Helping wheelchair users reposition or transfer themselves independently.
A wheelchair user's daily living involves repeatedy shifting position just for comfort or for transfers as such as to and from bed. That's all done more easily and safely-and more independently, without assistance-if there's something overhead to grab onto.
The present invention is a grab rail built onto or attachable onto a wheelchair, the grab rail formed as: a top grab part consisting of a cross rail extending horizontally across the wheelchair, reachably above a seated user head and forward of the user's center of gravity; a side rail above each side of the wheelchair, each side rail extending horizontally rearward from one end of the cross rail; and a support bar extending downward from the rear end of each side bar, each support bar terminating at either a handle part (“push handle”), where the wheelchair is so equipped, or at the top of a structural side of the wheelchair's back rest.
Considering wheelchairs having rearward-facing push handles, attachment of the grab rail is accomplished using two joiners, each joiner having a forward-facing sleeve part formed to slide over and lock to a push handle and an upward-facing sleeve part into which the bottom end of the support bar is inserted and locked, thereby holding each support bar and the whole grab rail rigidly over the wheelchair. The joiners themselves preferably have a handle extending further rearward, since the joiners' forward-facing sleeves cover the wheelchair's own push handle handles.
Now considering those wheelchairs without push handles, attachment of the grab rail is preferably accomplished by special joiners which each have a downward-extending clamp lockable side-on over the strong near-vertical side framing of the back rest, and an upward-facing sleeve part into which the bottom ends of the grab rail's support bars are inserted and locked. (Push handles and side rails are adequately strong for this usage.)
In either case, the grab rail does not interfere with wheelchair maneuvering, through doorways as a crucial example, but can be removed by lifting its support bars out of the joiners if and when not needed.
Independence is expanded, a main example being ability to use a transfer board to shift oneself-given just one able arm-onto and off the chair with no assistance.
In a further usage, an umbrella-like canopy can be attached over the top of the grab rail to offer sun and rain protection for the user, while not obstructing the grab function.
In a still-further possibility, at least with power wheelchairs, the grab rail could be reversed in its joiners so that its top grab part cantilevers out behind the wheelchair, providing high and potentially adequately strong anchorage for a winch to be attached to it for lifting a fallen person off the floor to safe seating height.
The joiners 2 obstruct the push handles PH, so the joiners 2 themselves may best include push handle extensions as shown.
The dashed line over the grab rail 1, in