Due to terminal cancer, a stroke, and the resulting weakness and tendency to stumble or lose balance and fall, my husband spent a great deal of time in a wheelchair. To make matters just a little bit more difficult, he was left handed and the stroke left him with a virtually useless left hand. He had to have help doing almost everything. Having a very independent nature, he was too proud to ask for much assistance.
I decided to aid him in becoming as independent as he could be, and took to “fixing up his wheelchair.” Probably the best thing I did was to buy a fanny pack at a flea market with half a dozen zipper pockets in it. I loosened the back on the right side of his wheelchair, just enough to slip the strap thru the space, then tightened it back up. I adjusted the pouch so that it hung high over the right wheel as close to the front as possible. You wouldn’t believe what he packed in that pouch. He had a change purse for the vending machines and a little money in case he could con someone into going out to get him some junk food; his cigarettes and lighter, of course. A pen, his AA two year sobriety medallion, a tiny bottle of hot sauce to make the food more bearable and a baggy of dog treats for the greyhound that lived at the nursing home. These were some of the more important things.
A friend who rides a Harley Davidson visited with him one day and took his American Flag bandana from his head and tied it to the handle of the wheelchair. Now when he rolled down the hall, that flag flapped behind him like a banner. He enjoyed the comments the flag and the pouch brought.
So I kept looking for other conversational items to add. I tied seasonal decorations to the hub caps. He had a miniature wind chimes that tinkled lightly when he moved the chair. I added a bright colored cushion to pad his butt. In the auto department I found a cup holder that clamped onto the side of his chair, so he could carry his ever constant glass of iced water with him. In a Disability Catalog I found a “U” shaped board that attached to his chair forming his own table which was secured with Velcro straps. It was perfect for reading or meals.
These are just a few ideas of what you can do to brighten up a wheelchair of someone you love. Think about it – how would you like spending half your life or more in the same, depressingly dark colored chair? Why not put on your thinking cap and come up with some ways to brighten up their chair and their life. A wheelchair can be a prison to some people – to my husband they were his “Happy wheels.”
Copyright Shaywardncr 11/01/1999