The elderly who are wheelchair-bound or regularly use their wheelchair when joints pain flairs up appreciate the need to keep the legs warm. Keeping warm is part and parcel, ensuring the wheelchair users are comfortable all through. Wheelchair blankets are effective in keeping your legs warm and comfortable.
As one of the most popular wheelchair accessories, countless seniors have found the need to have a wheelchair blanket around at all times. For many seniors, these blankets are indispensable, especially during the cold winter months. The last thing you want is the cold temperature to exacerbate any joint pains, which are common among the elderly.
Wrapping your legs and laps with a warm blanket will ward off the cold that might increase your sensitivity to joint pain.
Examples of the Best Wheelchair Blankets
Classy Pal Adult Wheelchair Blanket with Pocket
A stunning looking blanket, the Classy Pal Navy Blue Wheelchair Blanket is designed to keep you warm while on the move. The blanket is made using polyester material with a plush feel, giving it superb performance in terms of heat retention and lightweight characteristics. Measuring 39” X 42”, it is the perfect wheelchair blanket to nap while traveling.
Sensory Weighted Lap Pad | Alzheimer’s Store
MindCare Weighted Body & Lap Pad is designed for more than just keeping you warm. The wheelchair weighted pad is the perfect accessory to provide weight therapy for treating various conditions and ailments. This hand weighted blankets are made using premium cotton. Additionally, they have weight fillings that apply consistent pressure across the entire lap, helping combat anxiety and ease joint pains.
Granny Jo Lightweight Wheelchair Blanket
The Granny Lightweight Wheelchair Blanket is a 36” by 42” fleece blanket designed and optimized for keeping your legs warm while using a wheelchair. The soft blanket is warm is moderately warm, and perfect for chilly days during spring, winter, and autumn.
It comes with hooks and Velcro straps to attach the blanket to the wheelchair. Another set of loop patch and hooks allows users to attach the blanket behind the leg, thereby securing it in place.
Another notable feature the Granny Lo Lightweight Wheelchair Blanket has is a kangaroo pocket for keeping your hands warm.
Prettyia Plush Fleece Lining Wheelchair Warmer Cover
The YQJ Wheelchair Blanket is designed to elders toasty warm by engulfing their legs in the blanket, more akin to using a sleeping bag. Its plush lining ensures you stay comfortable and warm through the cold season. Aside from covering the lower part of the body, it also has a high back, which you can fix on the push handles to secure the blanket. As such, it not only keeps the legs warm, but it also covers the back, adding an extra layer of warmth.
The 51.2” by 25.59” blanket has a zipper to help regulate the amount of heat retained.
Granny Jo Heavyweight Fleece Lap Blanket
This particular Granny Jo product is designed to retain a higher amount of heat. The heavyweight animal print wheelchair blanket has two layers of soft, warm fleece. The bottom layer is a plush fleece, while the outer top layer is soft minks fleece to a premium feel and ultimate comfort.
The 36” by 42” blanket comes with built-in hooks to attach the blanket to the legs’ back and the wheelchair. You can keep your hands warm by placing your hands in the oversized front pockets.
Top Tips For Buying The Best Wheelchair Blanket
That being said, it takes more than buying the first wheelchair blanket you come across. Ideally, you should consider the wide range of factors that go into choosing the best blanket for seniors using wheelchairs.
Below is a list of the most important things to consider when you are on the market for a new wheelchair blanket.
1. Blanket Materials
Blankets are made of various materials, from premium materials such as 100% ultra-soft cotton and bamboo fabric to synthetic materials such as polyester and faux plush furs. Whatever your idea of the perfect lap blanket for the wheelchair is, there is a product to meet your needs.
With this in mind, consider exploring the available materials and choose the blanket material that best suits your needs. If you want a breathable material that will also keep your legs warm, ultra-soft cotton and bamboo fabric are the best choices available. If you are after staying extremely warm, a blanket covered with plush fabric will suffice.
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2. Choosing The Perfect Weight
Seniors looking to buy lap blankets to use on wheelchairs have the choice between a traditional blanket, a lightweight blanket, and a weighted blanket. A traditional blanket is the standard blanket with no special attention to the weight of the item.
As for lightweight blankets, are blankets designed and optimized to be as lightweight as possible. On the other hand, weighted blankets are blankets with added weight fillers for added extra weight. The extra weight helps to relieve anxiety and joint pain.
3. Selecting The Right Size
For the most part, wheelchair blankets are made to fit a wide variety of wheelchair makes and models. Selecting the right-sized blanket is a tad easier and straightforward.
4. The Quality Of The Product
Getting this part right can be a daunting task. Unless you are purchasing your blanket from a brick and mortar shop, there is no way of gauging the product’s quality. When shopping online, however, you can infer the quality of the product in different ways. For instance, choose blankets that feature hallmarks of high-quality production methods, such as double stitching.
Additionally, read the product reviews to get an intricate understanding of what other people are saying about the product.
5. What About The Breathability Of The Blanket? Look at Weave and Material
While the blanket’s main purpose is to keep your legs and laps warm, you still want to get comfortable. Being comfortable also means avoiding sweat-inducing heat. With this in mind, it important to ensure your blanket is also breathable. You want a breathable blanket that will leak out excess heat.
For breathability, you need to consider two factors:
- The materials used to make the blanket – Materials such as bamboo fabric and 100% cotton are breathable. These two types of materials are the best to use if you want to avoid excess heat build-up.
- The weave pattern of the fabric – Generally, the tighter the weave pattern, the more heat it can retain. Convexly, loose weave patterns retain reduced amounts of heat. Depending on the breathability you desire, choose a weave pattern that meets your needs.
6. Ensure You Purchase A Durable Blanket
Durability is hard to judge. After all, it is a test of time in relation to the quality of your blanket. A blanket made using superior quality inputs and using the best manufacturing techniques will likely last long. However, how you use the product will determine how long it lasts.
The best way to judge the durability of a blanket is to read the product reviews. A wheelchair blanket with good reviews with regards to the manufacturing quality and materials has a better chance of standing the test of time.
7. Does The Blanket Have Wheelchair Optimized Design
The blanket you choose should fit the name; it should be a wheelchair blanket. Unlike other blankets, wheelchair blankets are designed and optimized for use on a wheelchair. For instance, they have straps that hold the blanket in place, preventing the blanket from slipping and falling to the ground as the elderly move around.
RELATED: Best Wheelchairs for Seniors
Other features common in wheelchair blankets include a pocket for keeping the hand warm.
Wrapping Up
Not just any blanket can be used with wheelchairs. Look for durable wheelchair blankets that can take a little bit of abuse and that fit properly in the wheelchair. This will lead to much more satisfaction and less hassle for wheelchair users.
