Product Manual

PREVENTING WHEELCHAIR THEFT
Wheelchair theft has been a problem for many institutions for
years, but with the increased unemployment and higher costs
of living, preventing theft has become imperative.
Wheelchairs are stolen for a variety of
reasons. The person checking out of the
hospital who is recently disabled but unable
to afford the equipment he or she needs to
function from day to day is often the culprit.
Occassionally a patient may have recently
broken his or her equipment and is un-
able to replace the chair. There have even
been cases of a patient arriving in a broken
and abused chair and swapping it out for a
newer chair. Sometimes the chairs are found
miles away at a subway station, shopping
center, in parking garages, or even on the
street near parking spaces.
Unfortunately, many hospital directors have
to budget for the loss of equipment each
year and it has become an expected loss.
Missing chairs account for a large amount
of lost dollars to an institution because the
chairs are not available when and where
they are needed. Often, the institution orders
replacement chairs that may not have been
needed. Here are some ways to guard
against wheelchair loss and theft.
1. Choose a model that fewer people
want to steal. The type of chair that is
purchased may have a huge effect on
how many of the wheelchairs are stolen.
If a wheelchair can be user-propelled
then it greatly increases the usefulness of
the wheelchair to the patient. By using a
transport chair that is less desirable to
the patient, an institution can greatly
reduce the number of stolen chairs.
2. Label the chairs to identify your
institution and the department to
which the chairs belong. Adding cus-
tom logos, embroidery, stenciling, or or-
dering chairs in different colors may help.
These differences can make it easier for
security or parking lot attendants to spot
a chair when it is moved outside of its
normal usage area.
3. Attach anti-fold devices below the
seat or overhead to discourage theft.
Preventing the patient from being able
to put a wheelchair in his or her vehicle
has also proven to be an effective deter-
rent for theft. Anti-theft and anti-fold bars
are common solutions to this problem.
Preventing a wheelchair from being fold-
ed causes it to be exceedingly difficult
when attempting to stow the wheelchair
into a vehicle. Overhead anti-theft de-
vices can help to make the chair too tall
or long to be stored in a vehicle. Adding
a flag or a fixed height IV pole can also
decrease the convenience of folding and
storing the wheelchair.
4. Setting up designated storage areas,
numbering chairs, labeling chairs
to specific wings or departments,
or even the use of tracking devices
can bring the incident rate of lost chairs
down. Some locations go so far as to
offer a day of amnesty for a patient to
return, without repercussions, the wheel-
chairs that he or she may have “acciden-
tally” acquired.
5. Lock the leg rests on the chair.
Missing parts is also a large problem
in many locations, but this is easily
preventable. By installing Tinnerman
nuts on the chair, the leg rests become
permanently attached to the chair. These
caps come with a wrench that is used
to tighten a set screw into the pins that
keep the leg rests on the wheelchairs.
They install in less than two minutes, but
can save hours of wasted time searching
for leg riggings that fit your chair.
A Transport or Companion Chair
may greatly decrease theft
Numbering or labeling chairs to
specific wings or departments can
decrease theft and help to keep
chairs in their designated area.
Overhead Anti-Theft Device
MDS85197A
Prevent Theft of Leg Riggings
Tinnerman Legrest Locks
WCA806991 (Pair)
Below-Seat Anti-Fold/
Anti-Theft Device
MDS85196
For 24-30" (61-76 cm)
Models
MDS851965SH
66