The type of wheelchair, and attachment features, provided will be
different according to individual user requirements, and clinical
assessment of need. In many cases the result will be a compromise
solution.
Some modular wheelchairs can be set up or finely adjusted to suit user
needs. Users should contact their approved distributor if they are
having problem in using their wheelchair, a simple adjustment or
alternative build configuration may help to resolve the problem.
R Healthcare manual wheelchairs can be divided into two broad
categories.
• Attendant Propelled
• Occupant Propelled
This general information section covers safety issues of wheelchair use
covering all of these.
Please read carefully together with all other information provided,
covering the specific model supplied, which will give particular details
of the wheelchair features and construction, methods of operation and
correct setting methods.
TRL Report 470 (1999) is considered to be a key source for the current project, and the data
collection protocols for the current research have been designed so that they are
comparable with them. This is so that inferences can be made as to changes in the
dimensional characteristics of occupied wheeled mobility aids since the 1990s.
TRL Report 470 used five key mobility aid types:
• Attendant propelled wheelchairs – These chairs have small wheels at the rear and are
pushed by an attendant. An example is the NHS model 9L.
• Electric wheelchairs – An electric wheelchair was defined as any four-wheeled chair
that was battery powered and controlled by a small joystick or similar device. These
included both wheelchairs designed for indoor use, and those designed for outdoor
use.
• Older style manual chairs – These are chairs manually driven by the user from the
rear wheels and made to an old design, such as the NHS model 8L.
• New style manual chairs – These wheelchairs are manually driven by the user from
the rear wheels, and made of a modern, lightweight construction.
Holloway C, Hills L, Vines S, Tyler N