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First time considering an electric wheelchair / scooter

PippaT1966

Hi everyone,
My adult daughter has ME and can no longer leave the house unaided, so we have been pushing her in a wheelchair the once a week or so when she's well enough to go out for an hour or so. She's keen to get a mobility aid as she can't leave the house unaided, and her younger sister isn't strong enough to push her, so it means she can't go out unless I'm with her (or my husband). I have a few concerns about what she should get (assuming she wins her PIP tribunal and gets back payments so she can afford it).
We have a 7 seater Kia with a big boot, which we put her lightweight folding chair in - does anyone use a 'normal' car to transport their electric wheelchair? I thought a little scooter would be better, but she says that shops can refuse you entry with one, whereas it's illegal to refuse an electric wheelchair. Any input would be greatly received.
She's not huge (5ft 3 and about 8.5 stone) so we don't need something terribly robust and heavy. My main concern is getting it into the car, and the most practical solution for her money.

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bidders31

You can hire one from easy mobile for monthly payment

wheeliegran

I have an electric scooter I use an electric wheelchair, the backrest lifts off and my husband uses ramps to guide the chair up under its own power, so no lifting involved..it fits perfectly in the back of our old Volvo V70 estate without having to put the rear seats down so our dogs go everywhere with us to
im not sure in the rules of scooters as where I live we have a mall and if you can get around you can go in. I go into all my shops and supermarkets in my chair or on my scooter, which isn't a little one.
Chairs are more comfortable as you can relax while you drive, scooters take muscle power so could make her more tired on outings!

exdvr

PippaT1966 I use a Kymco Min Comfort scooter { 4mph, 20 stone weight and 16 mile range} which I carry in a Citroen Berlingo Multispace automatic. It is easily dismantled but I have strength problems so I use a hoist to lift it in and out of the boot. It's 108mm long and fits in sideways so I still have use of all 5 seats. I'd be lost without it. I have never had a problem accessing shops or restaurants with a class 2 scooter but there may be problems with the bigger class 3 types.

April2018mom

Have you contacted NHS wheelchair services? They were incredibly helpful when we first started the process. My son can walk a little bit with adaptive equipment so what we do is have him wear his leg braces HKAFOs (they are also known as the waist length type) on very short walks down to the lobby and back up to our apartment.
For longer trips to the local shops etc we use his wheelchair. Since he is paralysed from the waist down (paraplegic) we save his energy for intensive physical therapy sessions. Most wheelchairs can be folded up as needed.

Saffy

@PippaT1966 I can understand your dilemma over which transport would be best. I can only comment on my own experience so.....
I have used a mobility scooter for 15 years and would be lost without it as it gives me independence to go where I want and when I want. Not having to rely on others is a big thing for me.
I've never had any problem going into shops using it, in fact I didn't even know that there were any rules.
I use it in the big supermarkets and also small shops. You just need to make sure there is enough room in there to manoeuvre it safely ( without knocking all the displays down

) .
The only problem I find is if the shop has a step at the entrance which I can't get my scooter over. But that's the exception as most shops have pavement level entry.
Hope you find what you want, and good luck with the PIP.

wilko

Horses for courses, depending on where you intend using your scooter daily dog walking or just the odd shopping trip. Boot scooters are great for dismantling and going in to the boot heaviest part the battery pack which you take indoors to recharge. If you are a dog walker doing between 5 &7 miles a day then a class three scooters are well suited to go off road and hard firm trackways ect. I don’t go on the road only to cross so you have to decide on usage and buy hire or contact a supplier to discuss your options one I have felt with will sell you one and after a week if you don’t like will pick up for free and give a full refund no trouble, they deal in second hand ex mobility scooters all come with new batteries and six months after care.

PippaT1966

April2018mom said:

Have you contacted NHS wheelchair services? They were incredibly helpful when we first started the process. My son can walk a little bit with adaptive equipment so what we do is have him wear his leg braces HKAFOs (they are also known as the waist length type) on very short walks down to the lobby and back up to our apartment.
For longer trips to the local shops etc we use his wheelchair. Since he is paralysed from the waist down (paraplegic) we save his energy for intensive physical therapy sessions. Most wheelchairs can be folded up as needed.

Thanks - we are 'managing' her ME at home with the GP, I didn't even know there were NHS wheelchair services (of course there would be!) we could access. We've looked at the options but holding her arms in a fixed position causes her extra fatigue and pain, so I think a wheelchair she can rest her arms on would be a better idea.

Chloe_Alumni

Hi @PippaT1966, I just wanted to check in to see how you are your daughter are doing

PippaT1966

Thanks! We're still waiting to hear about universal credit and PIP so no purchases so far. We think a wheelchair is the best option but we're going to try a few out first at a dealer's, thanks!