Standard and commercial wheelchairs require major differences in their design. Due to their intended use environment, these disparities require variation in the structure, storability and strength of the end product. Learn more regarding these areas to understand the differences between the traditional and commercial wheelchair.
Safety
While both products place a premium on safety, the commercial wheelchair offers more options for patient and attendant safety. Traditional wheelchair users (individuals instead of institutions) do not need certain features which are made to accommodate commercial users. For example many traditional wheelchairs utilize manual braking systems and the occupant normally enters and exits the wheelchair from the front.
Commercial wheelchairs ideally utilize automatic braking systems with a fail-safe feature. Entering and exiting the wheelchair, on high-quality models, is done from the side in order to minimize the amount of bending and lifting required by the attendant.
Concerns of Theft
Whereas personal wheelchairs rarely leave the sight of their owners, it is an entirely different case for the commercial wheelchair. With large institutional settings such as airports and hospitals, there are additional opportunities for thefts to occur. Some hospitals have reported that ten to twenty percent of the wheelchairs are stolen each year.
While traditional wheelchairs have few security features, many commercial wheelchairs are addressing this issue more thoroughly each year. Some of the most common options involve models which cannot fold or collapse or incorporate formerly removable parts, in order to prevent such items from quickly being placed into the trunk of a vehicle. Serial numbers and coin locks represent other options in this increasingly important area for commercial transport chairs.
Durability is demanded
For personal use, durability is important but not as critical as it is in institutional environments. Personal users are able to take much better care of products that they own, generally speaking. Additionally, many personal users don't require their chairs to be weather resistant.
The fact is that standard wheelchairs use materials that are not as strong as those used in commercial wheelchair models. For instance, chrome, aluminum, and vinyl seating are standard on personal wheelchair models. In an institutionalized setting these models have a life span of one to three years.
High-quality commercial wheelchairs use much stronger materials to accommodate the increased use of the institutional setting. High-grade steel is the preferred material when constructing commercial wheelchairs. The parts are better at resisting scratches since they have been painted using automotive-grade paint with an undercoat and overcoat.
Organizational Features are Important in Commercial Settings
Organization and storage aspects represent a couple of additional needs that commercial setting require that individual owners don't need to worry about.
Commercial wheelchair manufacturers are recognizing the need to save space in institutional environments, resulting in stackable wheelchairs. While traditional wheelchairs fold and collapse for easy transport, that same feature makes them easier to steal.
By utilizing a stackable model that reduces the space needed to store a large number of chairs, commercial manufacturers address the storage needs of institutions without increasing the risk of theft. Furthermore, once the users know where to stack chairs, organization and availability improve.
Each chair has its strengths, but for the commercial setting, stackable chairs designed for heavy use make better financial sense.
Author Resource:-
STAXI is the world's leading nestable transport chair system and the number one wheelchair alternative for hospitals and airports. STAXIs were designed for institutional use only. Visit: http://www.Staxi.com
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