For Judy Helsel, her days are long, she works from morning until she goes to bed, and the work she does is grueling. However, everything she does is worth it because she spends her days taking care of her son, Brian. Brian is a 25 year old with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. However, Brian has an incredibly busy life. His disability does not stop him from enjoying racing (NASCAR and his dad’s racer), attending special events for his local MDA, watching the Toledo Mud Hens play, and fixing computers.

The challenges that Judy does face stem not from how Brian lives his life, but from the caregiving she must offer him nearly 24/7. Caregivers across the United States are facing the same challenges as they have little assistance, no time for themselves, and make meager wages for the intense work they do. In truth, many of these women (yes the vast majority of caregivers are women) are unable to get other jobs outside the home due to the schedules they must work. This means they depend on the minor ducats the government dishes out to them once a month.

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As someone who lives every day in a wheelchair, I understand the struggles of those who must deal with incompetent equipment. Let’s face it, Medicare and Medicaid do not want to pay for high quality equipment, so they purchase the cheaper model and are willing to pay for “repairs” in the 2-3 years when the chair starts to break down. To me, it would seem that the smart thing to do would be to purchase a higher quality chair and save money in the long run.

That gave me the idea for this article. I plan to outline the purchase price for a standard, high quality wheelchair with some adaptive additions that may be beneficial (depending on the person) for someone with Muscular Dystrophy. Since Invacare is one of the biggest distributors of medical equipment, I thought I would start with a chair by them.

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Muscular Dystrophy is so diverse in the 40+ different neuromuscular diseases it encompasses. Those who can walk face different challenges then those who are wheelchair bound. As children and adults go into wheelchairs, it becomes a necessity to be familiar with what kind of equipment is available to assist with transfers, toileting and basic daily tasks.

I have tried to compile a list of the most widely used types of equipment for those who have Muscular Dystrophy. On this list, I have included ballpark figures for prices. To find out about a product, I recommend Googling the name of the product, and doing a bit of research on your own, as well.

Manual Wheelchairs

These chairs are ideal for those with upper arm mobility. They are also excellent as a backup chair. While they may not be ideal for those with severe mobility impairments, a manual chair can be customizable to nearly any level of disability and serves as an excellent alternative to staying in bed when power chairs are in the ‘repair shop’. The average manual wheelchair costs between $2,000-$5,000 USD though they can cost

as much as $15,000 USD depending on how customized the chair is.

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