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What can i sit down on when getting my wheelchair in the car

Posted: Mon Aug 05, 2013 11:44 pm
by adamt
My car has an electronic hoist which brings the wheelchair in and out of the boot but it operates slowly, and it takes 5 minutes of standing to take the foot plates off the wheelchair and bring the handles down then fold in the wchair, and then to operate the slowly moving electric hoist,
this is very uncomfortable when i've been out all day in the wheelchair as my legs are then weaker

Once the wheelchair is finally in the boot i then have to slowly walk round to the drivers door which is very uncomfortable due to the further weakness i then have from standing


So it came to me that if i had a small foldable chair in my boot, i could sit down whilst operating the boot

But as the boot space is already tight, it would need to be a small foldable chair
- i have tried sitting on the boot lip while operating the hoist but it is on a downward angle so very awkward uncomfortable to sit on for over a few seconds

So does anyone know the best place to look for these chairs, as i assume others have my problem

or do you have other suggestions on how i deal with this?

- i have seen there are rooftop boxes which automatically take your chair from the floor near the drivers door and bring it up into the rooftop box but i really don't want something like that

Re: What can i sit down on when getting my wheelchair in the

Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2013 1:26 am
by euphoniaa
adamt wrote:
So it came to me that if i had a small foldable chair in my boot, i could sit down whilst operating the boot

But as the boot space is already tight, it would need to be a small foldable chair

So does anyone know the best place to look for these chairs, as i assume others have my problem

Hi adamt, I don't have any experience to share, but the first thing I thought of was a little, foldable "camp stool." I logged on to Amazon and searched for that term and several came up. I almost bought an older canvas one myself at a yard sale over the weekend, because they're so handy to have around. I think I might buy one or two anyway to use when I'm working in the garage, etc.

Good luck!

Re: What can i sit down on when getting my wheelchair in the

Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2013 10:35 am
by mmpetunia
I agree a camp stool might be the way to go. Although, if being out of your wheelchair standing for 5 mins is enough to tire you I suspect a mobility device might be what you need. Have you considered a rollator or a front wheeled walker with a seat? These have an additional advantage of offering you support while you are walking to the drivers seat after loading your wheelchair. They also fold up and the rollator has locking wheels so you can scoot yourself into position to load the wheelchair while seated then lock the wheels for safety. I'm envisioning trying to load a chair onto a lift to be difficult while sitting stationary, as you may need to scoot in close for the loading then move away while the lift is in motion. A camp stool is smaller for sure but will not offer much stability. If you have any trunk weakness and sitting balance is an issue then trying to lean in to load while seated could be difficult or risky. Also, having to stand then move the camp stool in and out for the lift to operate might be just as tiring as standing for 5 mins.