thycora:autistic-hamilton:livingwithdisability:Tips for First Time Wheelchair Pushers (this is
thycora: autistic-hamilton: livingwithdisability: Tips for First Time Wheelchair Pushers (this is a REBLOG from the awesome and highly recommended Latentexistence blog) “Today my sister used a wheelchair for the first time. (We share the same inherited mitochondrial condition.) Her husband has little experience of pushing a wheelchair so I tried to give him some tips, which resulted in what I have written below. Believe it or not there is actually some skill involved in pushing a wheelchair and keeping the person in it comfortable. These are just observations from my own experience of being in a wheelchair pushed by someone else, but everyone is different. If you’re pushing a wheelchair for someone new then you should ask them if they have any preferences. Communicate. Ask if there’s anything you need to know first. NEVER touch or move a wheelchair without permission. Don’t overshoot checkouts and reception desks. If you are level, your passenger has gone too far past it. Don’t bump your passenger’s feet into people, objects or walls. Particularly in lifts. Don’t follow anyone too closely. (See previous point.) Your passenger is closer to them than you are, and seeing backsides that close gets tedious. Watch out for oddly sloping pavements, especially near dropped kerbs. The wheelchair WILL veer sideways into traffic if you are not careful. Look ahead for bumps. Dropped kerbs are often not dropped very much. Be prepared to walk a long way around via the road. Always approach bumps straight on. If you are not straight, stop and turn first. It can be easier to go backwards over bumps if the wheelchair has large wheels. Pay attention to the surface you travel over and take the smoother path. Cobbles can be painful or tiring for someone in a wheelchair. Don’t let the wheelchair run out of control. Consider taking slopes backwards so you can hold back the wheelchair. CHECK FIRST! If your passenger says stop, STOP immediately. (And, indeed, follow other instructions – see comments on original post.) Try going through heavy doors backwards so you can push the door with your body. Some wheelchairs have brakes operated by the passenger. Never assume that those brakes are on or off, always check. If someone speaks to you when they should speak to your passenger, tell them so. Be forgiving of your passenger. They have no control and that may make them grumpy. Wheelchair users: be aware that you might be shouting at your assistant more than you realise. If you’re pushing a wheelchair very far then you’ll probably want to get some gloves. Thanks to @knitswift, @chmasu, @missnfranchised, @lisybabe on twitter” Added tips of my own (my wife and I traveled for 3 months around Australia with a backpack and a manual chair and often use a manual chair on holidays) - IN ALL CASES DISCUSS THESE TIPS WITH THE WHEELCHAIR USER FIRST - these might also be considered ‘advanced’ a) If you will be pushing for a while try and get the handles adjusted so they are the correct height for you, it is much better for your back. b) Make sure the handle grips are secure and are not coming off or unscrewing. c) Bulky bags hanging off the back can make the pusher ‘stoop’ over them, again not good for the back. Weight on the back can change the likelihood of the chair tipping over. Be aware of the dangers. d) Leaning the chair back slightly while pushing can make it less bumpy for the passenger and easier to push. This is because inflatable back wheels are smoother than the fixed hard ones at the front suspension-wise. Similarly, tipping back very slightly when you go over bumps, manhole covers etc makes it less jarring e) It is easier to pull backwards on sand and other less firm surfaces, rather than push. By the sea, get down to the water’s edge where the sand is firm or look for the wooden boarded walkways. e) If you HAVE to go down steps in a manual chair, you need to be strong and confident. If someone offers to help, Either: tilt the chair back, get the other person to stand in front of the chair and steady the front wheels. Tell them NOT TO LIFT THE CHAIR at the front. Lifting it is unnecessary and this makes it very hard on your back rather than rolling down one step at a time. Rest or pause after each step. Or: If you are on your own it is better to go backwards. Take one step at a time and pause between each. Don’t attempt more than 3-4 steps. Obviously this is dangerous but sometimes it is unavoidable. f) Going down steep slopes is difficult as you do not want the chair to ‘run away with you’. Go slowly in a ZIG ZAG PATTERN. This makes it less steep and you can turn pause to rest by turning the chair sideways to stop it rolling with gravity. Going backwards is also safer as mentioned above. g) Keep well clear of the edge of the kerbs, avoid running over grills, glass, look out for mess on the pavement! h) Get into the habit of always putting the brakes on whenever the chair is stationary. f) Wear solid footwear with good grips, if you slide so will your companion! Be wary of sandy or stony slopes where you may slip. g) As well as wheelchair signs, look out for signs aimed at pushchair users. Never use revolving doors at hotels. Ramps and slopes are often at the side of hotels or older buildings. h) Ask in shops with poor access if they have ramps. Sometimes they have portable ones. Just asking may encourage them to buy one or make changes or mention it to management. @datsk8rboy This is wonderful advice, and I’d like to add on my own rule as well (although it’s probably common sense): Don’t let tiny children wheel someone around unsupervised, especially if there’s two of them and one is riding on the person’s lap and will encourage the other tiny child to go faster. You see, I was the “driver” and I couldn’t have been more than 7 or 8, my sibling was a year and a half younger than me. We’d finished helping an old friend move stuff out of her apartment, and I think Mom asked us if we wanted to take Grammy out to the car. Naturally, being the brave and responsible 7/8-year-old I was, I volunteered but so did my sibling. Being older, I got to “drive” and my bro got to sit in Grammy’s lap. We get down and out of the apartment safely and smoothly, and onto the parking lot. I did kinda speed up a little, it was kinda fun, and my sibling starts going “Faster, faster!” And Grammy’s giggling the whole time so clearly this was a good idea. We go faster, we’re getting closer to the car, they’re both giggling because we’re going so fast and I’m laughing too, but the ride is starting to get kinda bumpy. We’re almost to the car, I hadn’t thought about the stopping part, and my brother realizes this and quickly bails on me, leaping out of Grammy’s lap as she’s laughing all the way. I manage to turn the wheelchair and jerk to a stop, but I end up (please don’t kill me) I end up flinging my Grammy under the car. And a good distance too! She’s stuck under there, she can’t move on her own and we can’t move the car without risking hurting her. This whole time I am mortified and terrified of what my parents will think of me and how mad Grampy and Grammy will be but all I remember is Grammy giggling and laughing under the car like it was the best joke she’d heard in years. We did end up getting her out safely, (even if it was a struggle) and she apparently never told anyone who did it when she was asked. I miss her a lot, but I’m really glad she taught me the invaluable experience of never letting a tiny child drive someone in a wheelchair, and keeping my secret. My parents and Grampy never knew who did it until I brought it up in a conversation years after she passed. She was a good, sweet old lady. ((if you really feel this wasn’t okay for me to add I’ll delete it)) -- source link