With dementia she may or may not be able to control a motorized chair so I personally would forget about that. Not to mention they are heavy and not easy to transport. She will begin to loose upper body strength and will have difficulty holding her torso upright. so a chair that has a back that will recline a bit will help if she begins slumping forward. A chair that has a high back will provide good support. Some have backs that can be removed or added if support is needed or not. My Husband had a Broda Chair and that had sides up near the top part of the back, almost like a "Wing back chair" It provided support when he would begin to slide to the right or left. And I could adjust where the support was at any given time. They are not the easiest to wheel a person around in but it got to the point where we were not going out much and for a walk around the neighborhood it was fine. The chair that can be reclined a bit is more difficult for someone to get out of so if a person is inclined to try to get up the slight recline makes it more difficult. Also another advantage of a reclining back is it is easy to re position someone just by a slight movement up or back you can shift the position without fully getting someone up.
I suggest getting one with an arm/side that swings up. Makes it easier to transfer. The stard wheelchair is 18in wide in the seat. There are wide wheelchairs to.
It depends. Can she wheel herself? If she can, then a regular wheelchair would be fine. My husband’s folds up to fit in the trunk. It’s very heavy but it’s doable. If she is in a facility, they should provide one for her. If she cannot wheel herself, a power chair might be a possibility. My husband has one with a “joystick” control. Depending on the degree of her dementia she might be able to use it. Is she on the larger side? They make what’s called “bariatric” ones that will support up to 400 pounds.
If she would try to get up out of the chair, she will have to be buckled in. They have motion alerts the person sits on and when they try to get up, it goes off, but sometimes it’s too late.
Your best bet is to ask her doctor what they recommend.
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She will begin to loose upper body strength and will have difficulty holding her torso upright. so a chair that has a back that will recline a bit will help if she begins slumping forward.
A chair that has a high back will provide good support. Some have backs that can be removed or added if support is needed or not.
My Husband had a Broda Chair and that had sides up near the top part of the back, almost like a "Wing back chair" It provided support when he would begin to slide to the right or left. And I could adjust where the support was at any given time. They are not the easiest to wheel a person around in but it got to the point where we were not going out much and for a walk around the neighborhood it was fine.
The chair that can be reclined a bit is more difficult for someone to get out of so if a person is inclined to try to get up the slight recline makes it more difficult.
Also another advantage of a reclining back is it is easy to re position someone just by a slight movement up or back you can shift the position without fully getting someone up.
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If she would try to get up out of the chair, she will have to be buckled in. They have motion alerts the person sits on and when they try to get up, it goes off, but sometimes it’s too late.
Your best bet is to ask her doctor what they recommend.