stores around your city which either rent or sell these chairs.  In a store, you will be able to try out different brands and see which suits you best both comfort-wise and price wise.