Integrated & Community Services - Pushing a wheelchair

General hints

• Always wear the lap strap provided
• When pushing a wheelchair be close to the wheelchair, have a straight back and push with your whole-body weight and leg muscles
• Keep your arms near your body and your elbows bent
• When stopped, ensure that the brakes are always on When someone sits in a manual wheelchair, they must sit well in the chair otherwise the wheelchair will feel harder to push i.e. back against the backrest. The assumption is that because of the weight of a person a wheelchair is difficult to push, but it’s not the weight - it’s where the weight is located. If someone is sat forward in the wheelchair all their weight will be over the front wheels which will make the wheelchair harder to push
• Wheelchairs over 22” seat width or user weight above 20 stones are the only ones classed as bariatric because they come with potential restrictions e.g. doors at home/ramp access
• Plan your route by considering potential obstacles. Is it possible to avoid narrow doors and corridors, steps, low branches, slippery floors and steep footpaths?

Managing a wheelchair down a kerb – Forwards

• Push the wheelchair until the footplates are at the edge of the kerb
• Hold the wheelchair handles firmly and tilt the chair backwards using the tipper lever until the back wheels touch the kerb
• The front wheels should be placed on the path
• Use the handles to lift and push the wheelchair forward

Managing a wheelchair down a Kerb – Backwards

• Place the back of the wheelchair towards the kerb, grasp the handles and step backwards
• Roll the back wheels down the kerb
• Wheel the wheelchair backwards while tilted until front castors are cleared from the footpath
• Lower to the ground gently

Managing a wheelchair uphill

• Keep the weight of your body forward when pushing the wheelchair up an incline
• Keep your back straight and elbows slightly bent

Managing a wheelchair downhill

• Travel slowly and safely down inclines to maintain control of the wheelchair
• If the slope is very steep, going down backwards may make the person in the wheelchair feel safer and prevent them from tipping out
• If a hill, ramp or kerb seems too steep for you, do not attempt to push a person up or down the incline