1-9
ZR Owner’s Manual
OM0005_Rev A_ZR
CHAPTER 1: WARNINGS
reaching or leaning may cause you to fall or tip over. In order to avoid falling or tipping over, you must determine your
particular safety limitations given the coniguration of your chair and your body weight and type. To do this, practice
bending, reaching and leaning activities (and various combinations of such activities) under the supervision of your
health care advisor. Do this BEFORE attempting active use of your chair. The following will help you avoid falling or
tipping over when bending, reaching or leaning from your chair:
1. NEVER bend, reach or lean in a way that requires you to move forward in your seat.
2. ALWAYS keep your buttocks in contact with the backrest and the seat cushion when bending, reaching or
leaning.
3. NEVER shift your weight in the same direction you are bending, reaching or leaning.
4. NEVER reach or lean to the rear unless your chair has anti-tips locked in place.
5. NEVER reach with both hands. By keeping one hand free, you may be able to catch yourself to prevent a fall if
the chair starts to tip.
6. NEVER reach or lean over the top of the seat back. If you do so you may damage the seat back tubes, which
could cause you to fall.
7. ALWAYS move your chair as close as possible to the object you are trying to reach.
8. NEVER shift your weight to the footrests.
9. NEVER try to pick up an object from the loor by reaching down between your knees. You are less likely to tip
over if you reach to the side of your chair when picking up an object on the loor.
10. DO NOT lock the rear wheels when bending, reaching or leaning backward. Locking the rear wheels creates a tip
point and makes falling or tipping over more likely.
11. When bending or leaning, ALWAYS grasp one rear wheel with one hand. This will help to prevent a fall if the chair
starts to tip over.
12. ALWAYS rotate the casters until they are trailing forward. This will make the chair more stable.
NOTE:
To get your casters to trail forward, irst move your chair forward past the object you want to reach and,
second, back up alongside the object. By moving backward, your casters will rotate and trail forward.
If you ignore these Warnings, you may fall, tip over or lose control of the wheelchair and seriously injure yourself or
others or damage the wheelchair.
E. MOVING BACKWARD
I
WARNING
When you propel backward, you will tend to shift your weight backward, making a tip-over more likely. In addition,
you may be unable to see an obstruction that could block one of your wheels and cause a tip-over. Therefore, use
extreme caution when propelling backward. If you must propel backward:
1. ALWAYS propel slowly with smooth, short strokes.
2. MAKE frequent stops to check for obstructions in your path.
3. If your chair has anti-tips, ALWAYS make sure to lock them in place.
If you ignore these Warnings, you may fall, tip over or lose control of the wheelchair and seriously injure yourself or
others or damage the wheelchair.
F. WHEELIES
I
WARNING
Balancing in your chair on just the rear wheels with the casters in the air is known as doing a “wheelie.” DOING A
WHEELIE IS DANGEROUS. A fall or tip-over is very likely. However, if you can do a “wheelie” safely, you may be
able to overcome curbs and obstacles that would otherwise impede you.
NEVER attempt to learn to do a “wheelie” without irst consulting your health care advisor to make sure you are a
good candidate to learn to do a “wheelie.” NEVER attempt to learn to do a “wheelie” without an assistant that can
catch you if you should happen to start to fall. NEVER attempt to learn to do a “wheelie” unless you are a skilled rider
of this chair. See “Learning to do a ‘Wheelie’” on page 1-5.
