How To Get a Wheelchair Over a Threshold (Easy Guide)


Whether you are in a wheelchair or helping someone else who is, getting over thresholds is always one of the most challenging parts of life. The good news is there’s a fairly easy way to get over door thresholds, even without a ramp handy. 

To get a wheelchair over a threshold, you’ll simply line the wheelchair up with the door, tilt it onto its back wheels, and have the wheelchair-bound person pull themselves through by holding the door frame. The process of getting out of the door is similar, except the steps are reversed. 

Today, I’ll review these steps one by one so you can see how this process works. I’ve also provided a helpful video at the end of this article. 

1. Line Up the Wheelchair With the Door Frame

The first step in getting a wheelchair over a threshold is to line up the chair with the door frame. This is, of course, a fairly simple step, but it’s also really important. 

You’ll want to make sure the wheelchair is completely straight. If it’s titled or crooked, you won’t be able to continue with the next steps. 

This process can look a little bit like trying to parallel park a car, especially if you are wheelchair-bound and on your own. You may have to back in and out many times before the wheelchair is straight, especially if the person in the wheelchair is taller or weighs more than the person pushing. 

One trick to line up pretty easily is to come in at a strong angle from the beginning. This way, you’ll be able to continuously turn the wheelchair from the beginning. 

Let’s move on to step two. 

2. Lean the Wheelchair Onto the Back Wheels

The next step is to lean the wheelchair onto the back wheels. This can be done on your own if you are a wheelchair-bound person or with an assistant. 

If you’re on your own, you’ll want to push your weight against the back of the chair and lift the bottom of the chair with your arm strength. This can be a bit scary if you’ve never done it before, and it takes practice to perfect. It’s best to practice this multiple times on a flat surface before trying it on a threshold. Be aware that this is the most dangerous part of the process, especially if you’re unfamiliar with it. 

The goal is to lean the chair back far enough that the front wheels can go over the threshold. If the threshold is fairly small, this shouldn’t be an issue, even without assistance. However, if the threshold is steeper, you’ll need someone to assist, even if you’re confident you can do it on your own. 

If you are assisting a wheelchair-bound person, you will be doing most of the work here. You can lean the wheelchair onto the back wheels by placing your foot on the bar at the bottom of the wheelchair, close to where you push. Grab the handles of the wheelchair and pull back while using your foot as leverage on the bar. 

If the wheelchair doesn’t have grab handles, you can grab them around the person’s shoulders. 

3. Place the Front Wheels Over the Threshold

This is the hardest part of the process because you first have to make sure that the wheelchair is leaned back far enough and balanced while moving forward. 

Once you have the wheelchair leaned back, you’ll want to push the back wheels forward to roll yourself toward the threshold. If you assist a person in a wheelchair, you’ll simply push them forward during this step. 

Once you see that the front wheels are above and past the threshold, you’ll set the wheelchair down as gently as possible.

At this point, roughly ⅓ of the wheelchair should be through the doorway, and the other ⅔ will still be out the door. Let’s go to the next step.

4. Place Hands on the Inside of the Door Frame and Lift

At this point, the wheelchair-bound person will be doing most of the work. 

If you are in a wheelchair, you’ll want to lean forward, spreading your arms wide. Hook your hands around either side of the door frame with your fingers wrapped around the inside of the door frame. You’ll want to have a firm grip. 

Once hands are secured, there are two ways to do this. The wheelchair-bound person can either pull on the door frame and pull themselves into the house, or the person assisting can push the wheelchair over the threshold, using the other person’s hands as balance. 

This can take quite a lot of strength, and it isn’t the best method for injured or elderly people. In this case, it’s better to always have someone else assist. 

The back wheels should come over the threshold relatively easily. Then you’re over and in! 

Navigating Out of the House

Once you’ve gotten over the threshold to get inside, you’ll also need to be able to get out back out of the house. This process is relatively similar, but you’ll be moving in reverse the entire time.

I’ll list a brief description of this process below. 

  1. Line up the wheelchair with the door. You’ll want to do this the same you did to get inside, except you want the back of the wheelchair to be facing the door. 
  2. Grab the door frame and push backward. This step is the most difficult and dangerous part. If you are assisting during this time, pull the wheelchair backward using the grab handles or bottom bar. 
  3. Release the door frame and continue pushing backward. At this point, you will also use your momentum to push the front wheels out the door. If you are assisting, just continue pulling the wheelchair out. 
  4. Turn the wheelchair to navigate away from the door. You might have to go through a similar navigating process as before to make this happen. 

If you take care of someone in a wheelchair, you may find it challenging to move in sand and gravel. But it’s not if done with the right accessories. Click on the link to read my guide about the topic. How to Get a Wheelchair Through Sand and Gravel

Final Thoughts

Getting a wheelchair over a threshold isn’t a complicated process. It’s easier when someone assists, but it can be done independently.

Let’s review the steps quickly.

  1. Line the wheelchair up with the door. 
  2. Lean the wheelchair onto the back wheels.
  3. Put the front wheels down over the threshold.
  4. Grab the door frame and lift yourself in.

Simple enough, right? However, be aware that this can take a lot of practice if you aren’t used to it. If you learn better from a video, check out this helpful guide: 

tatorchip

Roger L. "Chip" Mitchell is the owner of Growing Gray USA. Having worked with seniors and their families for over a decade as the owner of ComForCare Home Care of Northwest Georgia, Chip is able to share his insights working with aging senior adults and their adult children who are now finding themselves in a new role as caregivers for their parents.

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