October 11, 2007

For several months I have been looking for an electric wheelchair for Rand with the idea that we would then get a minivan converted for handicapped use and my days of slinging a wheelchair in and out of the SUV would be over while I was still in one piece.  I knew that Rand could not operate a traditional electric wheelchair due to his limited spatial awareness, 50% blindness in both eyes, inability to attend to a task, to focus and to be aware of safety issues.  My wheelchair search focused on one with "attendant controls", in other words, one with controls in the back of the chair that another person or I could operate.  To make a long search story short, the only ones available are special order versions that cost in the $10,000 range!  Out of sheer frustration last week, I started talking to myself about who on earth the expert was that said Rand couldn't handle a traditional electric wheelchair.  It was me.  And what do I know?  The answer is NOTHING!  So today I went to a store and rented a regular electric wheelchair for Rand for a week to see how it would work.  Guess what??  

RAND CAN DRIVE!   RAND CAN OPERATE AN ELECTRIC WHEELCHAIR WITH EASE AND A GREAT DEAL OF SAFETY!!  HE'S GOOD!   HE LIKES IT!!  WHOOOOOPIE!!!  AND HERE'S PROOF!!


Out cruising the street


A stop at a friend's house


Catching up on the news at home - the wheelchair fits his room space perfectly!

I am so thrilled!! We practiced inside the house for awhile first and then took it out on Antigua Drive. Rand navigated like a pro. He went up and down the ramp, over obstacles on the sidewalk, around things, out on the street, learned how to regulate the speed and even how to use the weenie horn! I think he even surprised himself! He was amazed at how easily this chair goes over bumps, thresholds, and other things that make a regular wheelchair quake. I am ashamed of myself for doubting Rand's current abilities. On the other hand, it wasn't that long ago that my assessment was right, but he has come a long way in the last couple of months and I just hadn't understood how much progress he has made. I think we are home free and well on our way to being more independent. Just think, last Tuesday for the Saving Strokes golf program, I had to transfer Rand eight times in two hours. With this set up that number would be zero! That saves Rand a lot of grief and saves me a lot of wear and tear on my back and shoulders.

This is not the chair we will end up with. This chair is a rental, it is too low for him, and we need one that is a perfect fit - and has a decent horn! His arm rest doesn't work on this chair so we have to address that issue also. But there is a lot to like about this chair brand and it will take more research to find just the right combination for Rand. I hope I can accomplish that in short order and then we can move on to the minivan search. The next big decision is whether we buy new or used vehicles. There are pros and cons both ways.

Stay tuned - this is a huge milestone for Rand. I truly never thought I would see this day. I'm so happy I could cry!!

Keep Rand close.

Love,
Connie