Ok so after 9 years of Primary Progressive my mobility and balance is getting worse, worse to the extent that my wife has banned me from doing any DIY…my motto of “if you don’t bleed on a job, it cannot have been done properly” is getting a bit old. Anyway after falling outside and putting my head through the glass panel of a door (I was ok, wife was panic stricken and its cost me 500 quid for a new door!) and then taking my daughter to Cadbury World and not being able to walk around, a self powered wheel chair seems to be obvious answer.
But which one ?
Ok, I still drive and have a Motability car. So really I need a light weight chair that I can put in the boot and then use when I am going somewhere, maybe even just shopping…going out with my daughter for example.
Being me, I also think that maybe I could use the chair for fun run’s and walks around the park…it must increase my upper body strength mustn’t it ?
So, any advice on a self powered wheel chair and costs ?
Hello Jon. I bought An Enigma for £375 but that was 11 years ago. It’s still going smoothly. I’ve just give it to my local community centre as I’ve replaced it with an electric chair. It’s been on holiday with us to Wales, Suffolk, Worcestershire, Hereford and all points up north. We even got it up to the Ring of Brodgar on Orkney.
I’m at the same stage you are Jon - not quite with the “woops” though. It’s so getting really frustrating not being able to walk far and wanting to get about under my own steam. Will have a look at the Enigma or similar.
My neurologist was right when he said in about 10 years (from diagnosis in 2006) I’d have difficulty walking! What to do?
I’ve bought a Betterlife ‘Style Drive’ scooter, which fits perfectly into the back of my new Motabiity car; it cost £350 if you shop around (local disability shop: £599!!) so be careful where you buy from, and remember it is VAT free if you have MS. I had to pay £275 to Motability for a hoist to be installed in the new car, but they did a good job and it was well worth the money.
For indoor use, the NHS supplied me with a purpose ‘fitted’ centre wheeled wheelchair, at no cost, although it took some time to arrive. To buy an identical chair, £5200! So well done the NHS OT people. Good luck.
Only used it once so far, going around a local farm that my daughter loves, but apart from a blister on my right hand (gloves ordered) all was fine.
Obviously its not as nice as the one I would have bought (but a grand cheaper), but it does the job and really that is all it needs to do at the moment.
Looking forward to getting out in it and building my arm muscles up, thinking of just going around the local park and doing some time trials first.