Wheelchairs

For communities or at home, Identités offers a selection of wheelchairs for people with reduced mobility.
Discover also a wide range of clothing for PRMs and accessories for the support & comfort of the person in a wheelchair. On our site you will also find a wide choice of motorised wheelchairs such as a fifth wheel or motorised wheelchairs, ideal for effortlessly pushing a person in a wheelchair or for a PRM to move around independently.

The different types of wheelchairs

The manual wheelchair is most often a folding wheelchair. Depending on the model, it can be used on a daily or occasional basis. Frequent use requires more accessories. For mainly outdoor use, there are active wheelchairs, which are ultralight wheelchairs, narrow or both, and very often with leg rests. In addition, there is the transfer wheelchair, which is a manual wheelchair intended only to be pushed by a third party, for short trips and indoors.
The electric wheelchair is a motorised wheelchair more suitable for certain disabilities. It often has 2 front and 2 rear wheels, but there is also a 6-wheel electric wheelchair. It is suitable for a wider range of terrain. The all-terrain electric wheelchair can have 6 wheels, although a 4x4 wheelchair for the disabled more often has four. And you can find folding power wheelchair models that are ideal for travelling.
Stand-up wheelchairs can improve blood circulation and reduce the risk of pressure sores by allowing you to change position. It makes daily life easier, as well as transfers. There are electric stand-up wheelchairs and manual (electric stand-up) models.
Apart from these main types of wheelchair, there are mainly :

• the children's wheelchair, adapted to the morphology of the youngest,
• the comfort wheelchair for the elderly, which can be a shell chair on wheels or a wheelchair,
• the shower wheelchair, which belongs to the category of transfer wheelchairs.

Discover our ultralight folding wheelchairs and our high comfort wheelchairs for the disabled and elderly, with leg rest and backrest. Our lightweight wheelchairs are suitable for the elderly.

How to buy a wheelchair?

Whether you are looking for a wheelchair for the disabled, elderly or children, for temporary or permanent use, it is a prescription medical wheelchair. It is usually chosen with an occupational therapist. But given the wide choice of wheelchairs, you need to have some criteria. Start by determining a budget and take into account the decisive criteria: body shape, weight and build. This affects the stability of the wheelchair, its weight, its dimensions, etc. The purchase of a wheelchair also depends on the main places of use and the frequency of use.

How much does a medical wheelchair cost?

The price of a manual wheelchair can be less than €500, including the folding wheelchair. Manual wheelchairs rarely cost more than €5,000, with the exception of some high-end active wheelchairs or ultra-lightweight rigid frame wheelchairs. Electric wheelchairs generally start at €1,000. They can go up to around €8,000, especially with customisable models with many hi-tech accessories.

How to get a free wheelchair?

It is possible to have a cheap wheelchair thanks to the social security reimbursement, which covers more than half the price, and a good complementary health insurance. Wheelchair reimbursement covers both manual and electric wheelchairs, as well as stand-up wheelchairs and stair lifts. In addition, wheelchair users can accumulate aids.
Sometimes this is not enough. Fortunately, there is the free wheelchair donation: several associations donate free electric wheelchairs and manual wheelchairs, which they receive from individuals or medical institutions.