How to Operate a Wheelchair Safely Outdoors

By eHow Health Editor

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Both manual and power wheelchairs greatly enhance personal mobility, but as with any other wheeled vehicles, they are safest when operated with care and consideration.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Operate a Standard Wheelchair Outdoors

Step1
Use manufacturer's seat belt or consider installing a seat belt.
Step2
Use appropriate gloves.
Step3
Maneuver to keep all four wheels on the ground.
Step4
Attach wheelie bars if your wheelchair is not so equipped.
Step5
Keep hands clear of wheel spokes when maneuvering.
Step6
Constantly scan your surroundings and the route you intend to follow.
Step7
Watch carefully for potholes, cracks in sidewalk and debris in your path.
Step8
Remember to account for the length of the wheelchair as well as its width as you maneuver it.
Step9
Proceed carefully down short, sharp grades to keep foot pedals from striking the surface. The wheelchair may stop too abruptly and throw you forward.
Step10
Short, sharp descents can sometimes be better accomplished by proceeding in reverse.
Step11
Brake at the peak of longer grades rather than waiting until momentum has increased.
Step12
Try proceeding backwards up a steep grade. Pushing up a steep grade forward can cause the front of the wheelchair to lift and your weight to shift dangerously backwards.
Step13
Remember wheelchairs are top-heavy. Ask someone to anchor the up-slope side of the wheelchair as you move across a slope at an angel.
Step14
Use curb cuts to cross streets. Locate the nearest driveway if a curb cut is not available.
Step15
Remember that you may have the right of way as a pedestrian, but a wheelchair lacks visibility and is not especially nimble in a high-traffic situation.

Operate a Power Wheelchair Outdoors

Step1
Use manufacturer's seat belt. If your wheelchair is not equipped with a seat belt, consider installing one.
Step2
Attach a set of wheelie bars if your wheelchair has none.
Step3
Use foot support straps. Your foot might be injured if it drops from a pedal during high-speed maneuvers.
Step4
Remember that a motorized wheelchair is extremely powerful and has a heavy mass.
Step5
Keep your arms, legs and feet inside the framework when moving.
Step6
Watch carefully when proceeding down a short, sharp grade to avoid jamming foot pedals. A sudden stop can cause the wheelchair to upset.
Step7
Release the joystick if the front of the wheelchair comes off the ground.
Step8
Use curb cuts. Seek out a nearby driveway if there is no curb cut available.
Step9
Remember modern power chairs have an automatic braking system. Control joystick to keep braking system from engaging when momentum is necessary for safe passage.
Step10
Avoid street and highway operation even though you might be tempted to utilize the power chair's greater mobility.
Step11
Choose your path carefully when proceeding across open ground, gravel driveways or dirt paths. Power wheelchairs displace heavy weight on relatively small tires and sink easily into a soft surface.
Step12
Remember all wheelchairs are relatively top-heavy. Ask someone to help add stability by holding onto the up-slope side of the wheelchair when proceeding at an angle across a steep slope.

Tips & Warnings

  • Motorized wheelchairs are extremely powerful. Be careful when operating around children or people with poor balance or unsteady footing.
  • Be especially careful around toddlers and young children who tend to grab for the control unit. If a child were to pull the joystick toward himself or herself, the wheelchair would jump quickly in his or her direction.
  • Power wheelchairs increase mobility to an unparalleled degree. Beware of overconfidence.
  • Venture outdoors when ice and snow are on the ground only while accompanied. A wheelchair is nearly uncontrollable on an icy surface.

Comments

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Tommy_Gun

Tommy_Gun said

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on 2/14/2007 Hello my name is Tommy L Harmon. I use a Jazzy 600 power wheelchair. I think that power wheelchairs should have head lights and tail lite. Here where I live in Dickson Tennessee where I live lots of streets don't have sidewalks. Its hard to see a wheelchair sometimes

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eHow Article: How to Operate a Wheelchair Safely Outdoors

eHow Health Editor

eHow Health Editor

Category: Health

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