posted on - 2024-09-02
a) What does a person with limited mobility require to transfer onto a car?
No manual intervention in terms of lifting or lowering. This has direct impact on safety of both the passenger (limited mobility person) and the caregiver. Safety comes into play as slips in holding the passenger could lead to accidental falls. During transfers, the environment is not constant and the car could be parked near a side-step on the road or there could be an incline due to road-bank.
b) Is there a difference between elderly passenger transfers and transfers for younger passengers with upper body strength?
Yes. Elderly passenger transfers need to be more slow and at a pace suitable to the elderly person. In such cases, independent operation of the remote control or wheelchair is not the goal but the lower effort required from the caregiver. Safety is paramount in elderly car wheelchair transfers.
For younger passengers with medium upper body strength, we have seen very quick adaptation to Caruna’s Complete Mobility Solution. Sometimes, we have seen docking done on their own and transfer into the car by their own.
c) How much training is required to operate Caruna’s devices?
Half a day of training for the caregiver, which can then be transferred to the other members of the family. Operating the device is very simple as there is a joystick that is intuitive and also a programmable remote that swivels the passenger out according to their height and weight.
d) Why automatic and not manual?
An automatic seat has an electronic lock and a backup mechanical lock for extra safety. This is not possible with mechanical model swivel seats yet.
e) If its electric and my seat gets stuck, what do i do?
There is a manual override which can be done by the caregiver after lowering the person out of the car. The possibility of the device getting stuck is low, as there are backup sensors and electrical overrides installed for each control system.
f) Wheelchair that docks seamlessly with the car:
A wheelchair loaded with a passenger that has to dock with a car swivel seat has to accommodate for road-banks and even the suspension system of the car. Caruna’s devices are able to adapt to these conditions. This makes sure that there are no sudden drops or lifts when the passenger is being pulled out from the car.
A wheelchair docked with the swivel seat mechanism in a Toyota
g) Weight of Caruna’s wheelchair trolley as compared to others:
Caruna’s wheelchair trolley is height adjustable and has heavy-duty motors that can lift patients upto 130 kgs approximately. The wheelchair is made of aircraft grade aluminium and is lightweight. It has 12 in wheels at the back and 360 degree rotating wheels on the front. Along with this, there are detachable armrests. The Right Hand Side armrest is detached during entry/exit as this allows for a barrier free ingress into the car. The armrests serve the purpose of safety from side falls and also provide hand support. Footrests can be folded upwards during seating of the patient onto the wheelchair. The footrests are molded ABS and are strong and durable.
Only one of the handrests is required during the transition period of docking and transferring person
The weight of the wheelchair trolley is around 16-18 kgs for a sedan/hatchback/MPV and around 20-22 kgs for a SUV. For a SUV, it might be the case that the care giver might need an extra hand to lift the trolley, as the rear height is slightly higher than other type of cars.
Please note that these are assessments made by our internal technical team of experts in the accessibility domain. We do not aim to devalue any other technology or competition. Customers are free to make their own assessments. The above article is a comparison based on parameters we use.