Parry, rehab technology specialist, Home Care Medical Specialists,
n March, Dallas-based Custom Rehab of North TexasdelivSan Rafael, Calif. “It’s a more efficient system.” However, to ensure
ered a powered wheelchair to a customer. Four months later,
that long battery life, the battery’s water level needs to be checked
the chair’s gel battery was dead. “The child wasn’t using the
battery on a daily basis and the family wasn’t recharging it,” regularly and filled with distilled water to the proper level.
The lead-acid battery is also a less expensive choice than a gel. “A
says Sandi Shields, chief executive. “In fact, the older brother
big factor with my clients is cost,” points out Mary Jo Hapy, R.P.T.,
tried hooking the battery up with a car battery charger! Now,
Courage Center, Golden Valley, Minn. “Many of them are on medical
one battery is completely dead-I’m not even able to charge it-and I
assistance, and that may not pay
have to explain to a funding source
enough for a gel battery.” In general,
why this child needs a new battery.”
In the past, airlines would not transport
a lead-acid battery costs approxiIdeally, battery problems should
have been at a minimum. The family wet lead-acid batteries. This has changed mately 20 percent to 30 percent less
than a gel, rehab professionals say.
was educated on proper battery use
with the passage of the ADA.
With a gel battery, the fluid is
by the supplier, but often such inforsuspended
in a gel. The battery is
mation is forgotten or not heeded,
sealed, releasing less gas than a lead-acid battery and reducing the risk
Shields says. “There’s a lot to remember with a new injury,” she
of explosion and acid spillage. Also, unlike wet lead-acid batteries,
explains. “Caregivers are often overwhelmed.”
gels require virtually no maintenance. However, they typically do not
Unfortunately, Shields’ story is not unique in the world of wheellast as long. “The longevity of gels is much better today, but still much
chair and scooter batteries. Essential to powered mobility devices, batless than a well-maintained lead-acid battery,” Parry says.
teries require considerable client and caregiver education to ensure
effective utilization, say rehab professionals who spoke with
Lifestyle Needs
TeamRehab Report.
To determine proper battery selection, professionals agree, it’s impor“Therapists need to evaluate the caregiver situation and also evalutant to consider the client’s needs. “What terrain is the battery going
ate the client’s cognitive ability,” Shields explains. “They need to
to be covering?” asks Anjali Shah Weber, director, rehab engineerdetermine if they can easily train the caregiver and the client that the
ing, duPont Institute, Wilmington, Del. “Is it going to be turned on
batteries are a power source, not a starter, and that correct maintenance
and off? For example, someone who is on a college campus is going
and charging are required.”
to be running all day, so you’d want to choose the largest capacity
battery and the chair that accommodates it. You don’t want the client
Positives and Negatives
to have to stop in the middle of the day and have to charge, or to be
Unlike automobile batteries, which deliver a high current during a
stranded somewhere.”
short time segment, batteries used for wheelchairs and scooters are
In general, convenience is gel batteries’ main selling point. “If
deep-discharge lead-acid batteries, designed to deliver an electrical
someone lives on his or her own and is a quad or para or is not able to
current over a long period of time. There are two types of such battermaintain his or her own battery, we always make the decision for a
ies: wet (more commonly referred to as lead-acid) and gel (sealed).
gel,” says Kathy Allen, rehab purchaser, Med-Mart, Bakersfield,Calif.
Because of their construction, each type ofbattery has its positive and
A gel battery user herself, Donna Batelaan, owner of Action
negative features.
Wet lead-acid batteries have the most longevity, points out Mike Mobility Products and Services, Lake Worth,Fla., has used lead-acid
October 1994 39
fumes during charging, which can be potentially harmful if the chair is
batteries in the past. Gels’ maintenance-free features make the critical
difference, she claims. “I look at my wheelchair the way other people
not charged in a well-ventilated area.
The possibility of acid spillage is one reason why All Active
look at shoes. I have a very active lifestyle and the less I have to do
Mobility deals with lead-acid batteries “only when forced to,”
with equipment, the better it fits into my life.”
according to Jody Ellis Miranda, co-owner of the Riverside, Calif.Transportation safety issues are a prime consideration in battery
based supplier. “There’s the potential damselection, according to rehab professionals.
age done by spillage on skin, equipment,
For example, many school buses and public
Technology improvements
clothing and carpeting. We don’t feel it’s
transport systems won’t transfer lead-acid
in the customer’s best interest to use leadbatteries. Consequently, the duPont Institute,
in gel batteries have
acid batteries.”
a pediatric facility, replaces all lead-acid batincreased their longevity.
In fact, potential spillage problems and
teries with gels when prescribing new chairs,
transportation and safety concerns are why
Weber adds.
the majority of scooter manufacturers design their products for gel batIn the case of Shields’ four-month-old dead battery story menteries, not wet lead-acid batteries, according to Dan Smeltzer, director
tioned earlier, ease of transport made a critical difference. Since the
battery was a gel, a new battery could be shipped UPS to the customer,
of marketing, Ortho-Kinetics, Waukesha, Wis. “It’s a much safer
choice and also easier and safer to transport.”
allowing for quick replacement, Shields says.
Typically, in the past, airlines would not transport wet lead-acid
batteries. However, that has changed in recent years since the passage
Maintenance Concerns
On the down side, gels typically run out before their wet battery counof the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to Shields. Now, airterparts, according to suppliers. Although he has seen batteries go two
lines do transport lead-acid batteries with certain restrictions. For
example, Minneapolis-based Northwest Airlines requires that the pas- years before needing replacement, in general most gels last nine to 12
senger pack the lead-acid batteries in a spill-proof container or the airmonths, says Juan Hrobowski, a gel battery user and technologist at
Edward Hines Jr. V.A. Hospital, Hines, Ill.
line will secure upright the lead-acid batteries in the cargo hold with
However, technology improvements in gel batteries have increased
the terminals insulated, according to Jon Austin, spokesman. Transport
of gel batteries is easier, says Austin. They face no restrictions and are their longevity, Shields adds. “Depending on the user and how well
the battery is maintained, I now see gels lasting as long as 12 months
treated like carryon baggage.
when in the past they would only last eight.”
Other safety concerns, such as acid fumes and spills, are another
Still, many of her wheelchair clients don’t mind maintaining a
reason why many clients opt for gels. Lead-acid batteries emit noxious
lead-acid battery, says Hapy. “They see the advantage is that they’re
getting more power overall, and typically [the batteries] hold the
charge for a longer period of time.”
Also in their favor, lead-acid batteries last longer, according to
suppliers. “I’ve seen some batteries last five years,” says Sid Allen, a
repair technician with Med-Mart. “However, typically they last one to
three years, depending on how well they’re maintained.”
However, therapists point out the key to that longevity is proper
maintenance. “Unless the client has a caregiver or dealer to do the
maintenance, the battery doesn’t last that long,” notes Batelaan.
Even in cases where caregivers are present, people often tend to
forget about a battery once it’s installed, Hrobowski says. “Often the
family doesn’t know about the maintenance or doesn’t remember to
maintain it.”
Ensuring Long Life
Whatever type of battery a consumer chooses, following certain procedures will help keep it running smoothly. Essential to proper battery
usage is matching up the correct battery charger and charging cycle
with the battery being used. “What will really reduce the lifetime of a
gel battery is if it is charged with a lead-acid battery charger or cycle,”
notes Parry.
Dual-mode battery chargers, designed to charge wet and gel batteries, are effective as long as the correct cycle is used with the correct
battery, he adds. “A lot depends on user attentiveness.” He recommends that batteries be checked every six months.
Scooter users should stick with gel batteries, adds Bob Boyd, product designer, Bruno Independent Living Aids, Oconomowoc, Wis.
“The scooter’s battery charger is calibrated for a gel battery.
Sometimes people will replace the gel with a wet lead-acid battery
because the wet doesn’t cost as much as a gel. The problem is the
charging rate for gels is different and the charger won’t work properly
with a wet lead-acid.”
To ensure longer battery life, correctly discharge and charge the
battery, suppliers say. “If the client rides the chair for a good halfday, then put the battery on the charger and leave it on for eight to
10 hours overnight,” says Allen. “Then, when the client gets up in
the morning, take the charger off. Otherwise it will kick on and off,
heating up the battery, which wears it down, shortening battery
life.” Also, avoid complete discharge of batteries and charge to full
capacity at the battery’s recommended recharge rate after each use,
suppliers add.
Another key to maintaining wet lead-acid batteries is routinely
checking the water level and adding distilled water when needed,
Allen says. “If the water level goes below the battery plate, the area
that lost water won’t ever be able to be used again-even when the
battery is filled back up,” he cautions.
In the final analysis, whether a client should use a wet or gel battery is determined by carefully evaluating the client’s individual
requirements and then considering a number of factors, including
lifestyle, maintenance considerations, transport and safety issues and
economics. “There are pros and cons for each battery,” Hapy points
out. “What’s most important is that the therapist finds out from the
clients what works best for them in their lifestyles.”
m
Marilyn Pitts is a freelance writer based in Southern California.