 | ||
A wheelbench is a wheeled mobility device in which the user lies down. The device is propelled manually. The user pushes the wheels with the hands in the same manner as propelling a wheelchair or the wheelbench can be moved by a second person pulling or pushing it by the handles.
Contents
Construction
A wheelbench is constructed in a similar way to a wheelchair, except that it has a stretcher on the top instead of a seat. The device is also called a wheeled stretcher. A wheelbench is collapsible, just like a wheelchair.
Wheelbenches are used by people for whom both sitting and walking are difficult or impossible. The term "sitting disability" is used to describe a condition in which sitting is difficult, painful and perhaps medically injurious and which may be due to illness, injury, or other disability. A notable symptom of sitting disability is severe back pain. While mobility impairment is widely recognised, sitting disability is rarely mentioned in research or legal documents. Hence, wheelbenches are not as well known to society as wheelchairs.
A wheelbench has some resemblance to a hospital gurney or wheelchair. The difference is that the gurney is primarily made to move patients around in a hospital and is less comfortable for long distances or outdoors. A wheelbench has bigger wheels, just like a wheelchair.
Production
Wheelbenches are usually produced by companies producing wheelchairs.