Anyone whose mobility is impaired due to physical limitations in old age will have to resort to an aid such as a wheelchair in the long term. A wheelchair gives you back the mobility that can be lost due to physical limitations in old age. A wheelchair enables you to take part in social life again and significantly improve your quality of life and range of movement.

Who is a wheelchair suitable for? 

For many people, wheelchairs are an essential and indispensable aid in everyday life. On the one hand, it helps people with physical limitations to restore their range of movement and, on the other, it makes a significant contribution to improving their mental state and quality of life. Suitable wheelchair models can also be easily rented for temporary physical limitations. 

Application to the health insurance company

A wheelchair is a functional product and can, in principle, be prescribed by your doctor at the expense of your health insurance. It is important that the wheelchair can meet the basic needs of daily life. Once you have received a prescription from your doctor, a specialist consultant will draw up a trial report. This defines and tests the right wheelchair for you. After a successful trial, an application for cost coverage is submitted to your health insurance company. This can take some time and bureaucratic work. It is advisable to leave the process in the hands of professionals to ensure a fast and secure process. You can find help and advice here.

Wheelchair without prescription

However, many people who need a wheelchair are reluctant to obtain it through their health insurance. The hurdle with an aid on prescription is certainly the bureaucratic and time-consuming process that you have to go through. In addition, there are further appointments with the doctor, correspondence and telephone calls with the health insurance company. Of course, you can also buy a wheelchair and thus secure your path to new mobility more quickly. You can find out which wheelchair is best suited to you and your needs with the help of a personal consultation. You can obtain specialist support directly here.

Freedom and flexibility

Mobile and independent - this is often difficult to achieve with conventional wheelchairs. But with a foldable power wheelchair, you can get around at the highest technical level. With their low weight, minimal space requirement and long range, foldable power wheelchairs adapt perfectly to your needs and integrate seamlessly into your everyday life. And best of all, they can be taken along in cars, airplanes and ships at any time. 

Please also read the article:"Mobile on the move".

Wheelchair models at a glance:

Wheelchairs can basically be divided into six groups:

• Standard manual wheelchairs

The user must be pushed by another person, so the wheelchair is only suitable as a temporary mobility aid, e.g. as a means of transportation in clinics, retirement homes or airports.

Your advantage:

No adjustments to the user necessary.

Challenge:

Unsuitable as a permanent solution. Also very heavy as it is usually made of steel tubes.

• Lightweight wheelchair

The user propels the wheelchair using their own physical strength. Suitable for people with a good upper body condition.

Your advantage:

Very light as usually made of aluminum.

Challenge: 

Users often have to exert a lot of force to move around.

• Active wheelchair (also: adaptive wheelchair)

Can be operated without great effort, making it much easier to move around independently.

Your advantage:

Individually adaptable to users.

Challenge:

In any case, the user has to use muscle power to move around.

• Multifunctional wheelchair

Developed for people with severe disabilities who are barely able to move under their own power. 

Your advantage:

Various adaptations to the needs of people are possible.

Challenge:

Not necessarily suitable for all users.

• Electric wheelchairs

Electrically powered wheelchairs are particularly suitable for people who can barely move their arms or have little strength.

Your advantages:

No to very little muscle strength required, large range of movement.

Challenge:

Comparatively heavier than manual wheelchairs.

• Electric folding wheelchairs

Electrically powered wheelchairs for people with little or no arm strength, but who want to continue to participate actively and independently in life.

Your advantages:

Lighter than normal electric models, easy to transport, no muscle power required and large range of movement

Challenge:

Heavier and wider than other models.