This type of chair is the kind that is designed to be pushed by an individual other than the wheelchair user. “Push assist” refers to the user being assisted to propel the chair. It can also refer to electric wheelchairs that are usually propelled by the user moving a joystick powering the chair’s movement.

Cannot propel

Push assist chairs have small wheels most the time, this is because if it is a manual wheelchair, the user has to be assisted to be able to propel since they cannot reach the rear wheels to move themselves. For power wheelchairs, the wheels are small because the user does not need to interact with the wheels to make the chair move. Instead they have to use a joystick that controls the chair’s movement

Caregiver

To be able to assist someone in pushing a chair, the individual must be able to push the weight of chair plus the user sitting. The user will need to be able to move both of the arms since they will be maneuvering with the same component as the one that propels the chair.