When you’re in a wheelchair, you’re either moving using your arms or not powering your own motion at all. As such, wheelchair users tend to suffer more than others during bouts of colder weather. Even a light walk warms up the body – without that stimulation, just a slight chill can cut to the bone.
Luckily enough, there are plenty of accessories you can buy to keep yourself warm. Here are just four you shouldn’t leave home without when the weather has turned bad.
- Rain Poncho
A rain poncho covers your whole body, trapping the heat you create to help keep you warm when the air turns chilly. Most are also showerproof, so you’ll be protected against light rain. Look for a rain poncho that comes with its own bag for added convenience.
- Leg Cosy
Since your legs won’t be moving at all when you’re in your wheelchair, you need to make absolutely sure they stay warm. A leg cosy can help with that. Placed right over the legs and secured with a strap, a cosy will improve comfort, retain heat, and keep cold draughts from hitting your lower body.
- Hand Muff
Gloves are an option, and they can be particularly handy if you’ll need to power the wheelchair yourself, given that you are using one of those Manual Wheelchairs. However, it’s hard to find gloves that provide enough warmth while still leaving your hands dexterous enough to control the chair. Hand muffs are great since they cover both the hands and lower arms, and you can always bring your hands out when you need them.
- Fleece Cushion
People tend to only cover themselves when they need to stay warm – after all, this helps trap heat. However, you’ll also want to ensure that cold isn’t hitting you from below, and a great way to do that is by sitting on a fleece cushion.
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