How to Adapt to a Standard Wheelchair

Losing the physical ability to walk to where you want to go is very stressful and upsetting regardless of whether the cause is age, disease or injury. A wheelchair can be necessary with little to no notice, and the recipient will need time to get used to it so the chair becomes a comfortable part of daily life. Adapting to a standard wheelchair takes time and patience.

Instructions

• 1

  Remove all rugs and carpeting from your house. Rugs can get stuck in the wheels, and the carpeting makes it much harder to push a standard wheelchair forward, which requires the arms of the user to generate forward motion.

• 2

  Create specific paths through the home that are wide enough for a wheelchair to fit comfortably through. Home modifications may be necessary to widen door frames and to add a ramp or elevator between upper and lower levels. The bathroom needs to be wide enough so wheelchair users can position themselves from the chair to the toilet and back. Everything the wheelchair user will need for cooking and other activities need to be within easy reach.

• 3

  Speak to a doctor about healthy exercises that can strengthen your arms. Pushing the wheels of the wheelchair on longer excursions can be exhausting, and exercising can also be beneficial mentally as well as physically. A physician can help establish a routine that is safe and can help make managing the wheelchair easier.

• 4

  Get involved in activities with other wheelchair users. There are community programs that either your doctor or a rehabilitation center can direct you to for people who are wheelchair bound and this is good for social reasons and also gives you new activities, games, and possibly sports to try out, depending on your physical health and what you're interested in.