Transport Wheelchairs (Companion Wheelchairs)

Transport Wheelchairs Make Getting Around A Whole Lot Easier For A Senior Citizen

Transport chairs are wheelchairs with very small wheels, generally 3 or 5″ wheels instead of the larger wheels in a typical wheelchair. The reason? Transport chairs are meant to be used with a companion pushing instead of the senior citizen wheeling the chair alone.

My Mom’s Drive Medical Transport Chair (shown there with my brother Mike pushing) folded easily by just pulling up of the chair seat.

Utilizing lighter materials and smaller wheels means that transport chairs are much lighter than a typical wheelchair; while a typical wheelchair can weigh as much as 40 lbs, the transport wheelchair comes in at only 19 lbs so loading it into the backseat or trunk of the car is a breeze. These types of wheelchairs also are more narrow than regular chairs so they may fit through the hallways and doorways of older homes.

Having a transport chair for Mom opened the world for us. Although she could still walk, having the chair along made our excursions much easier on her arthritic knees. Anything that helped her was good in my book.

When purchasing one of these wheelchairs, you’ll want to be aware of a few things:

• These lightweight wheelchairs are available with different seat sizes. Since Mom was so petite, we got by with a 17″ seat but most of the transport chairs have 19″ seats.
• For larger, heavier seniors, you’ll want to look for bariatric transport chairs – these have larger seats (typically up to 22″) and hold up to 500 lbs.

Note: I did not realize that one needs to have a wheelchair tuned up once a year. During the tune up, our medical supply store adjusted and oiled the appropriate parts and checked the brakes. Please make sure to get your chair tuned up also!

Here’s the best transport chairs on the market. All of these transport chairs rate at least 4 out of 5 stars on Amazon.com.

Smaller Transport Chairs

These smaller transport chairs are great for more petite riders although they do typically carry up to 250 lbs.

 NOVA Medical Products 352 Lightweight Transport Chair with Detachable Desk Arms, Hand Brakes and 12 Medline MDS808200SLRR Ultra Lightweight Transport Wheelchair, Red Drive Medical Economy Transport Chair, 19 Inch, Silver Medline Transport Wheelchair with Brakes, Blue NOVA 319 Steel Transport Chair Drive Medical Fly Lite Ultra Lightweight Transport Wheelchair, Black Frame

Bariatric Transport Chairs

These chairs carry up to 500 lbs and weight more than a regular chair – typically somewhere between 35-40 lbs. They also have larger back wheels to carry the additional weight.

 Drive Medical Bariatric Transport Chair with 12 Inches Rear Flat Free Wheels, Red, 22 Inches Medline Bariatric Transport Chair, 22 Drive Medical Bariatric Heavy Duty Transport Wheelchair with Swing-away Footrest, Blue, 22 Medline Freedom Plus Ultralight Bariatric Transport Chair 22

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