Wheelchairs in the area are not up to standard – Allehanda.se

Being wheelchair-bound and with the usual ailments of the elderly, there are occasional visits to the health center and hospital in Örnsköldsvik, where there are also wheelchairs to borrow.
An active wheelchair is equipped with removable armrests so that the user can lift the armrest out of the way, perhaps with the help of a sliding board, and move to a chair, bed, or similar.

Quite emotionally, the county council bureaucrats ensured that all wheelchairs were fitted with locking armrests, thus subverting the user's freedom of movement by locking the armrests and preventing lateral movement.

At some point, I was moved forward in a wheelchair to a stretcher for the examination. The staff thought I would slide out of the wheelchair and into the bunk bed. A great surprise arose when they found the armrest closed. With the help of several people, they made me stand in front of the bed, and after I turned around, I was able to sit down.
It was clear that no one could lift the lock and there was no technician present to fix the problem.

One time I was in a ward with a borrowed wheelchair. I immediately discovered that it was not possible to lock the wheels and that a wheelchair with unlocked wheels was life-threatening if it slid backwards when sitting. The charge nurse was asked who is in charge of the wheelchair department. I am in charge of the department. Are you also responsible for the wheelchairs receiving ongoing service? No, was the answer. I explained the absurdity of a ward nurse becoming responsible for accidents due to poor or non-existent wheelchair service. This responsibility falls on the hospital administration.

My appeal to the regional administration is to remove the armrest locks and ensure that the wheelchairs are regularly serviced and the brakes are on. If there is a risk of theft, keep the armrests locked, but make sure relevant staff know where the lock-picking tool is available.

Carl Nilsson, Domsjo