|
How to Choose Wheelchairs for Kids
By: Maricon Williams
The child’s mobility and independence are significant factors to consider so it is important to get the right wheelchair. But how do we choose the right wheelchair?
Choosing a wheelchair for your kids include a huge spectrum of issues. One the issue is transportation. A lot of kids will benefit from a power chair but unless the transportation issue can be solved, it won’t be the precise solution. If you are lifting your kid and the chair several times a day, chances are he may develop back problems. The remedy to this is to choose a lighter chair with removable hardware.
Other issues involve lifestyle, terrain and environment. Ask yourself the following questions: is the chair suitable for the school setting, what are his needs according to the experts, and what kind of chair does your child like the most. When you inter-relate these question you can figure out, what he basically needs.
The most practical kind of chair for your child is that which can ‘grow with the child’. It is all about one-size-fits-all. Most of the wheelchairs today can be expanded by changing the cross brace supports at the bottom. It can also be lengthened by replacing the front frame sections that hold the leg supports. It is an investment that will last 10-12 years.
Another critical decision that you should make is the choice of the cushion and its spacing. It must be not too soft and not too course in order for the child to be comfortable. There should be no more than three fingers worth of space between the front and the rear of the legs. More than this measure, the seat will not provide enough support to the thighs. It may also dig into the legs. Another result is that it may make sitting awkward because the child don’t get the same amount of surface holding you up.
Aside from the aforementioned, the footrest should also be low enough to get full contact for the whole thigh. Half an inch from the hips and the side of the chair is necessary to achieve the desired spacing. The laterals need not be too tight to dig into the armpits.
In addition, regular maintenance should be observed. Wheelchairs should be washed and sprayed with a cleaner. A meticulous check up of the whole chair once a week would be a great idea. You can check the brakes, hardware, tires and seats in order to be secure of your child’s safety and protection.
|
About The Author
Maricon Williams
I love reading. Give me a book and I'll finish it in one sitting. Reading is the chance to be transported to a different world and so is writing. I'm more enthusiastic about writing however, since you can relay your ideas to someone else. I can only imagine that feeling when I hear a complete stranger talking about my ideas which read on an article somewhere. To relay my message to as many people is the same as touching people with music. Only mine's less harmonic. I try to make up for it with the color I bring with words. And most of the time, it’s more than enough.
For additional Information about the articles you may visit http://www.wheelchairspower.com
carmelo@wheelchairspower.com
|
This article was posted on March 21, 2005
Return to Index
email this
page
Still haven't found what you are
looking for?
Try this search:
Free Email
List Reveals health,
fitness and wellness
tips - secrets and information - delivered directly to
your inbox
How to Benefit from the Mind-Body Connection
(excerpt)
You are about to gain insight into the
mind-body connection. The number of
people who truly understand these principles on our
planet are relatively few.
There is an undeniable connection between our minds and
bodies, you can learn
to use this fact to your benefit.
Dr. Bernie Siegel, author of "Love, Medicine and
Miracles" was once a
distraught cancer surgeon until he
began to understand the greater principles
of the mind-
body connection. He felt dragged down by the artificial
barriers
that existed between patient and doctor, and the
helplessness he often felt as
a result of his inability
to effectively serve those patients. Eventually, those
barriers
were disintegrated by Dr. Siegel's recognition
and growing understanding of the
mind-body connection and
how it could serve his patients and himself.
Dr. Siegel, or Bernie as he began to have his patients
refer to him, had some
startling realizations as a cancer surgeon. He found that
there were actually
quite a few people in the world that successfully beat
the statistics on cancer
survival. He began to recognize that a patient's ability
to defeat something as
serious as cancer had to do with the patient's mind and
attitude about their
disease.
If you would like to see the rest of
this article, please go here:
http://www.tobeinformed.com/repository/mind-body.html
copyright 2004 - David Snape
|