The rule of thumb is that full-time users get a new wheelchair every five years. Let me do some quick math…holy shit, it’s time!

Think about your level of excitement when you buy a new car, then multiply that by a factor of 100. Now you have some idea how I feel about getting a new, top-of-the-line, power wheelchair.

Here’s the chair my insurance company just approved:

It’s the Permobil F5 VS, and yes, it is a standing wheelchair. Standing provides not only a functional benefit, but a therapeutic one. The Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA) lists these advantages of a standing chair:

• Improve functional reach and access to enable participation in Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) (e.g. grooming/hygiene, cooking, toileting, reaching medication)
• Improve mobility and lower limb function in those with preserved muscle strength in lower limbs
• Improve range of motion and reduce the risk of contractures
• Promote vital organ capacity including pulmonary, bowel and bladder function
• Promote bone health
• Improve circulation
• Reduce abnormal muscle tone and spasticity
• Reduce the occurrence of pressure ulcers
• Reduce the occurrence of skeletal deformities
• Provide numerous psychosocial and quality of life benefits