After Part 1 of this blog series, this article will look at Sunrise Medical powerchairs in more depth. We will start by considering the value of a folding function in a powerchair. The Sunrise medical powerchair training session gave a good insight into this. The Q50 R Carbon and the Q50 R were the two folding powerchairs in question. As the name suggests, the Q50 R Carbon has a frame made from lightweight carbon fibre. The Q50 R is the more robust option. More to the point, it has an extended range relative to its lightweight stablemate.

Exploring Prescriptive Powerchairs

Lightweight folding powerchairs, and folding powerchairs generally, are a popular staple of the powerchair market. That’s not to say that they are universally what is needed. For example, many powerchair users require a product which they can sit in for extended periods of time. So, they require technological adaptations to reduce the risk of pressure sores. Weight redistribution mechanisms are one of the major tools to reduce pressure sore risk and impact. That’s what tilt-in-space powerchairs can offer.

Pictured opposite is a Q500 M. This is a chair which can be equipped with tilt-in-space functionality. It was demonstrated during the Sunrise Medical powerchair training session. Powered tilt-in-space (as opposed to the manual version) is a best-in-class solution. It is offered by various prescriptive powerchairs. This is because it reduces the chance of pressure sores.

Powered Seating Choices

As well as powered tilt-in-space seating, modern prescriptive powerchairs often feature powered seat lifting. Amongst other things, this technology has a transformative effect. This is because powered seat lifting puts users at eye level with those around them. You can easily imagine how this liberates prescriptive powerchair users. Thanks to powered seat lifting, if it is chosen as an option, users can feel liberated socially. When we consider prescriptive powerchairs, it is easy to overlook what might be called “soft benefits”. Soft benefits are the less immediately obvious ones. For instance, the mental health boost of being able to look someone in the eye during a conversation is a “soft benefit”. What this goes to show is that prescriptive powerchairs can be even more transformative than you might assume at a glance!