I have one. It’s heavy, primitive, cumbersome, and I don’t have the strength to propel myself more than a few yards in it. I can’t go out independently in it, I need someone to push me.
There is no prospect of getting anything suitable from the NHS for my situation. In addition, they refuse to provide a powered wheelchair whilst I am still able to stagger around within the house on my legs. This takes no account of the fact that I need a powered wheelchair to go out independently, as I don’t have the strength to propel myself in a manual wheelchair and can’t walk more than a very few yards.
I guess this is a common situation for many people with MS, who have some small degree of mobility left but need powered assistance out of doors in order to live independently.
I do not think the NHS wheelchair service serves people with MS at all well.
You can ask to be reassessed if the chair’s unsuitable. I got a lighter chair after getting assessed again. The NHS also do a voucher scheme, where they give you a voucher for the same value as the chair. You can then buy your own chair from a list of approved shops, and add your own money if needed. If you haven’t got any spare pennies yourself to add to it, you could apply for a grant from the MS Society, or see if there’s any places you could apply for a grant on this website - http://www.disability-grants.org/
Firstly Dan gives some good advice get reassessed.
I have had excellent support from the NHS although when I was reassessed for a powered chair the assesor said that I wasn’t elligable but I argued my corner ( mainly about getting isolated ) and got one.
hi, my first was a nhs manual wheelchair, yeh so big and heavy no-one could push me in it. then i got a self propel, which i bought for £200.
since then i have bought a further 5 chairs myself…3 electric and 2 manual.
my current chair is a pride fusion, with electric tilt and recline and manually movable legrests.
i am paying for it via motabiity…expensive at £25 a week…but the previous electric chair was from wheelchair services and became totally uncomfortable. i was on the waiting list for ages and couldnt wait any longer.
this new chair is good, but the armrests are so feeble…ie the foam has split and crumbled off already…within 10 dys of delivery!
they provided me with manual chair with i cant use myself-never have been able to because of total right sided side is ******
i was too poorly at that time to even think about going out. so i guess the manual chair was for anybody who could help me-carers, neighbours, my kids… as i began to feel stronger mentally i was assesed for a powerchair and it was delivered about 6 weeks later. i need both definitely depending on what care i have and how i am doing each day.
my local wheelchair service folk have been fantastic-maybe its like everything with this ms malarkey -luck of the draw (which is all wrong but reality i am afraid)
as others haver said ask for ur situation to be looked at again.
I agree that the assessment criteria for an outdoor power chair is crazy. I bought my own because initially wheelchair services would only give me an indoor chair. I was reassessed after 12 months and now have an outdoor power chair from them. I felt, just as you do that I needed a power chair to get out and about whilst I still could, my fear was that I would have deteriorated too badly to get much use out of a chair by the time they gave me one!
I was given an indoor power chair because I couldn’t self propel and I was having lots of falls in the house. That seemed to be the tipping point. The fact that I could walk a bit was offset by my falling. But it wasn’t enough to get an outdoor chair. It was only when I needed it more or less all the time (the rule is 24/7 I think) that I got my lovely Quickie Salsa.
It is useless to try and argue that you need a power chair to get about outside - they won’t give you one on that basis, you need to show that you need one inside first
Hi I recently got a wheelchair supplied by the NHS which seemed heavy but when I asked about a lighter one they said it was the lightest they do.Also my friend has a wheelchair and he had rubber covers on the push rings which he said made allot of difference self propelling the chair.I looked on Ebay and they were 30 quid so I asked my OT about them and she got me some from the wheelchair supplier foc.They do make a big difference as they make the rings a bigger diameter and because they’re rubber make the rings easier to grip and push.Ask about them they make a difference.Dave.
