Page 13 - Mobility Management, May/June 2022

PREDICTING THE FUTURE IS TOUGH: How many client doesn’t end up having a lot of repairs based on the frame?
people, epidemiologists aside, anticipated a pandemic
when COVID-19 was discovered?
But by looking at the past plus what we see today, can we
predict what tomorrow’s wheelchairs will be like?
ULTRALIGHTS: GOING BEYOND FRAME WEIGHT
For many years, manufacturers labored to shave ounces from the frames of ultralightweight wheelchairs. After all, frame weight has long been scrutinized by ultralightweight wheelchair riders.
But at this point, does losing a few more ounces really matter?
Christie Hamstra, PT, DPT, ATP, is the Clinical Education Specialist and Interim Director, Motion U, for Motion Composites, a manufacturer of ultralightweight wheelchairs.
“We can spend all this time as manufacturers making our chairs super, super lightweight — taking off one pound, two pounds,” she said. “They’re all getting within a few pounds of each other.”
So if frame weight is no longer a significantly distinguishing feature, what else can manufacturers do to stand out?
Hamstra said, “As the manufacturers, we look at what material we’re selecting. Is it really efficient? Is it going to last long, so the
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“Material is really important, whether it’s aluminum, titanium, or carbon fiber. You want to ensure it’s durable. Manufacturers consider material and the design at the same time.”
And while there is plenty of debate about the merits of various frame materials, Hamstra said the materials are truly a means to an end. “It’s not just, ‘Hey, we make carbon fiber chairs, they’re amazing,” she pointed out. “Or ‘We make titanium chairs, they’re amazing.’ It’s how do we work with that material? Where are we sourcing it from? Is it put together in the best possible way to be the most efficient for that end user?”
DURABILITY IS A PRIORITY
Efficiency includes the ability of riders to depend on their chairs. “They don’t want to have to worry ‘Oh, I’ve lost three bolts,’”
Hamstra explained. “Three bolts have fallen out, or the frame is bent or cracked. People don’t want these types of problems.
“Having done quite a bit of reading and taking in every Webinar I possibly could over the last two years, and listening to engineers — we’ve worked with our engineering department to really understand how it is that we ensure our chairs are going to go out there and not break down. I know that best practices, all
MOBILITY MANAGEMENT | MAY-JUNE 2022 13 8/7/20 8:24 AM