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Any Advice on Mobility Scooters

Diamond17

Hi, my name is Jen and I am new to this site, in fact have never posted before on any site. I'm 67, and suppose I am lucky to have got to this age before requiring a wheelchair or mobility scooter to help me get out and about. I have osteoarthritis, in neck and now after years of knee pain and being told it wasn't severe enough for an op, I now have tricompartmental o.a. in right knee and bilateral in left knee, and left elbow, and neck. Still waiting to see surgeon and hopefully join the long wait for a knee replacement op.

After years of having flares and then recovery it looks like I've reached the stage of "this is as good as it gets for the forseeable". I have been housebound since June and finally accepted that I will require more than my crutches if I am to have any kind of quality of life at all. I joined Scope initially to research advice on mobility scooters and wheelchairs, and I have looked at a few posts addressing concerns re: storage. I am in retirement housing, however no provision for storage of scooters. I am fortunate enough to have limited space in my first floor flat to store a scooter but would require a compact scooter that can take tight corners. I am not keen on the folding scooters, and would like one a bit more substantial, but it also has to be no more than 50" inches in length to fit in lift. Any advice or recommendations would be appreciated.

Look forward to joining in with discussions and getting to know other members.

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Comments

Scooby222

Have you tried any mobility scooters yet? Recently I went to a big CareCo showroom near where I live, and they had a huge range of scooters and other mobility aids and lots of room to try them out. The sales staff were not at all pushy, and it gave me chance to really work out what I wanted. I could also try a few other options too, like those walking frame thingies. It was good fun trying all the different options.

I left without buying anything, but then went back and ordered my choice the following week. There really was no pressure selling at all. All in all it's a great place to start.

Diamond17

Thanks Scooby, I have a mobility shop near me, doesn't have a huge range, and isn't in the Motability scheme, which I was thinking of using. However I did have a trial go in one of their scooters. I am intending visiting a Motability supplier in my area, and they seem to have a good choice. More concerned about the dimrnsions and turning circle capability, hopefully they will be able to advise. Always nice to have personal recommendations though.

Scooby222

Take a tape measure with you if the dimensions are very important, and maybe a photo of the storage space it needs to fit into? Then you can check for yourself. I'd take a friend along with me as well, because I would find it difficult to bend down to measure any awkward dimensions.

i tend to think that mobility scooters are a bit like shoes - no one style does everything. So what might be great and nippy for shopping is not so good on rough ground (like hiking boots vs smart shoes). I had to work out exactly what I wanted my scooter to be able to do, which helped when I was choosing.

Diamond17

Thanks for your sound advice, just wanting to get one soon so I regain my independence.

Jimm_Alumni

Hello @Diamond17, welcome to our community 😊 Congrats on posting in your first online space. I hope we show that there are supportive and helpful communities on the internet 😄

I'm sorry to hear about the issues you're having with your knees and elsewhere. I'm stumped that they've said you're not severe enough for an operation when you're considering a wheelchair or mobility scooter! Surely that should be a sign that something should be done 😕

I hope Scooby has helped you with some of the things you weren't sure about. Mobility scooters are an area I'm not too on top of, so I don't think I can help you anymore in that area.

You do mention however that the retirement housing you are in has no provision for storing scooters? Is it just there is no provision right now or have they said this cannot be put in place at all?

I hope you're doing well today anyhow!

older01

@Diamond17 Have you thought about The Mobility Scheme? They have a wide variety of mobility scooters and options. There is a minimum period for hiring a scooter through them, but they can advise you on several of your concerns and options that they might be able to offer you. It sounds like you might need a pavement scooter because they are smaller than the larger scooters, but are still sturdy enough for you. The NHS don’t offer mobility scooters, but they do offer electric wheelchairs for certain individual criteria. An occupational health therapist could visit you at home and they can help you with any mobility aids that you might find useful around the flat that you may not have considered.

It’s lovely that you have reached out, and I hope that I have helped you in some small way. Best wishes 🩷😊

Diamond17

Thankyou for responding. At present researching all of my options, motability scheme, buying a new one, or getting a second hand one. I have thought about a short hire to see how I get on. Haven't really given much thought to a power wheelchair, but something to think about. Glad I joined the community so nice to share concerns and get some feedback from other peple with similar situations and experiences.

Hopefully I can reciprocate and offer advice or support to other members in future.

JessieJ

Hello @Diamond17

You mention you have arthritis in your neck, maybe you should have more of a look at wheelchairs, as reaching forward to steer a mobility scooter, not only can cause you some aches in your shoulders, but also your neck. If there's already pain there, it may not work so well for you. Plus, wheelchairs can take up less room & turn on a sixpence & less. Would definitely pay you to find a larger mobility place with more choice & a chance to test drive types of both.

Another thing with trying out a few, if money is an issue, you can then look up those you found more comfortable to buy secondhand, as there can be some decent bargains to be had.

Diamond17

Thanks Jessie for taking the time to reply. I have arranged for a home visit to test out some mobility scooters, but haven't ruled out a wheelchair. I was acting on physio's advice re: mobility scooter, but will seek a second opinion.

JessieJ

You're welcome, @Diamond17. Enjoy having some test runs.

It's just from the sitting & arm position, I have arthritis in my neck as well & I had a scooter years ago & with my arms forward to steer, it did end up giving me problems. Just see how you go.

Diamond17

Hi Jessie, will do, still weighing up options. Useful to know those things though, as never gave it too much thought, just took backrest on mobility scooters into consideration, . Though at moment my legs are giving me the most bother, but you know how it goes with arthritis and the pain in joints that flits around.

Hope you are keeping well at present,

JessieJ

Hello @Diamond17, just see how you feel. If you can try a powerchair too, that would be good so that you can compare.

My main problem is spinal, with loads of add ons, so I also find the wheelchair back is better for support. We're all different in our needs though & you can only try to find what suits you best. Sounds like you could do with something sooner than later though, to take the pressure off.

Thanks, I'm keeping my head above water.

Needhelpandadvice

My best advice would be if you can save money up and then buy one cash I would suggest that you do that, rather than going on mobility.

The reason being is that if you buy it outright, they cannot take it away.

If you are on mobility, and for some reason they say that you are no longer eligible, they can take away your car, scooter etc.

It would take a while to have a MR or a tribunal, all the time you are without transport.

If you are lucky enough to get it awarded again, then you can apply again, but in the mean time you would not have transport.

I notice that you mention getting a mobility scooter into a lift, I am not sure what lift you are talking about, but guessing that you mean you live in a building with a lift, and you want to get that scooter into that lift and park outside of your flat?

Your council or housing association, will not allow you to do that, as if it is a communal building and you have a passageway that your neighbours use, in case of a fire it will be a fire hazard.

You would have to keep it parked outside.

If you are looking for a second hand one, look for a company called mobility giant. You also have Green Power and someone else that produce the same scooters, but I cannot think of their name now, velvo or something like that, brand new for under £2,000 I have heard bad things about the second one, but Mobility and Velvo are supposed to be ok.

Hope this helps

Diamond17

Thank you for your advice. I have been awarded ongoing PIP, and have actually deterioated since the initial award in November 22, so hopefully my award would be secure. I am keeping my options open regarding lease or buying ouright, really don't want to buy online as I would rather try before I buy.

I am fortunate enough to have room within my flat to store scooter, as long as I choose one that will fit within the lift, and complies with Housing Association Policy. I have looked at Greenpower, but like so many that are appealing it won't fit in the lift. So been doing lots of research online and will hopefully find something soon.

Thanks again for input.

Diamond17

Thanks for the idea, still doing research on my options.

Cantilip

And my comment will appear after it has been approved. Yup, practical advice about scooter purchase is so suspect. Sort this, Scope!

Cantilip

Work out when, where, why you will use it.

The layout of your home and building, where you will store it, how easy to get outside.

How strong you are and how steady on your feet. Can you lift it? Can you lift the different bits if it's dismantled.

Whether it will be delivered assembled

Whether you have an able-bodied person around to help. So much that the sellers write cheerfully about how easy something is to dismantle and pop in the boot depends wholly on there being someone who can dismantle it and pop it in the boot.

Posting my own scooter story separately

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