If you or one of your loved ones is confined to a wheelchair, getting out of the house and experiencing your town or even other areas around the state or country can be difficult. Many wheelchairs can be extremely difficult to load into the back trunk of a car. One solution that can make traveling more convenient is a wheelchair van. These vans allow a motorized wheelchair to be carried inside the van easily.

There are two types of wheelchair vans. One loads the wheelchair from the rear into the van. The other loads the wheelchair from the side into the van. In either case, you find that some vans have a ramp that allows the wheelchair to climb up into the van, while others have a lift that carries the wheelchair up and off the group and into the body of the van.

A wheelchair van makes the transition from the van to your wheelchair much more convenient, and minimizes the manual labor that is required. It should only be a 2-3 minute process to enter and exit your van, whereas loading a wheelchair into a car can take 10 minutes or more, and take a lot of physical exertion as well. This can be a great way to minimize the impact of being confined to a wheelchair and save you a lot of time.

Wheelchair vans can be expensive. If you already have a van, search around and ask for advice on whether your van is a candidate for modification to become a wheelchair van. Typically this means adding a ramp or a lift to the van, and adding support infrastructure to be able to hold the wheelchair securely in the van. This modification can be extremely costly, but also may be covered by your insurance or medical plan.

You may be able to buy a new wheelchair van as well. Another option is to purchase a pre-owned van which can often be the most affordable solution but they can be rare and difficult to find. If you find the right one, be sure to buy it since it may be a while before another one comes along. Before purchasing it, be sure to have someone inspect the lift or ramp to make sure that everything is in working condition.

If you found this useful, please see my other related articles about Medical Scooters, Wheelchair Parts, Motorized Scooters, Used Mobility Scooters, Used Wheelchairs, Scooter Ramps, and Handicap Scooters.