Choice of Wheelchairs

A Japanese study published in the JMA Journal suggests that changing wheelchair types when someone enters a nursing home may be linked to a higher risk of dangerous fractures among residents. In Japan under the long-term care system, older adults can rent multifunctional wheelchairs with supportive features for use at home, but rental access typically ends after nursing home admission.

As a result, many residents who previously used multifunctional wheelchairs are instead given standard facility wheelchairs that may not suit their needs,
potentially increasing their risk of falls and fractures. In an analysis of 215 newly admitted nursing home residents in Ibaraki Prefecture who had used rental wheelchairs prior to entering care, five people who had used multifunctional wheelchairs before admission experienced fractures afterward, while none of those who had used standard wheelchairs did.

However, the study could not confirm the exact wheelchair models used post-admission or the specific circumstances of the fractures, so it does not establish a direct cause-and-effect link. The researchers say this is the first quantitative assessment highlighting how discontinuity in appropriate wheelchair provision might affect fracture risk, and they call for further study of wheelchair access and resident outcomes in nursing homes.