My mom is still ambulatory but can only walk extremely short distances around the house. She had back surgery for a ruptured disc 4.5 years ago which decreased the falling episodes but she still suffers from back pain. The good news is she doesn't suffer from pain when she sits but the bad news is she doesn't exercise enough and struggles to walk even 100 feet without getting winded. She has a walker which ok when we are going to the doctor because she can sit as soon as we get to the office but taking her on outings now is nearly impossible.
We started looking at wheelchairs yesterday and have narrowed the types to either the upgraded transport wheelchair with the hand brakes and slightly larger wheels or a standard wheelchair. We eliminated any power version because she suffers from dementia and would not remember how to operate this type of chairs.
As I look into the future and recognize that she will probably wind up in a facility in a wheelchair, is it better to get a transport wheelchair or regular type now?
By the way, her insurance will not pay anything now towards a purchase of a wheelchair since she can still walk.
The other thing to think about is weight. Can you get a regular wheelchair in and out of a car? If not, then a transport chair might be a better choice. They're much lighter than a standard wheelchair.