A wheelchair that fits the bedroom door and the front step can still fail at the car. The trip to an appointment is short, but the loading takes longer than most families expect, and it is usually the first time anyone checks the chair against the vehicle. Test the loading before the day you need it.
Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.
Measure the car opening
If you load through the trunk, measure the width and height of the opening. If you load through a rear door, measure the door width and the height of the sill. Measure the front passenger seat depth and how far the seat moves back. Write the numbers on an index card and keep it in the car. Those are the limits the chair has to fit inside.
Measure the chair as it will travel
Fold the chair the way you will carry it, with the footrests and any detachable armrests removed. Measure the folded length, width, and height. Weigh the folded chair on a bathroom scale by lifting it and subtracting your own weight, then write the number down. Ask the person who will lift it to lift the folded chair from the ground into the trunk, and watch whether it can be done with a straight back and a short step. Never lift the chair with a person in it. If the lift is not safe for the person who will do it, ask the hospice team or the equipment supplier about a lighter chair or a second person to help.
Check the seating and the route
Check whether the car door opens fully, whether the seat belt reaches your parent, and whether a head clears the roof when the seat is in use. If a hospice physical therapist is on the team, ask them to watch the transfer into the car with you. Do not practice a transfer you were not shown.
Run the whole loading once, on a dry day
Time the full sequence from the door to the car and back: unlocking, opening the trunk, lifting the chair in, closing the trunk, and getting your parent seated. Do it once before the appointment day, with the same person who will do it on the day. Write down any step that needed a second person, and arrange that person before the appointment.
If the car does not fit the chair
Ask the appointment office whether transport can be arranged for the visit, and ask whether that vehicle takes the chair you own. If it does not, ask what the alternative is. Keep the answer with your car measurements so the next person who drives knows what fits.