Wheelchair advice please

[donkeyderby]

Can anyone recommend a lightweight - possibly all-terrain - chair for a 13-year-old? If it is within the NHS budget, great, but unlikely I know.

DS1's current chair is one of those heavy, red NHS cheap ones with small wheels and I can't push him up or down hills. He can't self-propel and is in danger of putting his hands in the wheels so needs wheel guards. Wheelchair service denied existence of wheel guards last time I went - hence issue of useless small-wheeled chair - but I've seen them so they must be lying!

Thanks!

Hi donkeyderby

I'm new on here. My daughter has a wheelchair which is really light, she's 8 years old and got it throught her OT, it's called Convaid cruiser. It had to be delivered from America so it took a long time to come but definitely worth it. Hope this helps.

what about this?? They do 2 sizes-I have seen the smaller ones, takes up to about age 10 and it looks great-lightweight and folds very easily-goes flat and the wheels come off. The larger size is 10-adult and even has swivel wheels (its the only adult '3' wheeler that does as far as I know.

www.specialneedspushchairs.co.uk/babyjogger_freedom.htm

We have this very good for off road, but too big for round town as its very long and high.

I should've gave you this link when i posted my message

oops,i'm not very technical, sorry, but that's the website anyway, hope it helps

ds2 has one like this in black and silver

he is 8

it came through wheelchair services

Thanks v. much for replies. I've emailed a couple of the companies to ask how much the wheelchairs weigh. We once got an all-terrain buggy that was too heavy to lift into the car!

Riven and Sandhills, can I ask, did you get your chairs with NHS funding or did you have to pay yourselves?

I didn't have to pay for dd wheelchair, we got it through OT on NHS. We live in N.Ireland though so i don't know if things work differently here.

i didnt pay for ds2's either

ds came through wheelchair services we have a blade

What sort of wheelchair needs does your child have?
Sorry that sounds nosy..but the level of need will dictate what the NHS is prepared to offer (which to be honest is usually pretty dire unless you have very high positional support needs).. they do the voucher scheme with several different levels of voucher with which you can purchase your own (tho you have to top up the voucher by a lot usually!)

If it's basically a place to sit ..then they usually offer an Invacare Blade or similar (can have big or small wheels) or if adult sized, an Action 3. Equally unappealing IMO.

My son uses a wheelchair for distances and was given an Action 3..it's horrible, heavy to push and I really struggle because I have some problems myself with mobility. In the end we have gone down the self funding route.. and it isn't cheap.

A Convaid to fit a 13 yr old isn't going to come in at under £1000 and nor are any other decent wheelchairs, let alone something all terrain. If your child is happy with a buggy then the all terrain ones are much cheaper than a wheelchair) Unfortunately my son is too aware to be happy in a buggy and we needed something that 'age appropriate.... we settled on a Quickie wheelchair.. their people are very nice and we are waiting for it to arrive!

As for the no spoke guards... they are lying... all our NHS chairs have had them fitted as standard!

We have just ordered an Otto Bock Bravo Racer wheelchair. This was part funded by wheelchair services and a charity. You don't have to pay for the remainder of the cost - there are lots of charities out there who will fund wheelchairs. If you choose to go down this route though, make sure you have your physio or OT at the wheelchair assessment, as the charities want evidence of why the wheelchair would be an improvement on your current one.