Learn To Get Healthy

It used to be the wheelchairs for the disabled where heavy, hard to move machines. Anyone injured or frail would be barely able to push them around, while the person they depended on to do so had to be strong and fit! That’s all changed. Thanks to new materials, designs and motorization, the right wheelchair can give a person maximum comfort and independence.

These days there is a wide range of wheelchairs suited to every type of disability and the needs of the person using it. The most significant difference is that wheelchairs might be either motorized (powered by an electric engine), or manual and propelled by the person using it or by someone pushing it. A disabled person may have need for one of each.

In order to find the right chair for you or for the disabled person in your care, the needs of that person should be carefully considered. Factors include their size and physical strength, the severity of the medical condition and their degree of mental independence. Lifestyle, along with where and how the chair will be used must also be factored in. For example, the correct chair for a mentally frail and disabled child differs greatly from that needed by a fit young adult rehabilitating from accident or injury.

Wheelchairs powered by an electric motor might be designed specifically for use indoors or outdoors. Some work equally well in both environments. Four-wheel drive all-terrain motorized chairs give the user maximum independence to go over rough ground and sandy beaches. Motorized chairs can be operated by their user or by an aid.

Self-propelled chairs are usually much lighter and more easy to move about than their motorized counterparts. The manual chair is usually used indoors and can be moved either with the arms or with the legs (depending on the disability). These chairs can be easily folded and stored, or lifted in to a car by a helper. They come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes and it’s here that you’ll find the best fit for a child.

Someone who has permanent need of a mobility aid would benefit from having chairs appropriate to different activities. A chair with a motor could be used for excursions, shopping and outdoor use. They would have a standard manual one for home use, and may also use a super-lightweight model for sports or travel.

Wheelchairs for the disabled are an essential tool and almost an extension of the body. It’s essential that it fit the needs of the person using it. Many accessories are available to adapt and change a chair. Seek the advice of a professional who understands what the options might be and can give sensible advice. A wheelchair should improve the quality of its users life.

Want to find out more about Wheelchairs For The Disabled, then visit Manage At Home’s site on how to choose the best mobility aids for your needs.

In 2000 the government commissioned a report which would lay out the minimum standard a care home would provide to its residents. In 2003 a guide was published called ‘The National Minimum Standards of Care Homes for Elderly People’.

Choosing a care home is a process which most of us will have to do. It may be the case you are choosing a care home for a loved one or even a friend, but all care homes are legality bound to provide potential customers with specific information.

All care homes should have a ‘resident’s guide’ which serves as a place which contains all the relevant information about the care home. In here you’ll find descriptions about the rooms and the range of services on offer.

When the potential resident decides they’d like to try out the home, the care home must provide a needs assessment on the individual. This personalised needs assessment will provide the home and the resident with important information about the resident’s needs so the home can provide them with an adequate level of care.

All care homes have to offer residents a ‘trail period’ so they can decide if the home is right for them. Care homes also have to provide potential/new residents with the terms and conditions of the home so a resident can make up their mind knowing all the relevant information.

All residents in care homes have legal rights, which the care home must adhere to. For example, all letters the resident receives must never be opened in advance by the care home.

There are a huge range of different conditions that a care home must follow which are detailed in the 2003 minimum standards report.

Anthony Gill is writing on behalf of Compare Care Homes as the site offers a wide range of care advice.