Depending on where you live, there will often be a business locally who has rental services available on wheelchairs, they will usually rent out mobility scooters too.

A deposit will probably be necessary and is usually refundable. the actual weekly hire prices vary, some start at £10 per week, others start at around £20 per week, where you go and the type of wheelchair that you want to rent will make a difference to the cost but for short term use it can be ideal.

When vistiting a local mobility shop with the intention of hiring a wheelchair you should ask them as many questions as necessary so that you know if the rental includes a replacement should anything go wrong with the one that you hire, also whether you are covered by insurance so that you know who is responsible and liable for anything while using the wheelchair.

Hire rates might include discount for longer peroids, so 4 weeks wheelchair hire might work out cheaper, for example one week might cost £10 but the weeks beyond that might be at a cheaper rate so instead of it costing £40 for 4 weeks it might only cost £30, if the person you speak to about hiring one doesn’t mention discounts then ask them as you might be able to save a few quid.

If the wheelchair will be delivered to you, find out if there is a delivery charge, and also if there will be a pickup charge when you are finished with the wheelchair and want to return it.

Dont forget to actually try the wheelchair that you wish to hire, and dont feel the need to rush your decision, even though you are hiring and even if its only for 1 week, you want to make sure that the wheelchair is confortable and right for you, any decent mobility shop will be happy to assist you in making the best decision that suits your mobility needs.

With wheelchairs and mobility scooters needing to be left outside of houses and other places from time to time, it can be quite tempting for a thief or mischievous kids or even adults who cant resist tampering, often just for entertainment reasons and usually not understanding the upset that this can cause to a user of mobility aids.

Any way of letting you know when someone may be attempting to move your wheelchair or mobility scooter is useful.

An alarm is actually available that is suitable for both electric wheelchairs and mobility scooters, and it’s one that doesn’t require you to start making modifications, so you dont need to start dealing with the wiring of your mobility aid,  you just need to connect two wires from the alarm to one of your batteries and you place the alarm itself underneath the seating on your wheelchair or underneath the scooter cowling if it’s to be fitted to a mobility scooter, and this is basically done with an adhesive pad so theres no need to drill or anything like that.

It includes a tilt and vibration sensor, has two remote controls and even has a finder button where you press the buttom and a loud sound is emitted to let you know where your wheelchair or mobility scooter is.

You can also adjust the sensitivity of the alarm from the remote control with four different levels.

The alarm is currently priced at £39.99 excl VAT and £45.99 incl VAT and the product is eligible for VAT relief.

It can be purchased from activemobility.co.uk

Of course apart from the designs theres also the fact that they offer a layer of protection for the spokes and also make things a bit safer for your fingers too.

Pricing can vary depending on who they have been made by and the extent of design on the protectors but you can also find ones that are more simple looking and just completely transparent if that is what you prefer.

Wheelchair spoke guards can be of particular interest to children needing the use of a wheelchair, anything that adds a bit of color and individuality and allows the child to express themselves with a design that they like makes them a popular choice and of course they also serve the purpose of protecting the spokes.

Most are fitted very easily with cable ties and/or with an adaptor, depending on the spokes, the guards are made to be shatterproof so that they can withstand knocks and vibration and the general wear and tear and movement that your wheelchair goes through on a regular basis.

With your fingers a lot safer, the spokes protected and your chance to make your wheelchair look how you want it to, it’s easy to see the benefits of adding spoke guards to your wheelchair.

A tyre pump may not be the type of thing that you need all of the time, but if you do keep one attached to your wheelchair then you can relax knowing that it’s there and ready for you immediately if your tyres need to be pumped up.

Because a tyre pump doesn’t weigh very much at all and can easily be clipped to your wheelchair, it is not something that is going to cause any balance problems to your wheelchair and wont get in the way either.

A clip on bracket allows you to attach the pump to the wheelchair easily so that any time you are out and about, you’re prepared, for example in the case of having a slow puncture, at least you have a way of being able to get your tyre inflated enough to get you to where you are going or back home.

A wheelchair tyre pump can be purchased from bin-to.co.uk

But the seat of the wheelchair is most likely not the only area that you require enough comfort, it’s important that your back doesn’t get sore and even the arm rests should provide enough comfort so that overall you can enjoy your time in the wheelchair and not become distracted by pains caused by a lack of cushioning and comfort.

A padded wheelchair cushion, like the one above, provides extra padding in all of the areas that matter, rather than just extra padding in the seat area.

You can get comfortable with this type of cushion as it provides extra padding in all of the right spots,  and because it’s one piece it makes it easy to put into place and to remove.

Underneath they are usually waterproof so that you have no worry of the cushion absorbing moisture.

You can rest your arms or have them down at your sides and if the weather is cold then this extra padding is going to give you quite a snug feeling when combined with a cover over your lap or any type of leg or body weather protection.

A full padded wheelchair cushion will usually cost around £95 but the extra comfort that you can gain from one makes it well worth the investment.

From having a cup of tea to signing paperwork or a cheque and enjoying your hobbies you can perform all of these a lot easier with a wheelchair tray.

They are usually positioned just above your lap and provide a level and steady work area as well as somewhere to place a cup of tea or coffee while chatting with relatives and friends.

Many of the trays available go across the full area of your lap and tend to curve and wrap around the side of your waist area but still leave enough breathing room, then there are the type that cover most of one side (half lap tray) and can either be fitted to the left side or the right, usually with a cup placing area, similar to the full sized wheelchair trays.

All wheelchair trays can be wiped clean so they are suitable for cups and small plates as well as anything else that you wish to place on the tray, they can even come in handy at times as simply a place to rest your hands and arms on.

A simple addition for a wheelchair but with multiple uses and allowing you to do a variety of everyday tasks while still seated in your wheelchair.

You can usually pick up a wheelchair lap tray for about £18 upwards for a basic moulded one and if you require a half lap tray they can cost considerably more, usually from around £70 upwards.

Because the tyres are taking the full weight of the wheelchair and user, they will in time wear down and less grip on the tyres can mean less traction and require more of an effort by the wheelchair user, but there’s also the factor of safety, for example making your way up or down a ramp, you want to make sure that the tyres have enough grip on them to prevent any chance of sliding or not being able to stop properly.

Both the castor type and the larger tyres will usually be priced at around £8 upwards, generally costing not much more, and thats cost per tyre.

When buying spares and replacing parts on a manual wheelchair, the tyres are probably one of the most important to deal with as they are the parts touching the ground and taking most of the wear and tear over time.

A lower part of the wheelchair is where added support can sometimes be overlooked, as often people may look to improving the cushion of the seating area but lower down is where some added support can make quite a difference.

Calf straps that can be attached between the two front wheel leg areas to provide a place for your lower legs to rest back on can provide added comfort, it supports the calf area and can provide relief.

They are strong but not rigid to the point of pressing hard against the back of your legs, instead the strap will have a tiny bit of movement in it as your calf muscles rest against it.

The straps will fit most sizes of wheelchairs and are easily fastened and can be easily removed when not needed.

Usually costing less than £10 it can make quite a difference and you most likely wont need to replace a calf strap with a new one for a long time.

Some capes and covers dont have any sleeves to them so they of course are suited to when a child will be pushed in the wheelchair and not operating it themselves but there are also the type that do have sleeves for a child that will be using the wheelchair themselves or simply prefers to have their arms free rather than underneath the cover.

Whether a child needs the use of a warmer or just waterproof protection there are solutions to suit not just the type of weather but the childs own choice of how they want to be covered and these products dont cost that much, with some starting at around £15 for the type of covers that cover from the waist to the feet.

Most fit the child quite snug too so that the cover is not hanging down below their feet or at the sides of the wheelchair.

The thing is that you may need protection from the rain or sun and it’s not really practical to try and hold an umbrella with one hand while trying to use your wheelchair with the other so you need a way of still being able to use an umbrella without having to really think about it.

This is where a wheelchair umbrella is a great solution to this, where there would usually be a normal shaped handle you instead have an attachment that easily fixes to the handle of your wheelchair and can be positioned just how you want it.

So whether you need protection from the rain or just a bit of shade from the glaring sun on a nice summers day you can acheive this easily with a wheelchair umbrella.