Back in January, Namine was evaluated for getting a SmartDrive for her wheelchair. When we started the process of getting her current wheelchair, we had wanted to get a SmartDrive — a motor to assist Namine with steep ramps and uneven terrain. It was denied as part of the chair’s request, so she received her new chair without it. Once she received her chair, we requested the SmartDrive again, by itself. Now, it’s been delivered and installed on Namine’s chair.
When the wheelchair technician arrived, he informed us that he would need Namine’s chair for at least a half hour. We still had her previous chair in the basement, so I brought it up. When the chair was first delivered, Namine transferred from one to the other by climbing onto her bed, then into the other chair when we swapped their positions. Now, however, Namine has a slide board from her physical therapist to make same-level transfers easier. Her current chair is a little bit higher, but that did not make the transition too difficult.
Once the technician was done installing the drive and its control switch, Namine transferred back into her current chair. The tech explained to Namine how to turn on the drive and control it, then let her loose to start using it. It was slightly different than the evaluation model; there was no controlling watch, so she controlled it via a speed dial attached to the frame.
By Namine’s own admission, it took a little getting used to. She crashed a few times, but soon felt that she had the hang of it. Her confidence may have been slightly misplaced, as she crashed a few more times shortly after declaring it.
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