Hi there! My mother has Parkinson’s and, whenever I’m able, I take her out for walks. She’s in a care home, and they provide a wheelchair to take her out in. However, we can’t go for more than about a minute without her feet slipping out of the foot-rests, and I have to go round to the front and put her feet back in place. It makes it really difficult to get anywhere!
The other day I ended up using my hoodie to tie her legs to the wheelchair, but I’m not sure whether this is safe. It also seems a bit degrading, though she says she’s fine with it. Anyone experienced similar problems? The care home don’t seem to have any thoughts.
Hello, you can get footplate straps like these that are designed to prevent feet slipping. If you put how to stop feet slipping off wheelchair footplates into the search it brings up some different types. They are known by various names which is why it’s best you do a search. They are not expensive and should be easy to fit. Hope you find something that solves your problem and makes your trips out with your mother a little easier .
Tot
Read your problem and saw reply. If the nursing home is providing the wheelchair then it should supply the heel support straps that stop the feet falling behind the footrest.It is their responsibility to make sure whoever is in their provided wheelchair is safe and not having the heel rests means they could be held responsible for any injury sustained in the event of feet slipping off. I spent over 30 yrs working for NHS Scotland as a paramedic abd we would refuse to allow patients to be transferred without heel rests.
Finishing once heel rests are fitted they make the feet much safer
Good point Katsoft. I saw so many badly maintained wheelchairs in hospital and other settings - sitting directly on the canvas not on a cushion, saggy back canvas which could be solved with a stretcher bar, badly adjusted footplates and even both feet balanced on one footplate. I’ve only known one place locally where all the mobility equipment was checked formally once a month for signs of wear and tear and immediately replaced and all wheelchairs had two footplates properly adjusted with cushion and stretch bars were available it needed until the back canvas could be replaced. They put a lot of emphasis on training too and the moving and handling I witnessed there was second to none. Sadly it was the exception not the norm.
Tot
