How frequently is a wheelchair tune-up necessary?

Wheelchairs do need tune-ups, and I believe that the person using the wheelchair should be in tune with what is needed with their chair—are there things that are becoming worn? Especially, the most dangerous I’ve seen is a footrest that is not well maintained, or slips down and becomes too close to the ground, which unfortunately—in several cases that I’m aware of—has caused patients to hit the ground in a decline and then quick incline. The chair stops suddenly, and they get catapulted out of it, so that’s one of the dangers. Being aware of how the chair is being worn out, and things that need to be adjusted is helpful, but then also seeing a therapist that can really evaluate the chair and check it out on a regular basis.

Wheelchair tune-ups are the same thing as your vehicle auto tune-up, and in auto tune-ups they have a mileage thing. It depends how frequently you're using your chair. If you're someone who uses your chair once a week when you travel a long distance, then maybe you don't need to tune-up quite as frequently. But at a minimum, a chair should be tuned-up every year, probably more frequently than that for higher users. The area that is most frequently problematic for users are tires, and treadwear and bearing wear-because in order for the tires to spin, the bearings have to be intact, and so those are the areas to pay particular attention to. But you want to get the repairs and you want to ask about the repairs well ahead of time of the chair actually breaking down, in the same way that it's much nicer if you can do preventive maintenance on your car, rather than getting stuck on the freeway.