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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 unable 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 replace-
ment chairs that may not have been needed.
Here are some ways to guard against wheel-
chair 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 custom logos,
embroidery, stenciling, or ordering 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. Pre-
venting the patient from being able
to put a wheelchair in his or her vehicle
has also proven to be an effective deterrent
for theft. Anti-theft and anti-fold bars are
common solutions to this problem. Prevent-
ing a wheelchair from being folded causes it
to be exceedingly difficult when attempting
to stow the wheelchair into a vehicle. Over-
head anti-theft devices 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 wheelchairs that
he or she may have “accidentally” 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.
Overhead Anti-Theft Device
MDS85197A
Tinnerman Legrest Locks,
pair (For preventing theft
of leg riggings)
WCA806991
Below-Seat Anti-Fold/
Anti-Theft Device
MDS85196
For 24-30" (61-76 cm) Models
MDS851965SH
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.
WHEELCHAIRS
Preventing Theft
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