looking for advice about scooters and chairs. I am PPMS and walking has deteriorated quickly over the last few months. I Can manage about 15 to 20 steps before I have to stop and if I push it I really pay with fatigue,
my my right arm is not as strong as my left always slightly numb and tingly, and I am wondering if it would be possible to self propel a wheelchair or is it just to physical.
i have being looking on the Internet at mobility scooters, I can still drive but was thinking about getting one for taking the kids to the park and to be able to go to shopping centres. Etc,. What are the rules about mobility scooters? Do shops have to let you enter as they would a wheelchair, or can they make you leave them at the door. I will have to self pay for this so I want to be sure I will get use from it.
also are they easy to dismantle and put in the boot of car, would I be able to do this myself.
Ann - l first used a scooter about 25yrs ago - gave me a new life. Did dent my pride a bit - which is silly - the same when l first used a walking stick. l bought most of my scooters second-hand - some good bargains out there. l wore them out doing so many miles over pretty rough ground. For shopping l used the shopmobility centres. These give you a good idea of what you can get - and they give you tuition on them. They do not let you loose without giving some rules of use.
l do have one that l can fold up and put in the car - but it is slow and really only for indoor use - ie shopping centres/ exhibitions etc.
For rampaging around the countryside with my big dogs - then it has to be my Tramper - what a machine. TGA also do some amazing scooters. Some look like a Harleyforthedisabled.
But do look at the secondhand market. So many are bought by people who do not use them.
Ann - Can l also say that l find a rollator wonderful for getting about indoors and out. Folds up to go in the back of the car. lt holds me upright in a good balanced position and allows me to travel quite quickly when l need to dash to the loo. And it has a seat and large storage bag - The bag holds my phone/remote/tissues/reading matter etc. Can even get down the garden to pick the beans etc. The seat enables me to put my dinner plate/mug on to take to the table. Cooked and served 12 guests at Christmas with its help. Mine is a Topro Olympus. Had it about 4yrs - and so sign of wear yet.
hi thanks space jacket for your reply, I have a rollator and find it great for the house but no longer enough for going out. I find myself increasingly staying at home because of the walking issues and do not want to get housebound as I now am only starting to feel safe in the house and I know this is a slippery slope. I have young children and this is what will make me use a mobility scooter I want to be able to take them the park, zoo etc.
i never thought about second hand will look into that today and see what’s there.
I have an enigma its a power wheelchair, we got it off ebay so it wasn’t too expensive, i also have a self propelling from the NHS but its only okay if someone is pushing me as i haven’t got the strength to go anywhere in in it, the power chair has been brilliant Iv’e had it for just over a year and its given me my life back and I manage to go all over the place in it with the children. I haven’t driven for a couple of years (no longer safe) because my loss of mobility back in may 2013 was very sudden i’d had the wobbly legs and double vision for quite a while then suddenly a complete loss of mobility so i was kind of thrown in at the deep end and had to use a wheelchair. One piece of advice would be to see if you could try one out first, I went to a mobility shop where they hire them out and they let us practice on the car park without any charge… I tried the scooter and nearly fell off it it wasn’t stable enough for me, then i tried the chair and…i can’t believe im saying this I loved it! We went home and bought the same model off ebay. i’d hung on for so long not wanting to take the next step of getting my own power wheelchair but it was the best thing i have done, if you can get some advice on fitting it would be helpful my chair is slightly big for me, i was fortunate because my husband works as an additional needs manager and knew it would be okay for me. The other advantage in getting a power wheelchair rather than a scooter is that you can get into shops easier and disabled toilets, unfortunately i don’t have enough mobility to park a scooter up and walk with a stick which you may prefer.
Hi Michelle, thank you for you helpful reply you made some good points. If ii get a power chair how easy are they to transport. I suppose what I am asking is can it fit in the boot if a car. At the moment I could not afford to change my car but do see what you are saying about toilets etc.
They are quite heavy to be honest, mine weighs around 60kg. I’m fortunate now to have a motability vehicle which has a hoist that lifts it into the car. Some people will use a ramp or ramps to do the same thing,
It is possible to remove the batteries on a lot of models and the one I have will also fold up to and the handles wil fold down to reduce its height. My husband did this when we had an estate car but still found it quite heavy to lift even with the batteries removed. It can be quite fiddly taking the connections apart to take the batteries off. It can take a while if you have carers that put into your car via a ramp for example, to get used to controlling the chair properly but this does improve with practice.
A lot will depend on the type of chair you were looking at some a bigger and weigh more than others but a Shop Mobility scheme will probably be able to give you some good advice. In terms of manoeuvrability centre wheel drive power chairs will turn on a sixpence so to speak, whereas a wheel drive chair will feel different again as will a front wheel drive.
Mobility Scooters are designed to do up to 8 m.p.h and can be used on the road under certain conditions and require a tax disc (free of charge) whereas a powered chair is limited to use on the pavements and will do a maximum of 4 m.p.h. It’s also worth looking at public liability insurance too if you get a chair or scooter. Some home insurance policies will cover you for public liability and if not there are companies like Fish Insurance amongst others that will provide specific cover.
I have also bought various wheel chairs and scooters from eBay …they are so much cheaper but my advise would be to go to the biggest mobility shop you can find…they will also be able to advise about models that collapse easily to fit in your car. That way if you find a model that you like you can then look on eBay for a used cheaper version.
I found the electric chairs far to big for my house I have a very small self propelling one which can be used in the house if necessary or if I am out with someone who can push me. I live in the countryside where the lanes have no pavements and are very narrow so I cannot get out on my scooter but once again I chose a small one that easily collapses to go in the car.
My scooters have all been roadworthy - which is just as well as we have no footpaths. They have all had lights/indicators/hazard lights etc. And are very stable - seat revolves so you can get on and off from the side. lts trial and error. The small shop/travel type will not be very heavy - but then they are not always stable. But if they are very light - at least if you do get stuck you can manage to lift or drag them out usually by putting your feet to the ground and give a shove.
lts horses for courses. l need a all-terrain scooter for my lifestyle - the horses/dogs - and getting around the countryside. The middle range ones are also good. Comfy seats with armrests - and a good turning circle. l even go to the next village - to the bank for cash - on my scooter with the dogs. lt is easier then going by car. l keep a pair of walking poles attached in case l do need to get off - and l have even strapped my rollator on the back to go down the pub or to use in someones house.
Any faster then 4mph - then you have to keep off the pavements.
When my daughter was little - she loved my scooter and would stand on the back - and when it snowed l could tow her sledge from the back of the machine. Dogs love it - horses also have got to know it - and l have often lead a horse or pony whilst sat on my scooter.
My scooter wouldn’t fit in a car… Paris ShopRider… but just wanted to say that it’s been the best money I ever spent!!!
First few trips out I was very nervous and very self-conscious… but then one day I went out, did some shopping (you can get loads of shopping on them… in the basket and between your feet), stopped for a coffee, stopped and chatted to a few people I knew and when I got home I thought WOW… that was fantastic!!!
It’s like a car in that once you get used to it it’s almost like a part of your body.
Whoever invented the mobility scooter was a genius!
Here here Pat I have just replaced my shoprider with a smaller version after fifteen years of fantastic use. The shoprider was able and in fact still is in car boot but it is getting to heavy for Heather to manage hitting in and out of the car. So the smaller or should I say more manageable one is in the lounge. I will sell the old one on eBay
The scooters make such a difference to people’s lives I love mine. Don
i have a mobility scooter its an EGO LITE its fantastic quite nippy good battery length and fit in my boot but needs two to lift it out. but i would highly recomend it got it off ebay for ÂŁ160 i also have a rollater but dont use it much
Hiya space jacket, I’ve been reading with interest your posts regarding the mobility scooters you have used & still do use, over the years. I’ve got a good few questions about them so I was wondering if you’d mind me sending you a pm with them all instead of posting it on here? It’s nothing dodgy or anything, just quite a lot of different questions & going by your previous posts - you’re definately the person in the know! I duno if the errors at my end but when I go onto your profile it doesn’t give the option to send you a private message. If you wouldn’t mind that is, letting me pick your brain about the scooters you’ve used over all these years that would be great. I’m looking into getting one but it needs to be one that can do all terrains so I can take my fur baby Dali her nice walks. Would you mind pm(ing) me & I can reply to that instead? Hope this will be okay?? x
Hi, thanks everyone for your useful replies. I had a look on eBay but only two available in dublin and not much cheaper than buying a new one.
i found one on line it’s called a travel scoot, weighs 32 lbs and comes apart very easily. It is worth googling it were you can see it being dismantled and reassembled in seconds. You can also see it being used. It costs about 2,000 euro so I will do more research but the reviews are very good.
i have heard of the travelscoot,i was looking into getting one,but decided on the Luggie freerider,i got mine from preloved site for ÂŁ900,it was a bargain as it had only been used twice and is like new,the new price to buy is over ÂŁ2000,i love mine,we intended to take it on planes,but i am too ill to travel abroad now,so it only gets used for trips out and shopping.
I have a travelscoot and the one time I used it for a few hours I found the way the accelerator works (by twisting the handlebar) made my wrist hurt after a while. I have used a conventional mobility scooter (on holiday) which has a little lever under each handle to go backwards/forwards and is more comfortable to use.