For a larger person, the chair needs a weight rating with room to spare, a seat wide enough to avoid pressure at the sides, and tilt one caregiver can work.
Look at weight rating and seat width together. A chair rated high enough but too narrow presses on the hips and thighs all day, while one far too wide lets the body lean and slump. Broda makes the Vanguard in seat widths between 24 and 30 inches, rated to 600 lb. A curved back option makes room for extra tissue at the back of the hips.
Pulling a larger adult back up in a chair is hard on a caregiver's back. Broda designs the Vanguard so one person can change the position: a foot pump sets the tilt, a squeeze handle sets the recline, and gas cylinders carry part of the load. The seat can also tilt forward up to 10 degrees, which can make standing up easier for your wife.
Skin folds trap heat and moisture, and the tailbone takes a lot of load in any seat. Comfort Tension Seating uses many separate straps with small gaps between them, so air can move and the load is shared across many points. The Vanguard's arm, leg and shoulder supports come off for transfers, and stand-assist handles give your wife something firm to grip as she rises.
Prices are Broda's MSRP for the base chair. Size, options and accessories change the final price.
From $7,764.62MSRP
Broda's main bariatric positioning chair, rated to 600 lb with seats 24 to 30 inches wide. It offers 30 degrees of backward tilt, 10 forward for standing, and 45 of recline, plus a foot-pump seat Broda designs for safer handling.
From $7,958.43MSRP
A stainless steel shower commode rated to 800 lb, with a 27 inch seat, tilt and recline. The leg rest lifts to support heavy legs while showering, and the back reclines so a caregiver can wash hair more easily.
For care facilities that move residents to appointments. Broda designs the Traversa as a stretcher alternative, crash-tested to WC19 (the standard for riding in a vehicle) and rated to 450 lb, with a pivot system for tight turns.
Ask a physical or occupational therapist, or an ATP (assistive technology professional), to measure your wife seated: hip width at the widest point, thigh length and floor-to-knee height. Leave a little room at the hips, but not so much that she leans. Then measure the house. Doorways, hallway turns and the bathroom entrance all need to clear the chair's full width. Recheck the fit after any large change in weight, up or down, including after bariatric surgery.
Many families pay privately. Insurance or a public program may help when a doctor, therapist or ATP documents why the person needs the chair. Whether it is covered depends on the plan. Our written quote lists the exact model and options, so it can go straight into that paperwork. Facilities, care organizations and multi-unit buyers can ask us about partner pricing.
It varies by model, so check the rating on the exact chair. In the Broda line, the Vanguard positioning chair is rated to 600 lb, the Revive Bariatric shower commode to 800 lb, and the Traversa transport chair to 450 lb. Pick a rating with some margin above the person's current weight.
Broda makes the Vanguard with seats between 24 and 30 inches wide, in 2-inch steps, and the Revive Bariatric commode with a 27 inch seat. The right width comes from measuring the person seated at the widest point of the hips, then allowing a little room on each side.
Not always. Measure each doorway the chair must pass, including the bathroom, and compare it with the chair's overall width, which is wider than the seat. In Arizona, ADL also builds home changes such as wider doorways, ramps and bathroom updates, so the chair and the house can be planned together.
It depends on the plan and on the documentation behind the order. Plans commonly ask for a prescription and notes from a doctor or therapist explaining why the person needs a bariatric chair. Check with your plan before ordering, and request a written quote from ADL through the contact page to include with the paperwork.
This guide is general product information, not medical advice. Chair features are described as Broda designs them. Choose seating together with the person's doctor, therapist or ATP.
Product photos © Broda Seating, used with permission. Broda® and model names are trademarks of their owner.
Call with the person's diagnosis, height and weight, and where they will sit most of the day. We will tell you which Broda chairs fit and send a written quote.
