Transferring into car

[JAM]

Hello,
My PAL’s can still put weight on feet with walker etc to transfer. The issue we are having is transferring from his lightweight WC (jazzy) to the car. We have a sedan and a small SUV. The sedan seems easier bc it’s lower and he steps downward vs him stepping upward into a mini van or our Mini SUV. The thing is bending his head going in once his feet are in the sedan.
Getting out is no problem at all. It’s just in bc of bending.
So… with a mini van do they roll into the van with a ramp and transfer onto a seat? Asking bc we can use a mini van from our family.

Sorry for the long ?

 

[Nikki J]

Transferring high to low is virtually always easier

With a wheelchair van you roll in using the ramp then early on you may transfer to a seat but sooner or later he is going to want to stay in the chair. He might have to because transferring becomes too difficult especially in a confined space but my sister was so tiny she could have been transferred but it would have been uncomfortable for the transfer and she was more comfortable in her chair with its support and tilt

 

[JAM]

Ty! So basically the situation we have now is best for his current state. (WC to sedan).

All we can do is the best we can do

Just wanted to be sure I wasn’t missing some gadget/trick

 

[annlee]

I have had the same issue in transferring from a manual chair to a sedan (Toyota). I could no longer go "higher" either. What has worked for me is rolling the WC parallel to the seat, as close to the car as possible. I wear a gait belt so a friend could lift as I lifted up with my arms. I could pivot slightly and sit my butt in the seat, facing outside the door. I could then get myself turned forward and "duck my head in", and pick up my legs to help get my feet in. This worked well for over a year. The last 6 months I can not push up and stand on my legs at all. I now line up the same way and place a slide board under me. Slide over, lift my legs in with my hands and remove the slide board. Using the slide board is much faster and easier than the way we did it when I could push up to stand. The gait belt is also helpful in case she feels she is going to fall, or to give a little "pull up" as she stands. Especially if the parking spot has the slightest incline. Around $10 on Amazon. Good luck.

 

[lgelb]

When someone loses neck and/or core strength, even if the driver just has to stop short, that can cause serious damage in a regular, seat-belted car seat.

If you are using a wheelchair, it is most likely time to think seriously about a solution that allows you to stay in the chair, or mixing and matching trips, whether renting, borrowing or buying a van; public transit; paratransit; nonprofit transit.

Besides the local transit authority, van service to limited locations is often provided to wheelchair users traveling between affiliated medical center locations, by neighborhood senior centers, and by nonprofits. Besides travel to medical appointments, there are often organized recreational trips to different locations so the CALS can travel with the PALS without having to drive.

 

[Landis02]

JAM, ask your clinic for a referral for home occupational therapy to visit. They can help you at your house.