Seniors’ wheelchairs are excellent mobility aids to help you feel independent in your daily activities. That’s why it is so important to find a fast and reliable repair place when you need it. They are not difficult to find, but you can also repair your wheelchair by yourself.
In today’s wheelchair repair complete guide, we’ll take a look at the best DIY videos and manuals. You’ll learn all you need to know about finding the right wheelchair repair company and how to fix your own wheelchair.
Wheelchair Repair Near Me
Finding a wheelchair repair shop near you should not be a problem if you live in a major city like Los Angeles or Austin. On the other hand, locating one if you live in a small city or town can be challenging. You’ll probably need to drive for hours before choosing a reliable place.
Here are some of the best wheelchair repair shops in the United States:
You can also find reliable wheelchair repair shops near you using platforms such as Yelp and Google Maps. If you live in the United Kingdom, you can use online platforms like Cylex to find nearby repair shops.
How to Find a Reputable Wheelchair Repair Shop
The first thing you should do to find a reputable wheelchair repair shop is read client reviews on Yelp or Google. In the review section, you can find information about the customer service and the overall quality of the repair service. That way, you can choose which repair shop you want, based on what it offers and how reliable it is.
How to Repair a Wheelchair – Videos
The time and challenge of repairing a wheelchair will depend on whether it is a manual or electric model. For instance, an electric wheelchair uses a more complex mechanism that requires technological knowledge.
Repairing an Electric Wheelchair
An electric wheelchair is not an easy device to repair by yourself. Still, you might like to try it if you already have the necessary skills. First, you need to identify the problem, which can be the battery or the motor. Then, all you’ll need is the right tools, a good guide, time, and patience.
Here are a couple of videos that will teach how to perform repairs on an electric wheelchair:
- Basic Wheelchair Maintenance and Repair
- MEGA VLOG 421: a quick and dirty repair! (wheelchair motor grease seal)
Performing Maintenance of a Manual Wheelchair
Manual wheelchairs are a lot easier to repair or maintain because they do not require special knowledge. However, you need particular tools for the model and a user manual to use as a guide.
Here are some videos you can use as a guide to repair or maintain a manual wheelchair:
- Wheelchair Maintenance
- Wheelchair Maintenance DIY: Rear Wheel
- How To Repair a Flat Wheelchair Tire
Wheelchair Repair Manuals
Repairing a wheelchair requires knowledge about how it works and its most common malfunctions. To learn this, you usually need to read the user manual and all the information possible about the model you want to repair.
Most major wheelchair manufacturers and brands offer links to download user manuals for performing repairs on their models.
Here’s a list of some of the major brands that offer repair manuals:
- Hoveround: Here, you can find a list of all Hoveround user and repair manuals.
- Invacare: Here, you’ll find the service manual for the Invacare 9000 XT.
- Medline: You can find here the user manual and service manual of Medline’s wheelchairs.
- Pride Mobility: You can use this website to find all repair resources for Pride Mobility.
- Drive Medical: Here’s a wheelchair owner manual for a Drive Medical model.
- Golden Technologies: You’ll find the repair and owner manuals for Golden Technologies devices here.
- EWheels: EWheels only provide a repair and owner’s manual once you’ve bought your wheelchair.
- Shoprider: Here, you can find all resources for repairing a Shoprider wheelchair.
- Vive Health: Vive Health is another brand that only provides a user and repair manual when buying one of its wheelchairs.
Wheelchair Repair Training – Where to Get Training
Technician training for repairing wheelchairs is not as common as you might think. However, there are still reliable places that offer it. For instance, the Tech Training at U.S.A Rehab offers a complete in-person seminar and online courses to help you understand how wheelchairs work and how to fix their everyday problems.
You can also find reliable and easy-to-understand online wheelchair repairing courses on FiosdMert. One of its best features is that you’ll learn to repair every mobility device available on the market, including power chairs and scooters.
Medicare Wheelchair Repair – Does Medicare Cover Repair?
Medicare covers the cost of wheelchair repairs as long as you bought the wheelchair following its policies. You need to have the wheelchair prescribed to you by an authorized physician and get it from a trusted provider. If you’ve followed these rules, Medicare will cover your wheelchair repair.
In most cases, Medicare will also provide a replacement while your wheelchair is being repaired. That way, you can still move around and do your daily activities without worrying about needing help.
Medicaid Wheelchair Repair – Does Medicaid Cover Repair?
If a patient cannot perform their daily activities without a wheelchair, Medicaid will provide them with one. This process is usually faster if the patient lives in a Medicaid nursing home because the nurses can tell whether they need it or not.
When it comes to repairs, Medicaid does not usually cover the cost, especially for electric wheelchairs. It also doesn’t provide a replacement unless a physician prescribes it for you.
Conclusion
In conclusion, you can use a reliable wheelchair repair shop or do it yourself if you have the right tools. Repairing a wheelchair is not as expensive as buying a new one, and Medicare can cover it in certain situations. You can use Yelp or Google to find the best and most reliable repair shops near you.
Some brands and manufacturers provide user manuals you can use as guides while repairing your wheelchair. However, if you don’t feel confident you can do it yourself, seek the help of an expert.
Sources:
User Manuals – SHOPRIDER Mobility Products
Resources & Support | Pride Mobility
Standard WHEELCHAIR Owner’s Manual 2014 Final.pdf
Downloadable Hoveround Service Manuals & Specs Sheets
In-Home Medical Mobility Equipment Repair | WSR Solutions
Service and Repair – Wheelchair & Mobility Equipment | Numotion
Pride Mobility Products – Dealer Locator
Homepage – Mobility Equipment Carolina
Wheelchair Repairs near your location – Ask for free quotes
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