I most certainly agree with you Greg! The dealers are essentially salesmen (like any salesperson) and they are looking at the big $$$$ that are going to come from insurance companies or Medicaid that pay for these power chairs that have very high price tags now.
The downside however is that when you get a chair from a dealer (vendor) then they are responsible for all the repairs and if Medicare or Medicaid paid for the chair -- Medicare or Medicaid will pay for the repairs or ongoing replacement parts. And the great majority of people here on the list do not have the money to just buy a chair from someplace else (not a dealer) and any other monies to pay for any *ongoing repairs or parts.* I feel that I know my body best and therefore I would be telling/asking the PT (no matter who pays for the chair) WHAT EXACTLY I need. Over the last 29 years, I have had only three wheelchairs. The first one (gotten for me when I was still in rehab by the supposed experts) was a simple Everest and Jennings power chair. A sling seat with a motor and a switch. Looking back at photographs now and what little that I remember -- I did not fit very well in the chair* at all* and my upper torso was "humped over." After I came home, I always remember wanting people to stand behind me and pull my shoulders back so I would sit up straighter. Being a "new quad" -- I was still figuring things out as far as my body and adjusting to this new world. This was *1980/1981* when I got the chair and I do not think* back then*they had the TILT or RECLINE features. OMIGOD - I could never go without one or the other now without being so uncomfortable that I would rather stay in bed! I got my second wheelchair around 1984 and it only had the recline feature. But it was perfect to adjust my back forward or backward and I did it constantly with the flip of a switch. I had that chair (*FORTRESS* * SCIENTIFIC*) for 12 years and then in January of 1999 I got the *PERMOBIL*with both the tilt and recline features. I use the TILT feature *constantly* to relieve pressure off my upper torso and neck muscles. But I rarely use the recline because it makes me shift a little bit down in the chair and it has always been uncomfortable - UNLIKE the FS I had for 12 years. Pros and cons, pros and cons. I am long overdue for a new wheelchair but it takes my body so long to adjust to a new wheelchair and I have not had the energy or endurance (not to mention a million other things going on in life) to do try out different ones. This chair will be 10 years old in a couple months or less but I am too used to it. Lori On Tue, Nov 25, 2008 at 7:59 AM, Greg <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > To those who bought through a dealer. I would never buy a chair directly > though a chair dealer again. I had too many problems doing that. I found > going through a PT helps a lot. They have a dealer rep meet you with them so > they both can do a real evaluation. Measuring, weighing, checking for spine > curving, seeing if you need special needs, and pressure mapping, etc. My > spine is curving from years of not using trunk/lateral supports, my legs > spread out from my Roho cushion, etc. So I needed extra pad/supports to hold > me straight. (I have an appointment to get my trunk/lateral supports fixed > because they keep popping open and I tip over. I've tried a number of swing > away types. I guess I just need to try fixed ones not swing away.) Best > thing about using a PT is you can call them if it's not perfect for you and > they call the chair rep. They get thing fixed better and faster then. I find > chair reps just try to rush you through not caring if it's what you want or > exactly what you need. The PT I used gave me a few good Ideas I never > thought of and previous reps never mentioned. > > Greg > > > -- Lori C4/5 complete quad, 27 years post Tucson, AZ
