Turning manual wheelchair into power assisted

Herald

Good afternoon everyone. My dad needs a wheelchair to get around outside the house. We bought one a couple of years ago, but it's proving too heavy for my mum and I to push (especially uphill). Does anyone know whether it's possible to convert a manual wheelchair into a power assisted one so that my mum and I can have that extra boost when pushing dad in it? Thank you all in advance.

Steve_in_The_City

@Herlald

I think you should just buy your dad a power chair or mobility scooter. Mobility scooters are easier to steer and control.

Herald

Thank you for your reply. Unfortunately my dad has dementia and wouldn't be able to control a mobility scooter on his own. It's really just to give my mum and I a bit more oomph when pushing him outside. I'll look into a power chair though - I just thought that converting an existing wheelchair might be cheaper than buying a new one. Thank you again.

Steve_in_The_City

Hello @Herald Hi, I hope you and your mum are ok. I am sorry your dad has got dementia. Obviously you cannot put your dad in a powered wheelchair or scooter. Yet both devices have freewheel mechanics, so you can take him out and about and when approaching a hill you can take over the controls and get him safely on his way.

As for finances it's not worth worrying about. You have to get your dad the conveyance that he needs. His chair or scooter replaces his legs and it gives you and your mum and your dad some freedom, so you have to go for it.

Littlefatfriend

Hiya Herald

There are various power assist options for manual wheelchairs which may be controlled by a carer, it appears.

Prices seem to start @ £400. I've only established that using googly however, it's outside my experience.

I suggest you googly "wheelchair power assist for carers" without the speech marks.

I've worked with the Shaw Trust, they do various good things. This is their round-up of a few such devices:

https://livingmadeeasy.org.uk/category/access-and-mobility/wheelchairs-scooters-and-buggies/power-assists-for-manual-wheelchairs

And here's a couple more. Unfortunately I have no idea how good any of them are. I expect you (and your mum) may be in a position to try them somewhere, good luck.

Here's a couple more:

https://www.careco.co.uk/i-go-powerglide/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwmMayBhDuARIsAM9HM8ekc8ZdDVWhSKBKNMbM07RMWd8juVFHbWwS3aeG1uclsUOkW1CLoJAaAg46EALw_wcB

Herald

Thank you all again for the help you've given. You've been so helpful and I'm really grateful.

Wibbles

@Herald

Why not ask your Local Council OT department for a Care Needs Assessment ?

The NHS will then provide any wheelchair / accessory that your Dad needs FREE OF CHARGE !

This is MANDATORY and is NOT means tested….

https://www.scope.org.uk/advice-and-support/wheelchairs

I have just gone through the whole process myself and now am using an electric wheelchair but could have had an Assist device to use with my manual chair instead !!

You also get the advantage of free replacement batteries, should they ever need replacing

Herald

Thank you, Wibbles. We are in the process of requesting a Care Needs Assessment at the moment with the council to see whether we can get any carer help. However, we have already been told by an Occupational Therapist sent by them that it's unlikely my dad will get any funding via the NHS for a wheelchair because he doesn't need one all the time. He can still walk with a stick and also unaided around the house, he only needs one outside. He has Lewy Body Dementia, which gives him Parkinson's-like symptoms and he also has very swollen feet so that he can't get any shoes on (which means that going out anywhere necessitates a wheelchair). They've already got a manual wheelchair (bought privately) so I think we'll need to buy this one privately too. Thank you for your suggestion and help with this.

Herald

Steve_in_The_City, thank you for your response. I've just re-read your reply and, at the risk of sounding stupid, wondered if you could clarify something. When you say that both the powered wheelchair and scooter have "freewheel mechanics", do you mean that I can control the power chair for him? So I can push him as I would normally and then when I need the extra oomph I can switch on the power for him, but still control the wheelhair?

Steve_in_The_City

@Herald I am sorry, I did not know you can convert a manual wheelchair into a powered one, so I am glad that others have been able to advise more usefully than I.

By free wheel mechanics I mean that the power can be switched off and someone can then push the chair/scooter. When I was able bodied I used to help an elderly lady who wasn't good on her scooter. Her mind was slow and she found it hard to concentrate and to judge the width of doorways etc. She was ok driving the scooter slowly along a very wide pavement she had to go along, but anything even remotely complicated (like going around a corner or going down a kerbside slope to cross the road) was beyond her. So I would switch off her engine and release a little bar over one of the back wheels. This allowed me to push the scooter like it was a bike, and I found it easy to do so.

Going uphill, things were more difficult as the scooter (and its occupant) felt heavy. But it was easy to leave the engine on, turn the speed right down and steer and operate the speed of the scooter with the engine providing the power, so I didn't have to put any effort into it. I did this with just one hand.

The engine can be switched off on my powerchair and the chair put into freewheel so that it can be pushed like a bike. However, it is heavier than my scooter and much more difficult to steer and if I needed help getting up a hill I think someone would just have to use their strength to get me to the top because the joystick (used for steering and speed) is very difficult to control.

With reference to a manual wheelchair being converted to a powerchair, I don't know what the situation would be. I don't know how easy it would be to steer or how easy the speed would be to control under power. Hopefully powered chairs are available that can be operated by a carer; hills would no longer be a problem. But I am afraid I am clueless on this matter. I would follow littlefatfriend's advice and Google. Also Careco should know about the availability of such devices so it may be worthwhile giving them a call. I hope you can resolve this issue soon and get your dad up a steep hill without manual effort.

Herald

Thank you so much, Steve_in_The_City. You've been incredibly helpful and helped me with more options too - I really appreciate it, especially giving the example of what you have experienced yourself. I am very grateful.