That New Chair Smell

Every four years. Or is it five now? Either way, it’s still a ridiculous time frame for how long people who use wheelchairs (motorized and manual) have to wait to pursue the process of getting new ones, let alone for regular maintenance checks. And, if you have not experienced this firsthand, yes, it is quite the process. Especially, for [what I’ve heard] how long it actually takes to build them…

I put a lot of miles on my wheelchair, on my independent Atlanta excursions. With that, tires go bald, mechanical parts need checked out, and so on. After just a year of this lifestyle, that new chair smell is already on its way out. Not to mention that I’m getting old and feeling the physical changes which are calling for reviews/adjustments to my chair at least four times a year! 

If we lived our lives shut in our homes, then I could maybe see where this figure came from. But that’s unrealistic. And unfortunate that this community is still believed, by some, to lack any desire to be a productive member of society because of the need for a wheelchair. (But that’s for an ADAPT, #FreeOurPeople, and #CommunityIntegration blog.)

Now to the meat of this blog! (Or, the tofu, for the vegetarians out there…)

Image description: Stock photo - A black complex, front-wheel drive motorized wheelchair, in its upright, standing mode.

As if the time waiting to start the process wasn’t bad enough, add at least a year and a half to that for the actual process!  That’s an average. And add medical costs. Said process involves:

1.  A prescription from your primary doctor noting the need, and administering an evaluation from an Occupational Therapist (OT) (a costly 15 min. appointment,)
2.  An evaluation and order/prescription from an OT (another expensive but necessary appointment,)
3.  Detailed wording from the primary and OT for insurance to review and approve the need for this device,
4.  Follow-up contact with the primary and OT, and an occasional call to insurance, to be sure the ball is still moving (which in most cases is delayed by insurance,)
5.  Reevaluation with the OT, to solidify the measurement and send them off to the wheelchair vendor,
6.  Wait! Did insurance approve them? Uh-oh… Hold on another month or three…
7.  And the ball is rolling again! The vendor is building the chair that will be ready in two to four days. Yes, days!
   
   Now, to get it in your possession… That’s more of a personal scheduling step than unnecessary procedural setback.

All of the steps above should be expected to take at least a month, unless noted otherwise. Remember, during the evaluation process, we can see the options/features available to customize accordingly with our personal needs (i.e. recline and tilt to weight shift, avoiding skin breakdown; elevate or lower to communicate with [non-disabled] peers; tire/wheel type, seats and cushions, etc.) This is your chair. Choose what works for you!