Can anyone help me find a wheelchair?

[ThePontiacBandit]

I broke my leg (faking downstairs, ouch). Anyway. I’m getting a bit more mobile on my crutches but I’ll need a wheelchair for longer distances. We are looking to buy because a. Nowhere in a 30 mile radius is hiring at the moment and b. My Dad’s health is deteriorating and he will likely need a wheelchair in the near future. Ideally what I need is a folding wheelchair with a leg raiser to get my leg up to knee height. Self-propelled would be ideal but that’s not a deal breaker. Budget is around £120. Does anyone know of anything suitable? I found this one but the website looks a bit suss (none the reviews are in English) one [[https://www.quirumed.com/uk/folding-wheelchair-with-adjustable-legrest.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIw9X_-aWE8wIVmLp3Ch0e7wLtEAQYBCABEgJh9vD_BwE]]

Link fail: www.quirumed.com/uk/folding-wheelchair-with-adjustable-legrest.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIw9X_-aWE8wIVmLp3Ch0e7wLtEAQYBCABEgJh9vD_BwE

If you aren't averse to second hand, there are heaps on ebay (loads of new ones too but you're likely to get better value second hand). You can sort by distance to find ones closest to you. Many are refurbished or mobility shop demos/ex loans chairs so decent quality. Lots within your budget.

Try Argos - I just looked and they have a self propelling one for £122.

Do you have a mobility store locally? Red Cross perhaps, or ask who your local pct use for equipment.

Thanks for your replies.

wigglycactus not opposed to second hand but I need an idea of what’s any good!

papergirl that one might do but I’d need to find a compatible leg raiser which might be tricky.

LIZS the nearest Red Cross to us is 30 miles away, open for 2 hours 2 days per week! No deliveries..And of course I can’t drive at the moment. Local store is Ableworld, it doesn’t seem to have anything suitable, it’s much more about powered chairs and scooters unfortunately.

I used careco for my last wheelchair, great service, delivered quickly and I used there online chat for help.
Also Google your local mobility aids centre our local one has new and reconditioned wheelchairs.
Keep in mind what car boots you'll need to put the chair in and also buy a wheelchair cushion.

I work as an OT with equipment but don't do wheelchairs (sorry!). I had a look on Invacare website as are at the budget end of other types of equipment, they also do manual wheelchairs with the accessories you require. No prices on their website but they will come out and do a demo with you - which is totally standard and I get our local rep out all the time. You can also haggle a little 😉

The only thing you need to consider about planning to share it with your dad is that wheelchairs need to be comfortable for the user. An OT would measure your hip width, femur length, and pop height (floor to behind your knee) to make sure the chair seat width, depth and height fit you. They'd also asses the environment to make sure the chair fit around your home (unless you live with your dad a chair that fits your doorways might not fit his) and your functional skills like if you can self propel. These will affect things like the back rest height - needs to be lower if self propelling to allow your shoulder blade to move. Also what are you both going to be doing in the chair, if it only needs to be comfy for an hour then you're going to tolerate a less supportive chair than one you need to spend 8+ hours a day in. There's a lot to think about and what's right for you might not be right for him so you might end up selling on and repurchasing or reconsidering renting during your acute recovery period.

We bought one from Halfords many years ago before my ed bought her lightweight super expensive one. I think the Halfords one was about £120.