Power Wheelchair
Despite what some people think, a wheelchair is a rescuer, not a prison. With the right wheelchair, the quality of life of a disabled person increases radically. Even people with severe disabilities can enjoy a substantial degree of independence and movement.
On the other hand, choosing the wrong chair can indeed be equivalent to "confinement." People selecting a chair for the first time (both the disabled person or a family member) can be diverted by emotions of loss or rage, which will cloud their mind and make them unsure if they’re making the right choice. That’s why it’s important to take counseling if the person or the family has problems coping with the disability before purchasing a power wheelchair.
One option that people have is to get a regular wheelchair and then add features that will make the disabled person’s activities easier. That way, they can transform a cheaper manual wheelchair into a power wheelchair.
There are different approaches to adding a power system to a manual wheelchair. One is by replacing the original wheels with in-wheel battery-operated motors coupled with a control unit. Usually, the motor wheels of an add-on power system are interchangeable with the wheels of a standard wheelchair.
The control unit of a power wheelchair usually offers several features such as polyphonic horn, a LCD battery indicator, as well as different programmable modes. By incorporating cutting-edge technology such as voice recognition and computer-aided interferometers, users can control a power wheelchair using head movements and voice commands, thus a perfect integration of video technology with voice recognition in a power wheelchair control interface can let even people with upper body disability handle a power wheelchair by themselves.
When mounted to a handgrip, the control unit can be also used by the caregiver. The total weight for this power system is less than 50 pounds, with each component weighing around 15 pounds which allows for easy removing, assembling, and transporting.
Thus, modern technological advances in power wheelchairs offer increased possibilities and open new ways for people with disabilities or physical impairments to perform various day-to-day activities for work, self care and leisure. A power wheelchair performs better in negotiating obstacles and gliding over uneven terrain than a regular one.
Also, long periods of sitting can lead to back pain, pressure sores and poor posture. A power wheelchair with reclining backrests and tilting features can significantly decrease these problems.
Finally, price ranges for power wheelchairs are around $2000 for the lower end models and $6000 for the high tech versions. Maximum speeds produced by power wheelchairs vary from 5 mph to 20 mph.
