Health Tip: Pushing a Wheelchair Safely
(HealthDay News) -- People with limited mobility may not be able to push themselves in a wheelchair. If you are assisting someone in a wheelchair, it is important that you follow safety precautions, says the Loddon Mallee Regional Palliative Care Consortium.
To safely push a wheelchair, the group encourages you to:
- Plan your route by considering potential obstacles.
- Avoid narrow doors, steps, low branches, slippery floors and steep footpaths.
- When pushing, stay close to the wheelchair. Push with your entire body weight.
- When pushing, keep your arms near your body and your elbows bent.
- When stopped, ensure that the chair's brakes are on.
- To fully apply brakes, push them until they click.
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