Choosing a Wheelchair: A Guide for Optimal Independence [Paperback]

Gary Karp (Author)

Book Description

Series: Patient Centered Guides | Publication Date: January 15, 1998

The wheelchair is a liberator, not a prison. With the right wheelchair, quality of life increases dramatically. Even people with severe disabilities can have a considerable degree of independence and activity. However, choosing the wrong chair can indeed be tantamount to "confinement."

People selecting a chair for the first time can be distracted by emotions of loss or anger, overwhelmed with the amount that there is to learn and the number of features to consider, and unsure of their part in the selection process. Experienced chair users might know features on their present chair that don't work well, but are probably not aware of all the fast-changing choices in technology, features, or manufacturers.

Choosing a Wheelchair: A Guide for Optimal Independence, a companion title to Life on Wheels guides you through the selection process to help you identify the chair that can provide you with optimal independence.

Contents include:

• The wheelchair as a mobility tool
• The selection process and your part in it
• How to compare manufacturers (including smaller, niche manufacturers)
• Basic choices, such as power or manual? Fixed frame or folding?
• Features and options for both power and manual chair users
• Paying for the chair and insurance
• Wheelchair maintenance
• A primer on wheeling technique

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Written for first-time buyers and experienced chair users who need to replace their current wheels, this guide takes the reader through the selection process, discussing issues to consider when buying a chair, including payment options. The advantages and disadvantages of manual and power chairs are examined, together with specific details including types of cushions, seats and backs, foot- and armrests, positioning systems, maintenance, and wheeling style and technique. Experiences, suggestions, and tips from chair users, manufacturers, and therapists appear throughout the text to highlight and reinforce information. Photographs and charts illustrate various chair details and provide comparative information. A resource section includes lists of manufacturers and useful publications, as well as some internet resources. Karp, an ergonomics consultant and wheelchair user, has produced a practical and well-written guide, highly recommended for disability/rehab and consumer health collections.?Kate Kelly, Massachusetts General Hosp., Boston
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

When he was 18, in 1973, Gary fell out of a tree, breaking his spine in mid-back and becoming paraplegic. After his accident, Gary went on to college, graduated, and worked in the computer graphics field. In that field, he started a desktop services division, and conducted training and presentations. In 1992, Gary developed a repetitive strain injury. After recovering, he began his own ergonomics consulting business, Onsight Technology, which offers training and individual workstation consultation to range of clients in the San Francisco Bay Area. Outside work, Gary has been performing music -- guitar, piano and singing -- in local cafes and coffeehouses since he was a teenager and has recorded an album of original guitar music. In 1988 a friend introduced him to juggling, and Gary has been hooked ever since. He enjoys the juggling community, the necessity of making mistakes, pushing the envelope of what you are able to do, the Zen experience of staying in the moment, and juggling with others in passing patterns. He has also produced, performed and emceed at fundraisers and competitions. Gary's first book, Choosing a Wheelchair, was published in the summer of 1998. In his writing, Gary is interested in helping people educate themselves and adapt so that they can have the best quality of life possible.

Product Details

• Paperback: 186 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media; 1 edition (January 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565924118
• ISBN-13: 978-1565924116
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,232,633 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #38 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Reference > Consumer Guides

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Choosing a Wheelchair, January 19, 2002

By 

Stephen Pate "Busker" (Charlottetown, PE Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Choosing a Wheelchair: A Guide for Optimal Independence (Paperback)

I found this book from Spinlife.com where they publish excerpts as an online aid to selecting wheelchair components.

The author is a long term wheelchair user and athelete who had a Spinal Cord Injury (SCI). He knows more about wheelchairs than anyone writing for the public. As such he is an effective advocate for wheelchair use.

The book is logically laid out from wheelchair history to the selection process to wheelchair maintenance. The style is informative without being too technical. However, the wheelchair is a machine so expect a little tech talk. The chapter on maintance is wisely a primer and checklist - most people who use a wheelchair are not advised to tinker with them.

I recommend the book, even to someone who is already using a chair with two provisos.

1. For someone with neuromuscular disabilty, the advice to use a manual chair is ill advised. All the PT's and OT's I have seen in the past few years recommend power chairs to save your arms and avoid turning a parapalegic into a quadrapalegic. As Dr. Silver puts it "Save your arms. They are your independance." and "When do I recommend a manual chair? Almost never..." (Post Polio Syndrome: A Guide for Polio Survivors and their Families)

2. Don't try chasing down his references on wheelchair reviews or evaluations. They are non-existent from any official sources and this reflects the age of the book (1998). If you want reviews and opinions on chairs, try wheelchairjunkie.com.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars needs to be updated, May 18, 2008

By 

Jessie Gray (Elma, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Choosing a Wheelchair: A Guide for Optimal Independence (Paperback)

I bought this book a couple years ago, after I had to start using a manual wheelchair. I liked the first chapter that talks about the history of the wheelchair and 2 companies that made it to the top ranks in wheelchair invention and sales (Everest & Jennings and Quickie). Though it is packed with a lot of very good information on how to select accessories for your chair and the difference between power chairs (rear, front, or mid wheel drive), most of the manufacturer information is outdated. In fact, some of the companies the author provides are out of business or have been bought out by other mobility companies.
The only part that isn't realy outdated is the section on wheelchair cushions, since most of the cushions the author mentions are still on the market. Other than the book needing a makeover, its still a good basic wheelchair reference guide.

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Resource, December 17, 2010

By 

The_risque_tangelo - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Choosing a Wheelchair: A Guide for Optimal Independence (Paperback)

This book is aptly titled. Mr. Karp's book does not just detail a number of factors which affect the choice and use of a wheelchair. The topic of how a wheelchair can enhance or interfere with one's independence, empowerment,and self-esteem is reiterated frequently throughout each chapter. I read this book while I was attending an Occupational Therapy program and I would suggest this book to anyone who is interested in pursuing a health care career. Mr. Karp's style of writing is quite straightforward and effortless; pretension is completely lacking. The entire book could be read in 1 or 2 days easily.