For those whose suffer from of long-term disabilities and are confined to wheelchairs, a motorized or power wheelchair will provide both mobility and speed. Offering far more sophisticated features than manually operated wheelchairs, a power wheelchair will cost correspondingly more.

Medicare Coverage

The basic power wheelchair will run about $5,000, but as more and more technology is added to it, can top out at around $30,000. There is, however, a Medicare benefit which may enable some people to acquire a power wheelchair at no cost.

In order to have Medicare cover the expense of a power wheelchair, the wheelchair must be going to someone who depends on assistance to perform basic daily tasks like bathing, grooming, getting dressed, and using the toilet. If this person is able to get around with a cane, walker, or manually-operated wheelchair, he or she will be ineligible for the Medicare benefit. Some private health insurance plans will cover at least part of the cost of a power wheelchair; so if you are considering buying one, check your policy.

Besides having a high price tag, a power wheelchair will, in most cases, not be collapsible. This means that if its user wants to travel, he or she will need a vehicle to with enough room to accommodate it. If plane travel is involved, the user may need a backup manual wheelchair. A power wheelchair can be disassembled for travel, but the process takes a lot of time and requires reassembly on arrival.

Customization

Before purchasing a power wheelchair for yourself or someone else, consult with a doctor familiar with the physical condition of the chair's future user. The doctor will be able to recommend the ways in which the power wheelchair can be modified to meet the user's needs.

If, for example, the user has no hand function, the joystick used to control the power wheelchair will need modification so that it will respond to some other part of the user's body.

A power wheelchair can include features which are constructed to fit the body size and contours of anybody who needs to use one. Many power wheelchair accessories have been designed strictly to enhance the comfort and support of the users; there are shower seats, arm rests, special memory foam cushions, and wheelchair ramps for power wheelchairs.

A power wheelchair, because it is capable of moving a high speed, does require its user to take responsibility for its safe operation; this begins by using the seat belt. And the user must be especially careful around small children who may confuse the wheelchair's joystick for a video game part, causing the chair to move unexpectedly. Safety, both of power wheelchair's user and those around him or her, should be the top priority.