Question: I am in search of hand brakes which mount on the handles of a wheelchair. These are to be used by the caregiver for maneuvering down hill where it is hard to hold a wheelchair back or controlling its speed. Do you have info as to where it might be possible to find one?

 

Thanks,

Ann

 

Answer: Several wheelchairs come with attendant-operated handbrakes as a standard feature; most often they’re folding transport chairs. If you want to attach brakes to a chair you already have, there are installation kits designed to fit handbrakes onto the handles of most standard, self-propelled wheelchairs or transit chairs. However, these kits are not that easy to find. One company that used to sell them seems to have gone out of business and another (Medicare Technology, who makes the Wheeltech Easibrake kit) is in the UK. The installation itself looks to be fairly straightforward; but you might want to consult your certified medical equipment supplier to find out if there are handbrakes available that are specific to the make or model of your chair, and to make sure installing the brakes won’t compromise the wheelchair’s functionality and safety.