It’s not uncommon for wheelchair users to outfit their chairs with accessories that make it easier for them to get around. But let’s think for a moment about another group of people that spends a lot of time using wheelchairs — a quite mobile group of people.

These are the spouses, relatives, and caregivers who often assist wheelchair users. Handling a wheelchair is not easy, not to mention all the peripheral activities that go along with assisting wheelchair users. How can you make things easier for these people — and by extension, help yourself, too?

Making it Easier to Push the Wheelchair

Yes, nobody has ever claimed that handling a wheelchair is easy. Wheelchair grips are often not friendly to the human hand: slippery, cold to the touch, and not positioned correctly. The last thing you want is a caregiver who doesn’t have a firm grip on the chair.

Improved, ergonomically correct wheelchair grips are the perfect answer. These grips slide right over the existing handle and tighten on with thumbscrews. They have a sure grip, but best thing of all: they are positioned correctly. These improved, super-safe grips allow the person pushing the wheelchair to move the chair with one hand while opening a door with the other hand.

Making it Easier to Carry Your Packages

With two hands on the wheelchair, how can your caregiver or spouse possibly carry any of your items? With a backpack? With a little red wagon?

Of course not. Should you go shopping or to the library, you will want a convenient bag or carrier that attaches to the wheelchair — completely freeing the assistant’s hands to do what they should be doing: pushing. The variety of wheelchair bags and carriers is nearly endless, but let’s help break it down for you.

Holding the largest capacity are wheelchair bags that attach to back of the wheelchair and are constructed of tough, water-resistant fabric. Carry giant items like cereal boxes, books, and canned goods with these huge bags. Should your caregiver have trouble pushing you and the wheelchair and this big-capacity carrier, downsized bags are also available that attach either to the back or side of the wheelchair. One perk about the side bags: they allow you to access the items, too.

Does your caregiver ever ask you to hold your coffee, soda, juice, or water for a moment while they push you along? Keep hands free — both yours and theirs — by clipping a cup holder to your chair. Cup holders attach easily, detach easily, and hold even the biggest cups.

Making it Easier to Carry Your Medical Necessities

Some things simply need to go along with you — medical necessities such as oxygen canisters or canes. It’s inconvenient for a wheelchair user to carry a cane across his or her lap, and unsafe, too. Specially designed holders carry the cane vertically on back of the wheelchair. Oxygen canisters are even more bulky, cumbersome, and heavy. Smart oxygen tank holders stow the canisters on back of the wheelchair, allowing the person pushing the wheelchair to tend to the job of pushing the chair.