Good afternoon
I am currently in a NHS electric wheelchair - which is due to be updated soon. I have had a demonstration of a Genie V2 standing wheelchair- which looked and felt very impressive. The cost of the wheelchair will be £10,500. Does anyone have any experience of this company and Wheelchair or maybe suggestions for alternatives
Thank you very much
your advice and experience is much appreciated
Looks amazing on the web site. If you get one please let us know what it’s like. As a man I wonder if it enables you to pee standing up when you can’t stably do it yourself (I hate having to do it sitting down as it’s difficult to get the nozzle in the right place/direction as it were).
do your legs have to be fairly strong in order to stand then?
pollx
Looking at the web site it seems to me that it’s yes for the basic model, but there are posture supports that can be added to enable weaker users to get around this. Search “genie wheelchair” in Google to get the site.
Hi sorry for the delay in replying
i’m pretty sure that chair also allowed people to stand who don’t have particular strong legs - when I was shown the chair - he told me of a gentleman who stayed for the first time in eight years - The genie website is very helpful - it’s worth just having a demonstration.
Any updates on using stand-up chairs? Just got an advert for v2 with MS magazine - looks impressive but don’t know if it would suit as I can’t weight bear. don’t suppose would be available on NHS either!
Poll Just looking at the website now :- http://geniestandingwheelchair.co.uk/
it looks amazing I got a new Salsa Quickie http://www.quickiepower.com/index.asp?locale=en_GB this week which helps with my posture. I never knew there was so many wheelchairs
Don
Hi there MangoPlum,
Do you mean a percher chair? Used by sitting on the seat but with feet flat on the floor so you’re supporting your weight on the seat but steadying with your feet from a “perching” position. I bought one for myself. It means I can “sit” at the kitchen table and chop veg, etc. I would be able to do an awful lot less without it.
These should be available from your local authority friendly OT. Perhaps it would be better to try before you buy rather than make an expensive mistake.
Good luck,
Anne
Hello MangoPlum,
We are the manufacturers of the Genie, you don’t have to be able to weight bare to be able to stand up in the genie and have all types of posture supports in order for you to be comfortable and maintain and upright position. Also, we do receive voucher contributions from the NHS and other healthcare companies such as Millbrook. We give free home demonstrations to anybody that would like to try the chair or alternatively give us a ring and we can answer any questions you may have about the Genie.
Kind Regards
EasyRise
Iam so keen on this. Will have demo at my home after Xmas
I’m waiting for a NHS Wheelchair Services appointment to update my manual with an electric one. Anything would do - my arms are so weak.
TBH I wouldn’t use a fancy chair - I just need a basic electric one for moving from room to room at home. And I don’t want to have to write begging letters for funding a chair.
Does anyone else have an electric chair from the NHS - what are they like?
Pj
Me too. Waiting for a reassessment by wheelchair services following a physio referral for an electric chair. (Not the kind that kills you just now!) And I’d like to know what the electric wheelchairs provided by the NHS are like as well.
Sue
It says here that:
Update May 2016 from NHS England
"The wheelchair service is now 20 years old, and users have found a number of challenges in using the scheme, notably a lack of information around maintenance and repair services, and a limited number of suppliers where a wheelchair voucher can be used against a chair.
The NHS England Five-Year Forward View includes a new Personal Wheelchair Budget which will replace the current voucher scheme. This should offer more options about where the wheelchair can be bought, and will include a detailed care plan to help the decision-making process. The plan will look at future servicing, repair and replacement needs, as well as the initial purchasing.
The personal wheelchair budget represents an important step towards integrating wheelchair provision into an individual’s wider care, ensuring a more joined-up approach. Statistically, it will also help NHS England to keep meaningful data about wheelchair provision, which should improve services, and iron out variations across the country."
“The aim is to roll out “personal wheelchair budgets” nationally from April 2017, to cover everyone who accesses the current wheelchair voucher scheme. This includes those with both low level and complex wheelchair requirements.”
https://www.england.nhs.uk/healthbudgets/understanding/wheelchair-budgets/
However, it fails to mention the budget. How much can we spend??
Perhaps Santa will put one under the tree for me.
Pj
Mmmm interesting. Maybe if I believed in Santa I’d be hoping for a new chair under the tree too. But as it is, I suspect I’ll be waiting a while yet. Thanks for the info pj.
Sue
Me too
Getting a decent electric wheelchair on the NHS is down to the postcode lottery. If your OT or neuro writes to the wheelchair service saying you have a ‘clinical need’ for a certain type of chair then, although the service may still refuse, saying they only supply x to all the service users who need an electric chair, you then take your case to PALS to fight it out, and a fight it may well be and you need resolve and support to do it.
I took my case to PALS and I won and got back the money I had contributed to get an elevated footplate on my salsa power-chair.
If you take the voucher then its likely that you pick up the tab for all the service and repairs.
I once met a barister who got a standing wheelchair through Access to work because he wanted a level playing field as it were, in court.
I hope you do get your Genie
Susi
Hello we are currently selling a Genie wheelchair 18 months old. We would like to sell. If you are interested you could email me [email removed by moderator] and I could send images and price.
I have bought it two years ago for £11,500.
Well honesty some good but some bad advantage.
Let start with good:-
Bad
I should purchase other model but this one ok for travelling.
If I knew this then I wouldn’t buy.
The Geni standing wheelchair we purchased, we only spend the yearly service charge. You paid quite a lot for repairs, we didn’t experience that.
We found the chair to be strong, being able to stand and allow your body to stretch and encourage circulation, and relieve pressure areas, and so much more.
The chair can be used to go out and about, or for dancing with your partner, the dance mat can be requested from easyrise, for those special occasions. The chair brought back hope.