Backrest Cushion for Ypush Wheelchair
REMAP Suffolk East was asked to make the backrest of a Ypush wheelchair more comfortable.
The Challenge
As the Ypush is a folding wheelchair, the backrest is fabric but in a lateral direction, it is surprisingly slack (see photo below). The slackness gives uncomfortable back support, pushing the shoulders forward.
The solution
A custom cushion profile was designed based on the curvature of the fabric at the top of the backrest. A paper template was sent to foam supplier anyfoam.co.uk so they could cut the foam to the shape required. The supplier was very helpful and recommended medium density foam for the backrest.
The shape was 380mm wide to fit within the backrest support tubes and 80mm deep at the middle. To avoid a very thin edges to the foam, the edges of the template were 10mm. It was decided not to have the cushion the full height of the wheelchair’s backrest. By having the cushion only at the top of the backrest, it was intended that the user could still sit on the full depth of the wheelchair’s seat. The wheelchair’s backrest support tubes are straight, providing no lumbar support curvature so using the cushion to provide some lumbar support was part of the design. Taking into account where lumbar support is desirable, it was decided to order foam to cover the top 300mm of the chair’s backrest.
The foam was tried in place but, as expected, the user said that there was too much lumbar support. The foam was therefore gradually shaved down while at the client’s house using an electric carving knife until the lumbar support became really comfortable. The result was that the top of the cushion had the profile of the paper template but the bottom of the cushion was thinner with less curvature.
The client was asked whether the foam should be covered in waterproof fabric for rain protection but said that the wheelchair would never be used in the rain. The foam was covered in ordinary fabric, with Velco used to allow the fabric to be washed if needed. To hold the cushion at the top of the wheelchair’s backrest, straps with plastic clips were attached to the fabric cover.
The benefit
Our client has taken the Ypush wheelchair by air to a cruise ship. The custom cushion has made the wheelchair much more comfortable while on the cruise. The wheelchair is usually taken on car journeys so the cushion is often being used when out and about.
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