Seeing people slumped forward in a standard chair is one of my pet peeves, anyone who needs a wheelchair needs something better than those and there are many options available. You can work with your doctors and/or occupational therapists to see about programs to make it more affordable or, once you have an understanding of her individual needs, there are often used ones available.
I haven't dealt with this, but in thinking over the situation, I'm wondering if a several inch wide elasticized belt could be used? Remember the cummerbunds women wore decades ago? I'm thinking of something like that, but elasticized.
You might check large fabric stores like JoAnn Fabrics to see if they carry elastic that large, or even just stretchable fabric.
The elastic would help hold Mom in the wheelchair, but shouldn't be so tight that it impinges her movement or presses on her skin.
Is your mom using a standard wheelchair with an immovable upright back? My wife was in one of those and she always looked like she was going to fall out by leaning forward. The facility changed her to a heavier, reclining chair that made it very difficult for her to fall out of even if she did lean froward. I think it has a special name but I don't recall. It was great for her but for me it was like trying to drive a Mack truck, heavy and hard to maneuver. I'm sure the facility has such a wheelchair.
I think that the only catch would be if the person was able to shuffle around in the wheelchair. My granny just went all over the facility, walking in the wheelchair. So it would have distressed her to be reclined and not burning her excess energy.
So many variables in these situations. It is so difficult to know what the best solution is until you have tried them all, I think.
My mother in law with Alzheimer's has a wheel chair that is more a recliner on wheels, so that her feet are up and she is slightly reclined that she sits in during the day. She is unable to get out of it by herself, which was the point at first because she would forget that she shouldn't get up due to unstableness and try to go somewhere.
We typically used these sort of tray tables; worked great for snacks and things and we could often keep dementia patients who were in our lobby for safety busy helping us with folding washclothes and so on "helping us".
A loose sheet tied around waist and wheelchair, if safely done, isn't really a restraint, but rather a sort of "lap built" or "safety belt". If the concern is person needs to get up out of the chair periodically, it can have front closing. Attend a medical equipment shop in nearest bigger city, and try to get some catalogs which often have safety things. Stop in a Physical Therapy place if one is nearby and ask if they have access to any safety ideas. A friend uses a very large flannel shirt, puts on her mom backwards and it goes around the back of the wheelchair and secured with strongly sewn buttons. Works great for them. What you want to insure is that whatever is used is a safe situation without sliding down and so on.
Asked May 21, 2020
Is there a product to keep someone from leaning over in a wheelchair?
You might check large fabric stores like JoAnn Fabrics to see if they carry elastic that large, or even just stretchable fabric.
The elastic would help hold Mom in the wheelchair, but shouldn't be so tight that it impinges her movement or presses on her skin.
So many variables in these situations. It is so difficult to know what the best solution is until you have tried them all, I think.
I don't know what they are called but, it worked really well and it gave her some place to keep her arms and her baby.