Freedom electric wheelchair. 9 October 2019 at 8:44PM in Disability money matters 1 reply 1.6K views

westy23

Wife has recently became disabled and is in need of a electric wheelchair for trips out.
Any recommendations as I was thinking of a folding Freedom electric wheelchair.
Anyone use one and has any feedback?

Ps
Brain stem cavernoma that has bleed.

Spoonie_Turtle

I tried one, so my experience of it is very limited. It was too heavy for Mum and I to lift it together into the boot of the car, but if you are able-bodied and strong it might be doable. I found the footplate to be at an angle that made my legs hurt and not adjustable. There was also a noticeable delay between moving the joystick and it responding, so for things like crossing the road when a car let me it was a bit slow. Brakes responded well though, and seat height was slightly adjustable with an optional thicker cushion.

User needs decent core strength as there's no real lateral support but if she can normally sit fine then should be okay. Headrest optional, and the lifting arms would be useful for getting close to tables. If you get the one with larger tyres it seemed good on grass, even bumpy. Batteries were reasonably easy to remove and put back in, IIRC. When folded it was able to be wheeled along like a bulky suitcase.

Ultimately, make sure you can test-drive one before deciding