Question: My wife recently became unable to walk or support weight due to a cancer that attacked her backbone- multiple myeloma. We are hoping that within a few months she can regain that ability.. But in the meantime….wheelchair van transport to the hospital from the skilled care facility is soon to run out... I have a 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan with the stow and go seats. Even large adults can sit comfortably in the second row seats but the actual height floor to ceiling is 48 inches with the seats folded back into the floor. She is only barely 5 feet tall when standing but about 46 inches in the wheelchair. Do they make a low profile wheelchair or power chair that would give us a couple more inches?

 

Answer: A hemi style wheelchair could give you the additional inches of clearance you’re looking for. A hemi chair has a lower floor to seat height, generally a difference of about two inches. One example is the Traveler Hemi by Everest & Jennings. Another option would be a chair with dual axle positions that could be adjusted to give you a lower seat height - the Invacare Tracer, for instance, or the Guardian Easy Care 2000. If you’re looking for a short term solution, you might check out your local rental options as well.