COVID has made people stop and reevaluate how they do safety. The wheelchair community is no different. For people with limited mobility using wheelchairs, they face a unique predicament. Their wheelchair is frequently touched and it encounters a wide range of surfaces. Take a look at some of these tips for staying safe during this time.
Clean Your Hands Regularly
Meticulously cleaning your hands is important for everyone during this time, but it’s especially important for wheelchair users. Wheelchair users use their hands to navigate their chairs, either by pushing the wheels or using a joystick. Regardless of how you operate your wheelchair, your hands touch a lot of surfaces.
Wash your hands with soap and water for 10-20 seconds or use sand sanitizer that has a greater than 60% alcohol base. Clean your hands when you return to the house, when eating in public, and after touching other objects that aren’t in your home.
Clean Your Wheelchair Regularly
Like your hands, your wheelchair touches a lot of surfaces. A helpful tip ton remember is clean your wheelchair when you clean your hands. When you clean your hands, use a washcloth or antibacterial wipes to clean the parts of your wheelchair that you frequently touch. This means wiping down your:
- Handrims
- Tires
- Joystick
- Armrests
- Wheellock
When you return home consider deep cleaning your wheelchair, or cleaning other parts of the wheelchair that you don’t touch as often.
Social Distance
Wheelchair users often sit at a lower level than people who are standing. That means that the particles from someone coughing, sneezing, or talking can fall right onto those using a wheelchair. To avoid getting infected, or at the very least avoid receiving unwanted saliva particles, it’s recommended to remain six feet away from those around you. If it’s difficult to remain six feet away from others, you can benefit from wearing a face mask. A face mask will protect you from some saliva droplets from entering into your body.
Talk to a Wheelchair Specialist
Freedom Mobility is here to help wheelchair users navigate through these unprecedented times safely. As a wheelchair store in Maryland, we understand the difficulties that wheelchair users face while trying to avoid COVID. If you have any further questions about how you or your loved one can stay safe while using a wheelchair, give us a call today. We’re more than happy to help.